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EU-Czech talks on reform treaty Czechs 'to back treaty this year'
(about 6 hours later)
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is due to meet Czech PM Jan Fischer to discuss progress towards ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. The Czech PM, Jan Fischer, has told EU leaders he fully expects his country to ratify the EU's Lisbon Treaty by the end of this year.
The Czech Republic is one of two EU members not to have ratified the treaty so far. The Czech Constitutional Court is studying a complaint against the treaty and the Eurosceptic Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, has not yet signed it.
Lisbon cannot take effect unless all 27 EU countries ratify it. All but the Czech Republic and Poland have done so.
The UK Conservatives want to put it to a referendum if elected next spring.
Race against time
Politicians across Europe want Lisbon ratified swiftly so as to get the new structures within it up and running, and to eliminate the possibility that any new British government might reverse the UK's ratification of the treaty, the BBC's Jonny Dymond reports from Brussels.
Mr Fischer held talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso by videophone on Wednesday.
Mr Fischer said "everything is in place" for ratification of the treaty. Under the EU's original plan, Lisbon was supposed to take effect in January this year.
Mr Barroso welcomed Mr Fischer's assurance, saying "this commitment of the Czech government is very clear".
The treaty aims to streamline EU decision-making and boost the EU's role globally.
The Czech parliament has already approved the treaty, but a group of senators allied to President Klaus have launched a new legal complaint.
Poland is expected to complete ratification in a few days' time.Poland is expected to complete ratification in a few days' time.
The treaty aims to streamline decision- making and boost the EU's role globally. It must be ratified by all 27 EU states if it is to come into effect. On Saturday voters in the Republic of Ireland backed the treaty overwhelmingly in a second referendum, nullifying the Irish "No" vote of June 2008.
British factor
Slowly and not very steadily, the Lisbon Treaty is limping towards ratification.
Following the Irish "Yes" vote at the weekend, only the Polish and Czech presidents have yet to sign. Both their respective parliaments have passed it.
But both men are hostile to the treaty.
Mr Fischer will discuss the situation with the European Commission in Brussels, but he has little influence over Czech President Vaclav Klaus.
Meanwhile, the Polish president's office has said that he will sign the treaty within a few days.
Politicians across Europe want the treaty ratified swiftly so as to get the new structures within it up and running.
They also want to eliminate the possibility that any new British government might reverse the country's ratification of the treaty.