Prague : pas de radar américain, pas de traité de Lisbonne[en] 

As reported by EurActiv seven weeks ago (EurActiv 30/01/09), the Czech Senate said it would be unable to move on ratifying the Lisbon Treaty without the accompanying ratification of an agreement with the US to install a radar system, part of the anti-missile shield favoured by the previous American administration. 

The stalemate in the Senate arose due to the position of members of Prime Minister Topolánek's ruling ODS party (Civic Democratic Party). On Tuesday (17 March), Topolánek was forced to withdraw legal texts committing his country to the US missile shield for fear that they would be defeated. 

Topolánek, who chairs the ODS, told the Czech press that he is putting the Lisbon Treaty on ice, together with the US agreement. But he blamed the Social Democratic opposition for the stalemate. He also indicated that he hopes to convince the US president at the NATO summit on 4 April in Strasbourg to change his mind and proceed with the missile shield plan. 

Obama will be travelling to Prague for an EU-US summit on 5 April: his first official visit to Europe. 

Asked to clarify whether the deadlock could spell the end of the Lisbon Treaty, Topolánek said in an interview with Czech news: "I think that is possible. But I would stress it is not entirely our responsibility. I will not instruct anyone how to vote [...] I have said that many times before." 

The Czech prime minister, who also holds the EU's rotating presidency, did not rule out the possibility of being ousted in a no-confidence vote as a result of the deadlock. 

"It does not worry me. It is something I have been facing since June 2006. If there is a will for someone else to rule, then let it be. Someone else can be in charge instead of me. It is always probable, and any politician must be ready to face that," the EU's current president said.