Strasbourg, 18/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - The constitutional affairs committee of the European Parliament has reiterated its wish to see the Lisbon Treaty take effect by the European elections of June 2009. In a resolution adopted on the evening of Monday 17 November, MEPs call on member states to deploy every effort to obtain ratification as fast as possible throughout the EU. They thus call on the Swedish and Czech authorities to accomplish the procedures needed by the end of the year (the Swedish parliament should take a stance on ratification on Thursday 20 November) and trust that the European Council in December will find a solution to the Irish case, allowing the country to resume the ratification process by next spring and to ratify by the month of June. In this case, there is no need to change the text of the treaty as already ratified by 24 member states, MEPs also say. Additional declarations to the treaty seem, however, acceptable on questions of ethics, taxation and the military neutrality of the country, explained Jo Leinen, addressing journalists on Tuesday 18 November. “I do not believe it will be easier to win a referendum in autumn 2009 than in the spring”, the chairman of the parliamentary committee said, welcoming the results of another survey in Ireland which, with this kind of assurance, would make the yes-vote win at a second referendum. A survey that comes strangely after the visit by Vaclav Klaus to the country, Martin Schulz, President of the PES Group, said ironically, thus encouraging the Czech president to continue his trips.
The text of the resolution will be presented and voted in plenary session in Brussels (3-4 December) just before the European Council on 11-12 December 2008. (A.B./transl.jl).