President Klaus attends EU summit for ratification of Declaration of Berlin

President Vaclav Klaus attended a ceremony during an EU summit in the German capital on Saturday evening for the ratification of the so-called "Declaration of Berlin." The declaration is intended to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome - the document that paved the way for the establishment of the European Union.

Speaking in Berlin, President Klaus said that European integration had brought many benefits and he would not be opposing the declaration. Nevertheless, he did warn that the EU should not evolve in the wrong direction. Shortly before the summit Mr Klaus had criticised the "secretive" way in which the text of the document had been prepared, saying it was a "classic example of the democratic deficit" that existed in the EU. After reservations were expressed by the Czech Republic, Britain and Poland the declaration itself makes no specific reference to divisive issues like the Union's future enlargement or the EU constitution, but instead emphasises the idea of European unity.