In his speech, Topolánek cracked a few jokes, some of which ended in confusion.
"The Lisbon Treaty is in fact an average one. It is a little bit worse than [the Treaty of] Nice and little bit better than the future treaty," said Topolánek.
MEPs reacted angrily to the statement, but Topolánek later explained that his words had paraphrased a Czech saying, which states: "This year will be an average one, a little bit worse than the preceding one and little bit better than the next one."
He then insisted that it was meant to be a joke, further elaborating that the Lisbon Treaty was "not a mantra".
"If a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty were to take place in the Czech Republic, according to all indications, it would also not pass. It is necessary to find a solution that a majority of the Irish will be able to accept," said Topolánek, referring to the expected second referendum in Ireland.
Irish MEP 'appalled'
Irish MEP Proinsias de Rossa (PES) said he was appalled by the comment. He described the statement as "not only untrue, but divisive and a breach of trust".
Ireland, he said, will probably have a referendum on a clarified Lisbon Treaty in the autumn of this year, adding that he plans to work hard to ensure a positive outcome for Ireland and Europe.
"Your comments here today have made that task much harder. If the referendum fails, Sir, you will not be thanked by the vast majority of Europeans," said De Rossa.
Andrew Duff (ALDE, UK) reacted by asking Topolánek four questions:
"If, as you said, you find the Treaty of Lisbon worse than the Treaty of Nice, why did you sign it? Secondly, will you please confirm that the Czech Republic will not be tempted to follow the Irish example and seek to pull apart the Lisbon package? Thirdly, do you not see a contradiction in coming here and praising the legitimacy of the Parliament but declining to support the Treaty which so greatly increases its powers? Fourthly, can the Czech presidency really have authority unless and until the Czech Republic ratifies the Treaty?"
British Labour MEP Gary Titley accused Topolánek of blaming domestic opposition for making the work of the presidency more difficult, and said that "in fact, he makes it more difficult himself".
Two Gs instead of three Es
Topolanek also made a joke about his country's letter 'e' priorities - economy, energy and external relations (see EurActiv LinksDossier). Instead, he would have to deal with letter 'g' problems for now, he said: Gaza and the gas crisis.
"No more crises please, my agenda is full," Topolánek mused.
The Czech prime minister said lessons must be learned from the gas crisis, stressing the importance of the Nabucco gas pipeline, designed to decrease the Union's dependence on Russian gas.
"We are interested in diversifying supply and transport routes. Building the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, for example, is an issue of the highest priority, as is support for the construction of new oil pipelines. Furthermore, we must make efforts to diversify the energy mix, including the rehabilitation of nuclear energy and investment in new technologies," said the Czech prime minister.
Support for President Klaus
Topolanek strongly supported his country's eurosceptic president Vaclav Klaus.
"I sharply protest against the attacks on Vaclav Klaus," Topolanek said, in response to Party of European Socialists leader Martin Schulz, who said that the Czech Republic had been "punished enough by its head of state".
"Vaclav Klaus is the icon of Czech transformation in the 1990s. Thanks to him we are successful and we have overcome the first ten years in good health," said Topolánek.
Schulz also expressed hope that Klaus would be soon replaced by someone as European as Charles IV at Prague Castle, the Czech presidential seat.
The remark came after Topolánek had mentioned Charles IV (1316-78), King of Bohemia and Roman Emperor, as a symbol of the universalism that he intends to pursue during the Czech EU Presidency.
Answering questions from Socialists MEPs as to whether his political agenda was not too politicised and even neo-liberal, Topolánek said that he would strive for a Liberal-Conservative Europe, adding: "That was my last joke."
Ex-president Havel in serious condition
In his speech, the prime minister wished former Czech President Vaclav Havel a quick recovery following recent surgery.
Doctors in Prague said yesterday that the condition of Havel, an iconic figure of the anti-Communist opposition who helped to lead Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic to democracy and prosperity, had worsened.
