Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, addressing the European Parliament, said it suffers from a democratic deficit and 'likened its workings to those of eastern Europe during the communist era.' (Financial Times)
'In his first address to the parliament, Mr Klaus characterised the institution as one that alienated voters and offered no credible opposition. He argued that decision-making powers should be pushed out of Brussels and back to individual member states.'
Mr Klaus said: “Here, only one single alternative is being promoted and those who dare to think about a different option are labelled as enemies of European integration. Not so long ago, in our part of Europe we lived in a political system that permitted no alternatives.”
Ireland has rejected the Lisbon Treaty. Germany has it under consideration by the Constitutional court. And President Klaus has yet to sign it.
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9 comments:
Vaclav Klaus had best avoid any quiet strolls in the Arboretum Groenendaal.
Luckily, they don't do mountainsides in Belgium.
A brave man to face up to the Hun like that ..
The worst was the reported booing of his speech and the walkouts by MEPs - an exhibition of totalitarian thuggery that the Czechs must have imagined was long in Europe's past.
At least in Brussels Vaclav will not be de-fenestrated, as it sometimes happens in Prague.
Caronte, presumably you refer to "EU borders database defenestrated in Prague?" from The Register ?
Unfortunately, Mr. Klaus' parliament HAS ratified the constitution, and his signature - a mere formality - will soon be on it.
Germany's constitutional court, under enormous pressure from the politicians, will find some face-saving form of words to allow ratification to continue.
And the Irish will have to keep on voting until they give the right answer.
Still at least three major member-states who have not deposited the papers in Rome. Time is important in all this too.
Four, Poland hasn't deposited the papers either.
The longer this is delayed the more the role of the ECB, given current economic circumstances, needs reconsideration.
Lisbon is becoming over taken by events.
Actually, banned/compulsory, I had in mind the Prague de-fenestrations of 1419, 1483, 1618, and the more recent and more widely known 1948 defenestration of Jan Mazaryk, who was so "suicided" by the communists.
But thanks for bringing to our attention the recent defenestration of the Schengen database and the 20m that it cost. Clearly old habits die hard.
My apologies and thanks Caronte, I had not realised that I was posting alongside a scholar.
Seems that Eire is destined to be bought into the Lisbon Treaty by German magnanimity; so sad.
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