Czech President Not Attending Rome Conference on EU Constitution
Published:
2 October 2003 y., Thursday
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who is considered a euroskeptic, will not attend a meeting this weekend on a constitution for the soon-to-be-expanded European Union, his press office said Wednesday.
The Czech Republic will instead be represented at the so-called inter-governmental conference (IGC) in Rome that begins Saturday by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla.
Klaus, a nationalist in the mold of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, opposes the text being drawn up under the leadership of former french president Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
Klaus regards the draft constitution as "a radical step" toward transforming Europe into a federalist state.
He had been invited to attend the Rome meeting against the wishes of his pro-EU government but decided Wednesday that he would not be going, while attending a government meeting on the Czech position at the IGC.
Klaus and Spidla talked about the Czech position for an hour Tuesday. The president has vowed to work to "safeguard structures so that we won't dissolve into a supranational melting pot."
The Czech Republic is one of 10 countries that also include Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia which will be joining the European Union in May.
Šaltinis:
AFP
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
September 6, literacy courses for local residents were formally opened in the UN Representation in Chaghcharan, capital of province of Ghowr.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini discussed perspectives of developing a bilateral dialogue, intensifying economic cooperation, etc.
more »
During the informal meeting of European Union’s foreign ministers on 4-5 September in Stockholm, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and his counterparts discussed the issues of Afghanistan, relations with Iran...
more »
On 3 September in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas met with Vice-President of the European Commission G. Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry, and discussed the most important issues of economy, energy and the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon.
more »
On 22 July, the Government approved of the amendments to the Labour Code proposed by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas discussed the problems of Lithuanian carriers while crossing the Russian border with Igor Levitin, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation and co-chairman of the Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental commission.
more »
Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the decision of the new NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to include a joint representative of the Baltic States into a group of experts which is tasked to prepare a new Strategic Concept of NATO.
more »
On 3 August, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, who was paying a visit to Lithuania.
more »
On 30 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas bade farewell to outgoing Ambassador of Belgium to Lithuania Filip Cumps and thanked him for his input into fostering bilateral relations.
more »
On 29 July farewell ceremony with the departing Canadian Defence Attaché for Lithuania Jim Petryk was held in the Ministry of National Defence.
more »