The final step in the arduous process of getting the European Union"s reform treaty ready for implementation took place today in Rome when Czech Foreign Minister Jan Fischer handed over his country"s ratification document, according to dpa. With the Czech document - the last among those handed over by the 27 EU member states - the Lisbon Treaty can now take effect on December 1, officials said. Italian government spokesman Roman Prorok confirmed to the German Press Agency dpa that Fischer had handed over the document, which Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed on November 3. The ratification process for the Lisbon Treaty got underway on December 13, 2007 in Lisbon, embarking on a bumpy road which at one point would see Irish voters reject it in a referendum and Prague until the very end resisting it pending a legal ruling by its courts. Traditionally, EU ratification documents are officially deposited in Rome, since the Italian capital was the original venue for the original "Treaty of Rome" agreements which set up the forerunner of today"s European Union.
