Klaus says ‘fundamental questions remain unanswered’ after German court approves Lisbon

Czech President Václav Klaus has reacted to the German Constitutional Court’s verdict on the Lisbon treaty by saying some fundamental questions remain unanswered. On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled that the reform document was compatible with German legislation, but that some alterations should be made to German law, strengthening the role of the national Parliament. In the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes on Thursday, President Václav Klaus reacted to the verdict by saying that proposed changes to German law would not be able to counteract the ‘immense shift of powers and mechanisms’ to Brussels. Last week, the vociferously eurosceptic Mr Klaus said that he would be the last politician in Europe to make a decision on the Lisbon treaty. Heads of state in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are still to sign the document, while Ireland is due to hold another referendum on the Lisbon treaty this autumn.