Brussels - Czech President Vaclav Klaus will sign the European Union's Lisbon treaty in the end, and most probably by the end of the year, Czech premier Jan Fischer said Wednesday. "There is no reason for anxiety in Europe. In the Czech Republic, the question is not yes or no, it is when," Fischer told journalists in Brussels and Prague.
Other EU leaders want the treaty to come into force by the end of the year, but that can only happen if Klaus, a fierce opponent of the text, signs it.
"I believe that everything is in place for the ratification to be completed at the end of this year," Fischer said.
Both houses of the Czech parliament approved the treaty in the spring, but the Eurosceptic Klaus has refused to sign it. The document is currently facing a challenge in the Czech constitutional court, which has pledged to deal with it as soon as possible.
Once the court's work is done, "from all the signals I have at my disposal, I analyse that there will be no reason for the president to delay his signature," Fischer said.
Fischer was talking after a video conference with the leaders of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Swedish government, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. He had been set to come to Brussels in person, but was stranded in Prague by aircraft problems.
Analysts see Wednesday's meeting as an attempt to put indirect pressure on Klaus by enlisting domestic Czech support for the treaty.
The president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, a Pole, said that while the Czech president's actions were his own affair, "in every member state, with such a delay there should be information how costly this is for other member states."
"We are waiting," Buzek said.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that once the Czech court has dealt with the treaty, "I see no reason why further delays should happen" in the country.
Barroso has already discussed the Lisbon issue with the leaders of the Czech Republic's two biggest political parties, Mirek Topolanek and Jiri Paroubek.
Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has been trying to call Klaus to discuss the issue. Klaus has not yet returned his calls, Reinfeldt admitted on Wednesday.
If Klaus signs the treaty before the end of the year, it will be Reinfeldt's task to steer EU discussions on how to put it into effect.
Chief among those talks will be the need to appoint the first EU president. Rumours are already circulating in Brussels as to likely contenders, with Tony Blair's the highest-profile name mentioned as a possible candidate to date.
Reinfeldt insisted that it was too early to start formal consultations on the top job, saying, "when we have clarity on when Lisbon will come into force, I'll begin consultations ... but we don't yet know enough to start (them)."
If the Czech court throws out the challenge, that clarity could come very soon. However, if it takes up the case, it is unlikely to come until November, he said.
Poland's President Lech Kaczynski has also not yet signed the treaty. However, he is widely expected to do so in the coming days.
"One signature will certainly be in Poland this week," Buzek said.
