Czech Senate Delays Lisbon, No Vote Before April

Twenty-four of the 27 member states have now ratified the treaty and the Czech delay has irked some EU partners.

The Czech upper house on Tuesday postponed debate on the Lisbon treaty to reform the European Union's institutions until April.

Twenty-four of the 27 member states have now ratified the treaty and the Czech delay has irked some EU partners who have pressured Prague, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, to ratify the text quickly.

It must be approved by all EU members to take effect.

But foreign committee of the upper house, the Senate, adjourned debate on the matter until April, delaying its path to a vote while a separate technical law is being prepared and the political tussle over the treaty continues.

Some in the ruling right-wing Civic Democrat party reject Lisbon, saying it would shift the balance of power toward bigger countries and infringe Czech sovereignty.

The party, which has the biggest faction in the Senate, has so far dragged its feet on approving the text, and linked ratification with an unrelated plan to host a U.S. missile defence radar base in the Czech Republic.

"We have a declaration (of last year's party congress) that it is necessary to first ratify treaties on the radar," said Civic Democrat Senator Tomas Toepfer.

"Many (Civic Democrat) Senators support ratifying Lisbon, but there was a bit of a worry that if it gets to the floor now, it may not pass," he told Reuters.

The Senate has approved the radar treaties, but the government has not been able to push them through the lower house, where it lacks majority.

The lower house may ratify Lisbon as soon as next week, but the radar vote may be kept on the back burner if the government cannot find enough votes. That could keep Lisbon ratification in limbo in the Senate.

The Lisbon treaty has been pushed for by big member states like Germany and France, but was rejected in a referendum in Ireland. Ireland plans to hold a new vote later this year.