* Czech president welcomes EU proposal on treaty hurdles
* Klaus wants opt-out to guarantee property rights
* EU presidency welcomes Klaus remarks
(Adds Swedish PM quote)
By Jan Lopatka
PRAGUE, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus
welcomed on Friday a proposal by the European Union presidency
for removing his objections to signing the EU's Lisbon reform
treaty, increasing the chances of it going into force.
The Czech Republic is the only member state that has not
ratified the treaty and Klaus's refusal to sign is holding up
reforms to ease decision-making in the 27-country bloc and
increase its influence on the world stage. []
Klaus wants an opt-out from a charter of fundamental rights
that is attached to the treaty, saying he wants to shield the
Czech Republic from property claims from ethnic Germans who were
expelled after World War Two. []
The Czech government has been negotiating his demands with
Sweden, which holds the EU's presidency until the end of the
year, and wants to secure approval for the opt-out at an EU
summit in Brussels next week.
"The president ... received the Swedish presidency's
proposal which is a response to his request related to the
Lisbon Treaty ratification in the Czech Republic," Klaus's
office said in a statement.
"This proposal corresponds to what the president has
envisioned and it is possible to work with it further."
Klaus's office did not say what the proposal was and the
European Commission, the EU executive, declined immediate
comment. But Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt made clear
he was encouraged by Klaus's comments.
"I welcome the statement by President Klaus. The presidency
will continue to work with this in view of next week's European
Council (summit)," he said.
Ratification by the Czech Republic also depends on a review
by the country's Constitutional Court, which is widely expected
to approve it, possibly next week.
STRENGTHENING EU ROLE ON WORLD STAGE
The comments by Reinfeldt and Klaus suggest a solution could
be found at the summit that clears the way to Czech ratification
but saves face for Klaus, who says the treaty is a step towards
a European superstate that takes away national sovereignty.
The treaty creates a long-term president and a stronger
foreign policy chief under reforms to help the EU remain a
global force despite power shifting towards China and other
emerging powers following the global economic crisis.
The treaty, which as been in the works for years, would also
reform EU decision-making, which is more complicated now the
bloc has grown to 27 member states.
The EU had hoped to discuss nominations for the jobs at next
week's summit but progress is unlikely on this without clear
signals from Klaus and the constitutional court. []
Minister for European Affairs Stefan Fuele told a
parliamentary committee the form the Czechs were seeking for the
opt-out would not require new ratification of the treaty by all
member states.
The Czech Republic wants to join Poland and Britain in
having an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Slovakia has also said it might try to negotiate an exemption if
the Czechs manage to do so. []
EU diplomats have said the opt-out could be promised now and
added to another treaty, perhaps when the EU takes in its next
member state, widely expected to be Croatia. [].
(Editing by Timothy Heritage)
