Brussels, 16/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Among the four subjects cited on Monday by the Portuguese presidency as the last remaining obstacles to an agreement on the new treaty at the informal Lisbon summit this week (Ioannina clause, distribution of seats at the EP, access to Austrian universities, writing for Euro in Cyrillic alphabet, see EUROPE yesterday for details), the demand by the Czech Republic should undoubtedly be added, which aims, as the Czech authorities explained, to make, “the subsidiarity principle work in both directions”. Prague wants to ensure that over time, the EU does not only grant itself new competencies but that it can also lose them to member states if the latter request them. On Monday at the General Affairs Council, the Czech minister for foreign affairs reiterated a demand that had already been presented to the legal experts group and which seeks to include a clause in the treaty stipulating that at the request of the Council of ministers, the Commission is obliged to withdraw a legislative proposal. The European Commission, which is participating in the work of the IGC, is obviously opposed to this proposal because, “it would impede the Commission's power of initiative”, explained Commission legal experts on Tuesday, who also pointed out that this question is not covered in the June European Council's mandate. They also note, with relief, that the Czech initiative “did not get any echo” at the foreign affairs ministers debate on Monday in Luxembourg, where most member states support the Commission's argument. Prague is also expected to put the question back on the table of heads of state and governments in Lisbon - especially given that the four other pending questions (mentioned above) are not on the IGC mandate approved in June. (H.B.)