PM on ratification of Lisbon Treaty

In related news, on Thursday EU leaders signed the Treaty of Lisbon, to replace the EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in national referenda in 2005. The new document will now need to be ratified by individual member states by 2009. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek commented in Brussels on Friday, saying the process would “not be easy”. He signalled that a potential sticking point was the implementation of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.