TOP 09 make signing new coalition deal conditional on Czech acceptance of EU fiscal pact

TOP 09, the second largest party in the government, will only sign a new coalition deal with the Civic Democrats and LIDEM if it contains a commitment to the Czech Republic joining the EU’s Fiscal Compact by the end of 2013. The Czech Republic and the UK are the only members that have not signed up to the treaty, which sets strict limits for the budget deficits of eurozone states. TOP 09’s Miroslav Kalousek, who is the minister of finance, announced the demand after a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday.