Czech leader signs Lisbon Treaty

[steaa]

Source: BBC News

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, the final step in its ratification.

Mr Klaus signed the treaty shortly after the Czech constitutional court rejected a complaint against it.

The treaty's supporters say it will allow the EU to operate more efficiently and give it greater influence in world affairs. Critics say it will cede too many national powers to Brussels.

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.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8340664.stm

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I expect the decisions on EU President and Foreign minister to be made rather quickly, and the Lisbon treaty could be in effect from December.

For what its worth, it is looking very doubtful that Tony Blair will get the role of President.

[earcandle]

1. I think I have video tape somewhere on this guy when he

did a play at the Magic Theater in San Francisco, or one of
the theaters in fort mason in the eighties or early nineties.

Vaclav Klaus was not President of Czech yet.  Someday I will
hunt that tape down.  I really liked this guy.  He was a
powerful
performer.  And really cared about his work. 

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. I think you're thinking of Vaclav Havel

Klaus, an economist, and 2nd President of the Czech Republic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Václav_Klaus

Havel, a playwright, and 1st President of the Czech Republic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Václav_Havel

Though Havel became president of Czechoslvakia pretty much as soon as the communists were thrown out of power. There appears to have been a gap in 1992 when it was breaking up, before he was elected president of the new Czech Republic - maybe you saw him then.

[earcandle]

5. Thank you, Muriel for the correction. You are right! Its been a while.

[pattmarty]

2. I think in a nutshell that the main thing that differentiates Europe from.........

.......the US is their pretty much universal acceptance of the EU. Just look at the way the US (at least in the last 30 yrs) views the UN. I realize there is a difference between the EU and the UN, but what I am talking about is the "mindset".

[pampango]

3. Except for a few far right wingers, Europeans do accept the EU and the idea that open borders and

free trade with each other promotes peace and prosperity on the continent. The EU has progressively spread into central and eastern Europe, even though the people there were poorer than the original EU member countries. (Romania and Bulgaria, the last two countries admitted in 2007, have per capita incomes lower than that of Mexico.)

Americans do seem to be more nationalistic than Europeans and less willing to forego some national sovereignty by signing up to binding multinational agreements. It's hard to imagine us accepting anything like an EU on our continent.

Rather than treat Mexico like the EU treated Bulgaria and Romania (require that they meet certain standards in governance, judiciary, human rights, labor and environmental standards, economic openness and other areas, then open borders with them), some Americans look at Mexicans as an "enemy" in the sense that its people are "job stealers" and "wage depressers". Fortunately, Europeans didn't look at Bulgarian and Romanian workers the same way. Rather than build walls and enact laws to keep them out, the EU offered them a deal - reform your society to EU standards and we will open up to you.