What is to be done about Vaclav Klaus?

The speeches, actions and possible further obstruction by Czech President Vaclav Klaus with regard to the amending Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union give rise to two important questions.

The questions are linked, but one concerns the Czech Republic, the other one the EU and its member states.

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Czech constitutional crisis

What can and should the Czech Republic do to solve its constitutional crisis?

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EU institutional crisis

What can and should the European Union and its member states do to solve the institutional crisis?

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In both cases, we need to think about institutional weaknesses (“liberum veto”) and the need for robust structures, highlighted by Vaclav Klaus’ lonely stand against the entry into force of the EU Lisbon Treaty, democratically approved by all 27 member states.



Ralf Grahn