Topolánek: Sarkozy’s words put Lisbon treaty ratification in jeopardy

Prime minister Mirek Topolánek has said that French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposal to ‘re-localise’ French carmakers’ foreign units is a threat to the ratification of the EU’s Lisbon treaty. In an interview with Hospodářské noviny on Monday, Mr Topolánek called President Sarkozy’s words ‘incredible’ and said that they put Czech ratification of the EU reform document in jeopardy. The Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency, is home to a joint venture between France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota, which produced some 324,000 cars in 2008. It is also the only EU member state still to vote on the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. The lower house has postponed a debate on the treaty until February 17 at the earliest.

On Monday, French newspaper Le Monde reported that President Nicolas Sarkozy took back his comments about re-localising the French car industry, under pressure from Czech PM Mirek Topolánek. Mr Sarkozy’s suggestion that PSA Peugeot Citroen should focus on its French operations and not its plant in Kolín, Central Bohemia, also angered the Czech Chamber of Commerce, with its head Petr Kužel saying the move threatened the free market.

Author: Rosie Johnston