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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Czech leader signs Lisbon Treaty | Czech leader signs Lisbon Treaty |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the Lisbon Treaty, the final step in the treaty's ratification. | Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the Lisbon Treaty, the final step in the treaty's ratification. |
| The Czech Republic was the only EU country not to have approved the treaty, which was drawn up to streamline decision-making in the EU. | The Czech Republic was the only EU country not to have approved the treaty, which was drawn up to streamline decision-making in the EU. |
| Mr Klaus signed the treaty shortly after the Czech constitutional court rejected a complaint against it. | Mr Klaus signed the treaty shortly after the Czech constitutional court rejected a complaint against it. |
| Among its measures, the treaty creates a European Council president and alters voting procedures among members states. | |
| A BBC correspondent says Mr Klaus accused the court of bias and said the Czech Republic was no longer sovereign. | A BBC correspondent says Mr Klaus accused the court of bias and said the Czech Republic was no longer sovereign. |
| The Eurosceptic Czech leader had recently said he would no longer attempt to block the treaty, after receiving the promise of an opt-out from the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. | |
| Mr Klaus said the op-out was needed to avoid property claims from ethnic Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II. | |
| The treaty could now come into force as early as December. |