Slovakia warns Czechs about Lisbon treaty delay

At a press briefing in Brussels on Thursday night Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned Prague it was undermining its position in the EU by delaying the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. Following a summit of EU leaders on Thursday, Mr. Fico said he had heard a number of very strong statements on the subject by prime ministers of leading EU member states. The Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, later confirmed that there was increasing concern in Brussels on the subject, and that EU leaders were now more worried about the Eurosceptic Czech president signing the treaty that they were about the outcome of the Irish referendum.

The Lisbon treaty has been ratified by both houses of the Czech Parliament, but President Václav Klaus has made it clear he will delay signing it for as long as possible.