German verdict not to change senators’ resolve to contest Lisbon treaty

Civic Democrat opponents of the Lisbon treaty have said Tuesday’s verdict of the German Constitutional Court has not changed their resolve to lodge a second complaint against the EU’s reform treaty with the Czech Constitutional Court in August. Senators Jiří Oberfalzer and Jiří Pospíšil told the ctk news agency on Tuesday that this time the complaint would relate to the whole treaty, not just some controversial passages. The German Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that the treaty is compatible with German legislation but could not be ratified until new legislation has been put in place to safeguard the powers of the German Parliament. The Czech Parliament has already done this. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, one the staunchest opponents of the treaty who has not yet signed the document, said on Tuesday he had taken note of the German court’s verdict.