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Czech court to hear Lisbon case Czech court to hear Lisbon case
(20 minutes later)
The Czech Constitutional Court is to begin considering what could be the last legal challenge to the ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The Czech Constitutional Court is due to hear what could be the last legal challenge to the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
The court will hear a complaint by 17 senators, who say the reform treaty infringes Czech sovereignty. It will consider a case brought by 17 Eurosceptic senators who say the treaty would create a superstate, and as such infringes Czech sovereignty.
They are backed by Czech President Vaclav Klaus - the only EU leader who has so far refused to sign the treaty. The treaty, which aims to streamline the way the EU is run, must be approved by all 27 member countries before it can become law.
The treaty - which aims to streamline EU institutions - cannot take effect unless all 27 member states back it. The Czech Republic is the only country which has yet to sign.
It is under threat, not only by President Klaus, but also by the UK's Conservative Party. The 15-member Czech Constitutional Court panel will convene in the city of Brno.
They say they will hold a referendum on the treaty if they form a government next year, and if it is not signed into law by then.
The 17 Eurosceptic Czech senators say their complaint centres on persisting concerns that Lisbon infringes Czech sovereignty.
LISBON TREATY Aimed at streamlining EU decision-makingRatified by all member states except the Czech RepublicOnly Ireland held a referendum on itTook a decade of negotiationsWas intended to take effect in January 2009 Q&A: The Lisbon TreatyLISBON TREATY Aimed at streamlining EU decision-makingRatified by all member states except the Czech RepublicOnly Ireland held a referendum on itTook a decade of negotiationsWas intended to take effect in January 2009 Q&A: The Lisbon Treaty
They want the 15-member panel in Brno to decide whether the treaty forms the legal foundations for the creation of a European "superstate". If it does, they say, then it clearly violates the Czech constitution. The BBC's Rob Cameron, in Brno, says that the court has received several additional petitions in the past few days, and some observers believe that the judges may need more than one day to decide.
The court is under a lot of pressure, and the timing of the hearing - two days before an EU summit that will be overshadowed by the problem of Czech ratification - is surely no coincidence, the BBC's Rob Cameron in Brno says. The court challenge is one of two hurdles to be cleared before Czech President Vaclav Klaus will sign the Lisbon Treaty.
The EU is keen to get on with the task of implementing far-reaching reforms, including the appointment of a new permanent EU president, our correspondent says. A similar case has already been dismissed, but the president - a Eurosceptic who strongly opposes the treaty - still has to sign it to complete ratification.
But he adds that the court has received several additional petitions in the past few days, and some observers believe the judges may need more than one day to decide, our correspondent says. He has said he will not do that unless provided with solid guarantees about property rights in the Czech Republic, a subject which will be addressed by a summit later this week in Brussels.
The Czech parliament has already approved the treaty, but Mr Klaus is yet to sign it. Our correspondent says the EU is keen to get on with the task of implementing far-reaching reforms, including the appointment of a new permanent EU president, but is being frustrated by the lack of Czech ratification.
The Czech parliament has already approved the treaty.
The Lisbon Treaty is also under threat from the UK's Conservative Party.
They say they will hold a referendum on the treaty if they form a government next year, and if it is not signed into law by then.