Andrew's EU Blog from Brussels: Czech Court finally gives Green Light to Lisbon Treaty

The big talk in Brussels today is the eager-awaited decision of the Czech Constitutional Court which today has rejected a challenge to the EU's Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for the sceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.

Pro-Lisbon balloons during the Irish referendum in October (Photo: EU Observer) The court ruled that the treaty - an overhaul of the EU's institutional rules and laws - is compatible with Czech national law.

The treaty "is not in conflict with the constitutional law of the Czech Republic," Pavel Rychetsky, the court's chief justice, told state TV on Tuesday (3 November).

The decision was warmly received in Brussels, where European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said: "The final hurdle has now been cleared. The decision clears the way for President Vaclav Klaus to sign and finalise the ratification of the Treaty and I am very confident he will do so."

"The Treaty of Lisbon should now enter into force by the end of the year."

"When I met President Klaus in October in Prague, I said that I was optimistic that we could find a solution," he continued.

"The Czechs have secured their opt-out on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and due legal process has been respected. We now look forward to working on the implementation of the Treaty which greatly enhances the powers of the democratically-elected European Parliament. "

The case had been brought by a group of 17 senators and came on the back of a similar though narrower challenge last year, which the top Czech judges also dismissed.

The Czech Republic is the last EU member state to fully ratify the treaty. The process has been held up by Mr Klaus, a eurosceptic and arch opponent of the document.

His signature is all that is required to complete ratification.

Now the decision has been announced, the mass attention will now again return to just who will occupy the two major posts that the Treaty will create...

UPDATE (15.35): Reports suggest Czech President Vaclav Klaus has now signed the Lisbon Treaty! Click here for BBC report