The lower house of the Czech parliament approved the European Union's reform treaty on Wednesday, an important step towards its full ratification, according to Reuters. Government and opposition deputies approved the Lisbon treaty, which aims to streamline the EU's decision-making in the wake of the expansion of the bloc, by 125 votes to 61. The treaty must be approved by all 27 EU member states to take effect and has yet to be approved by the Czech upper house, where it could face weeks or even months more of delays. Many senators from the ruling right-wing Civic Democrat (ODS) party say the Czech Republic must first ratify a separate plan to host a U.S. missile defence shield radar base. Most EU member states have adopted the pact and the Czech delay has irked some. They have pressured Prague, which holds the bloc's presidency until the end of June, to adopt the document quickly. "I am glad the Lisbon treaty made it through the lower house," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said after the vote. "The next battle will be in the Senate. We still have our congress declaration that ties (it) to ratification of treaties with the United States," Topolanek told reporters. He said parliament also had to approve legislation that would clip the government's power -- granted by the Lisbon treaty -- to give up national authority to the EU in certain areas without prior approval by legislators. The vote in the lower house won raise from European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. "This is an important signal of the parliament's commitment to Europe at a time when the Czech Presidency is working with dedication and competence to lead the European Union," he said in a statement, adding he hoped Senate approval would come soon. The pact suffered a major blow when Irish voters rejected it in a referendum last year, and Ireland plans to hold a new vote, possibly in October. It also faces a court challenge in Germany and has not been signed by the Polish president. The pact would give the EU a long-term president and a stronger foreign policy chief, and would take away individual countries' veto rights in some areas. Some ODS members voted against the pact, saying it would infringe national sovereignty, and some have even threatened to quit the minority administration if the treaty passes. The Senate, controlled by the Civic Democrats and their centrist allies, has delayed debate on the Lisbon treaty until at least April, with the ODS demanding the lower house quickly pass the missile defence plans. But the radar plan's chances of a swift passage appear remote, as the government lacks a majority in the lower house and the opposition Social Democrats are against the scheme. In addition, U.S. President Barack Obama has been cooler on plan than the previous administration. Some Civic Democrats have said they could drop their demand for the shield's ratification if Obama puts the missile defence rollout in Europe on ice. Senate Chairman Premysl Sobotka of ODS said he believed ratification could go through by May if the parliament agreed on the legislation on limiting transfers of national authority. He did not mention the missile treaties. "The ratification process has begun and will be completed during the spring," he said. Even if the treaty passes through both chambers of parliament, eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus could delay a pact he sees as a step towards a European superstate. Klaus has hinted he might not sign the text until Ireland overturns its rejection of the treaty.
