Reinfeldt wants closure on Lisbon by 2010

The Swedish Prime Minister and current EU President Fredrik Reinfeldt said Wednesday he wants the long-delayed Lisbon Treaty put into effect by the end of 2009, before the end of Sweden’s presidency. To this end, Mr Reinfeldt is expecting European Commissioner José Barroso and the Czech Prime Minister in Brussels for a discussion to prepare for all eventualities. Prime Minister Fischer’s plane however stayed grounded due to a technical problem and the leaders met via videoconference. Asked if he would be visiting Prague or inviting Czech President Klaus for discussion, Mr Reinfeldt said that the decision was currently in the hands of the Czech Constitutional Court, which he expected to rule on the matter in the next two to three weeks. The Constitutional Court’s review of a complaint regarding the treaty and President Klaus’s personal resistance to signing it into law are seen as the final obstacles to the application of the Lisbon reform treaty throughout Europe.