Brussels - European Union officials Tuesday called for the swift implementation of the bloc's Lisbon Treaty after the text was approved by the Czech Republic's constitutional court. "I welcome the court's decision and that we have legal clarity on the Lisbon Treaty. We are now very close to full ratification," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, said in a statement.
Reinfeldt was speaking shortly after the court ruled that the Lisbon Treaty, which is intended to streamline EU decision-making and boost its international profile, was in line with Czech law.
The ruling clears the way for Czech President Vaclav Klaus to ratify the treaty. Since all other EU states have already done so, that would be enough to bring the treaty into force.
Last week, the eurosceptic Czech president obtained guarantees from EU leaders that the treaty would not allow Germans expelled from Czechslovakia in 1945 to claim their homes back.
According to EU rules, once the treaty has been ratified by all 27 member states, it takes effect on the first day of the following month. This means that if Klaus were to sign it in November, the new rules would apply as of December 1.
"Together with a signature in the Czech Republic, the presidency will continue the completion of the Lisbon Treaty reparations," Reinfeldt said, speaking from Washington, where he had been holding talks with US President Barack Obama.
EU diplomats said that the presidency was now expected to call an extraordinary summit in the coming days, allowing EU leaders to choose the bloc's first-ever president and foreign-policy chief, two new jobs created by the treaty.
Diplomats said that the summit was likely to fall on November 12 or November 19.
"Together with the commitments given by all member states to the Czech Government at the European Council (summit) last week, I believe that no further unnecessary delays should prevent the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty," European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said.
The speaker of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, also welcomed the court ruling, saying that he was "very confident" that Klaus would sign soon.
"The Treaty of Lisbon should now enter into force by the end of the year," Buzek said.
Barroso called on the EU presidency to "move forward as quickly as possible" to gather nominations for the two new jobs and to finish the parallel process of nominating members of the European Commission, the EU's executive.
"After this, and when I have received the complete list of candidates for the next Commission, I can proceed with its formation," Barroso said.
