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Former Czech president Václav Havel will be released from hospital on Thursday more than two weeks after he was admitted with severe breathing problems, a hospital spokesperson has said. Eva Jurinová from Prague’s Motol hospital said on Wednesday that Mr Havel’s condition had improved considerably and that doctors had therefore decided to release him the following day. The former head of state underwent surgery on January 12, after complaining of problems breathing and swallowing, the operation was followed by complications which left Mr Havel in intensive care. The former president suffers from chronic bronchitis and had part of his right lung removed when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1996.

The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, says if the EU does not draw energy from a variety of sources its freedom and independence will be threatened. Speaking at a meeting in Budapest to discuss the planned Nabucco natural gas pipeline, he said he regarded the project as a test of European integration; it would only be successful if the EU made it a top priority, he said. The Nabucco line would transport gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Many countries in Europe were left without heating when a row between Russia and Ukraine led to a halt in gas supplies earlier this month.

The Czech Republic has been criticized by the Council of Europe for failing to acknowledge the International Criminal Court. Eight of the Council of Europe’s 47 members are yet to acknowledge the court; they include Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. The International Criminal Court was set up in 2002 to try individuals on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has been recognised by 108 countries around the world. The Czech Senate signed a bill acknowledging the court in July last year, which was subsequently approved by the lower house in October. The bill is now pending the signature of President Václav Klaus, who is refusing to sign it, saying it is unconstitutional.

The majority of Czechs would like their Parliament ratify the EU’s Lisbon treaty, a poll conducted by the STEM agency and released on Wednesday suggests. A total of 64 percent of respondents said that they were for the ratification of the EU reform document, a 19 percent increase on last October’s results. Some 70 percent of those questioned, however, said that they did not understand exactly what the Lisbon treaty was for. Neither the Czech Parliament nor the Senate have voted yet on Lisbon’s ratification. The Czech Republic is, as such, the only country in the EU yet to make a decision upon the treaty. On Tuesday, MPs decided to postpone a debate on the Lisbon treaty until February 15 at the earliest.