European Affairs Minister says government fall complicates Lisbon ratification

Czech European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra has admitted the government’s fall will complicate ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. The Czech upper house of Parliament, the Senate, has still to ratify the treaty with its support far from certain. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Wednesday that the Czech Republic is under an obligation to ratify the stalled treaty which aims at streamlining decision-making in the 27-strong EU. The EU Commission earlier expressed its “full trust” in the continuing Czech EU presidency. The Irish Republic, whose citizens rejected the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum, and the Czech Republic are the only two states whose parliaments have not fully ratified the treaty.