* EU leaders agree opt-out for Czechs on treaty
* Leaders fail to agree on climate funding, will try again
* Blair presidency candidacy suffers a blow
(Adds details)
By Jan Lopatka and David Brunnstrom
BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The European Union reached a
deal on Thursday that opens the way to ratification of a treaty
to increase its influence in world affairs, but failed to agree
on funding for a pact to combat climate change.
EU leaders also moved no closer to agreement on a new
president in the first day of a two-day summit in Brussels, with
former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's chances of securing
the role receding. []
Leaders of the 27-country bloc cheered and applauded when
they agreed on the wording of a deal to persuade Czech President
Vaclav Klaus to ratify the Lisbon treaty which would reform the
EU's top institutions, officials said.
They accepted his demand for an opt-out from a charter on
human rights which is attached to the treaty, saying this would
shield the Czech Republic from property claims by ethnic Germans
expelled after World War Two.
"The road to ratification now stands open," Swedish Prime
Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU
presidency and has been negotiating with the Czech government,
told a news conference.
The treaty needs the backing of all 27 member states to go
into force. All have ratified it except the Czech Republic.
The only obstacle to Klaus's signature is now a legal
challenge by Czech senators, which the country's constitutional
court is expected to dismiss on Tuesday. []
Jiri Weigl, an aide to Klaus, said Klaus "does not intend to
set further conditions, so I expect his decision, his
intentions, will be communicated very fast after the
constitutional court (decision)."
GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Ratification of the treaty after years of negotiations would
encourage the EU in its hopes of increasing its influence on the
world stage to match the rise of emerging powers such as China
following the global economic crisis.
"This new treaty reminds me of a marathon, but a marathon
with hurdles," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
said.
The treaty would streamline decision-making in the bloc,
which is unwieldy now that it has grown to 27 member states
representing 495 million people. []
It also would create a president of the Council of EU
leaders and enhances the powers of its high representative for
foreign affairs. []
The leaders said they did not discuss who would be the
president and Blair's hopes faded when his candidacy failed to
secure the blessing of European socialists who are his ruling
Labour Party's allies. []
The post is now more likely to go to a centre-right
candidate. No front-runner has emerged but possible contenders
include Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and former
Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen. []
NO CLIMATE DEAL
The joy over the opt-out contrasted with the disappointment
of many leaders over the failure to agree on funding to help
poor countries combat global warming under a deal to be
discussed at international talks in Copenhagen in December.
EU sources said the EU presidency would present new
proposals on Friday, the last day of the summit.
Failure to agree on the funding would be another blow to the
prospects of global leaders agreeing on a successor to the Kyoto
Protocol on battling climate change at the talks in Copenhagen.
"I'm confident that a solution will be found. It is
extremely important that the European Union keeps the leadership
role we have had (in combating climate change)," Barroso said.
Nine countries in eastern Europe opposed reaching any
agreement on how much to give developing countries until the EU
agrees how much each EU state will provide. []
Some countries, including Germany, oppose declaring the
figure too soon, saying it would be better to wait for other
global powers to first say how much they will provide.
(Writing by Timothy Heritage, additional reporting by Pete
Harrison, David Brunnstrom, John O'Donnell, Bate Felix and
Marcin Grajewski; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
