PM: Euro Constitution will strengthen Czech position in EU

The Prime Minister, Stanislav Gross, has responded to criticism of the EU Constitution by President Vaclav Klaus, who said he was against it 100 percent at the weekend. On Monday, after meeting with the prime minister of Luxembourg, Mr Gross said he believed the constitution would help strengthen the Czech Republic's place within the union, allowing a proper forum for Czech opinion, while a failure to ratify the document would see the Czech Republic pushed to "the outskirts". Mr Gross made clear that despite the president's strong view on the subject, in his view ratification of the EU Constitution was "a step in the right direction".