Azerbaijan, Baku, May 7 / Trend , E. Ostapenko/ Czech chairmanship in the European Union says that ratification of Lisbon agreement by Czech senate on May 6 means that Czech Republic still plays a central role in euro-integration, the EU press release said.
"I appreciate the outcome of today's vote whereby the Senate expressed its approval of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty," Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said. "By today's vote the Parliament of the Czech Republic clearly indicated that the Czech Republic wishes to continue to play a central role in the European integration process within the EU, which it decided to endorse after November 1989."
"Nothing impedes the formal conclusion of the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty in the Czech Republic, which is represented by the President's signature," Vondra said.
In February, Czech parliament's Chamber of MPs (lower chamber) approved ratification of the Lisbon agreement with majority of votes.
Czech President Vatslav Klaus strongly opposes reforming of the European Union. The Czech president claims that this document contradicts country's Constitution and will restrict state sovereignty.
The Lisbon Treaty, signed by leaders of 27 EU member states in the capital of Portugal in December 2007, was expected to come into force in January 2009 after approval by all States of the EU. However, 53.4 percent of Irish people in the plebiscite of June 12, 2008 refused to endorse a document that defines the principles and mechanisms for more effective functioning of the EU.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus described a negative outcome of the referendum in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty as "victory for democracy and reason over the European bureaucracy."
The Lisbon treaty should replace the draft European Constitution, which was abandoned after it was rejected in national referendums in France and Netherlands in 2005 calling into question the future of the EU as an effective regional organization.
Nevertheless, Ireland's EU partners have already ratified the Lisbon Treaty resting on the on the fact that the country will hold general re-vote, which will enable a new basic EU documents to enter into force before the elections to the European Parliament in June 2009.
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