The Czech minister for European affairs, Stefan Fuele, expressed fears that ratification of the treaty would be further delayed over a new attempt by a group of senators, mainly from the centre-right ODS party, to introduce changes to a recently adopted law.
The so-called 'EU-related special mandate', which was adopted as a precondition for ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, obliges the government to seek parliamentary approval whenever national powers are transferred to the EU.
A group of lawmakers, led by senator Jiri Oberfalzer (ODS), now insist that for such transfers of powers, the parliament must vote with a constitutional majority of 3/5, instead of a simple majority.
Oberfalzer also insists that the Czech Constitutional Court should have the final say in interpreting EU legislation ensuing from the Lisbon Treaty. He says the law governing the Constitutional Court needs to change, so that the Court's judges can decide whether individual steps taken by EU bodies are in accordance with the Czech Constitution.
The ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty should be suspended until the relevant legislative changes are approved, the group of lawmakers insists.
"Such a development would also have an international impact and might question the Czech Republic's ability to meet its commitments and harm the country's credibility in the eyes of its partners in the EU for a long time," Fuele has reportedly said.
The Czech minister, from the country's caretaker cabinet, also criticised the fact that no clear deadline for completing ratification exists, even though the parliament passed the treaty more than three months ago.
The group of lawmakers led by Oberfalzer is preparing another complaint to the Constitutional Court, which will focus on some parts of the Lisbon Treaty, EurActiv Czech Republic reported. They are expected to file the complaint in early September.
