PM Fischer visits EU headquarters in Brussels

The new Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer is visiting the EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to shore up confidence in his country's EU presidency following a change-of-guard in Prague. The interim prime minister expressed the hope after a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that the Czechs should complete ratification of the EU’s reforming Lisbon treaty soon. Only President Václav Klaus is holding up the process of by refusing to sign the treaty into law. Mr Fischer added later that President Klaus should not chair the EU’s June summit. He was later scheduled to meet employment commissioner Vladimír Špidla and Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy. Prime Minister Fischer has repeatedly stressed that his interim government would do its utmost to ensure a smooth transition and fulfil the country’s role as EU leader.