Foreign Affairs Committee postpones discussions on Lisbon

The Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee has postponed discussions on the European Union’s Lisbon treaty until February 15, when it will also go before the lower house’s Constitutional-Legal Committee. Deputies are expected to vote on ratifying the document during a session which begins at the start of next month, after a debate on the matter was postponed in December. Even if it is ratified, Czech President Václav Klaus has indicated that he will not sign Lisbon unless it is approved by Ireland; Irish voters rejected the reform document in a referendum last June and are due to vote on it again this year.