Czech court lifts barrier to Lisbon Treaty

By Jana Mlcochova

BRNO, Czech Republic (Reuters) - The Czech Constitutional Court threw out a complaint against the EU's Lisbon Treaty on Tuesday, removing one of the final obstacles to its ratification.

The ruling allows eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus to sign the treaty, which will give the EU its first long-term president and streamline decision-making in the bloc of nearly half a billion people.

The Czech Republic is the only EU member that has not yet ratified the pact, which needs the consent of all of 27 states to come into force.

"I believe that no further unnecessary delays should prevent the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement, adding that he hoped the EU could move forward as quickly as possible on nominating a long-term president.

Klaus had been banned by law from signing the treaty until the court had ruled on a complaint by his allies in the Czech upper house of parliament, the Senate, who argued the treaty would erode national sovereignty.

ARGUMENTS REJECTED

The court rejected the arguments. "The judgement was unanimous; none of the judges filed a dissenting opinion to either the judgement or its reasoning," the court said in a written verdict.

The treaty is aimed at giving the EU a bigger clout on the world scene and making it more flexible. This is intended to match the rise of emerging powers such as China.