Czechs to delay Lisbon Treaty via Constitutional Court

Václav Klaus and 17 Czech senators plant to refer the Lisbon Treaty to the Czech Constitutional Court at the beginning of August, which would delay the signing of the treaty into Czech law until the court has given its verdict. If the court finds the Lisbon Treaty to be unconstitutional, its fate could be the bin - where it belongs.

The Telegraph reports:

That could thwart the ambitions of Sweden, current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, to see the Treaty's provisions pushed through before the end of the year if Ireland votes to approve the treaty in its Oct 2 referendum.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister, said recently he wanted to see the EU "move over to the Lisbon Treaty, if possible, late in our presidency".

[...]

Germany and Poland still have to ratify the treaty. While they are widely expected to do so, any further delay could hold up the appointment of the new European Commission, which is due to take office on Nov 1.

Andrew Duff, the UK Liberal MEP, accused Mr Klaus of procrastinating.
Meanwhile, one of the key figures in the pro-treaty campaign in Ireland has admitted that the "Yes" camp faces a "tough campaign" over the next two months.

The latest opinion polls suggest a "Yes" vote would be possible, but Pat Cox, campaign director of Ireland for Europe, an independent civil society group promoting ratification, said, "Ireland is a very different place today to what it was a year ago. The financial crisis has rocked our confidence. We are reeling from a series of body blows over the last 12 months. There is no room for complacency.

"There are those on the No side who will seek to exploit our present uncertainty to encourage the Irish people to vote against our own interests and reject the Treaty.
"We do not plan to let them succeed," Mr Cox, a former Irish MEP and president of the European Parliament, added.

What Mr Cox is not telling us is that the EU spent €2.4bn spent on promoting the EU in 2008. With the uphill struggle that the EU now faces as it desperately tries to get this dreadful treaty ratified, I'm willing to bet that 2009's EU propaganda budget will be double that sum.

And we're all paying for it.

Cross-posted