Senate recommends Czechs join EU fiscal treaty

Prague, Feb 8 (CTK) - The Czech Senate recommended Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) to reassess his negative stand on the EU draft fiscal treaty so that the Czech Republic may join it together with the other member states, by the votes of the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD).

The ODS senators were against it.

The draft treaty is to introduce a debt brake and support the euro zone countries' budget responsibility.

The document has only been refused by the Czech Republic and Britain.

Necas told senators yesterday that he did not have the mandate to join the treaty and that the Czech Republic could not properly study the whole final wording of the document.

He said the treaty is the first step on the way to a budgetary and economic union.

"We are dealing with a political problem that we should solve without hysteria, real emotions and swollen waves. The document contains beyond any doubt entirely clear signs of transfer of powers to the European Commission and the European Court of Justice," Necas said.

Senate deputy chairwoman Alena Gajduskova (CSSD), who tabled the Senate resolution yesterday, said Necas's stand goes against Czech interests.

The CSSD senators, Petr Pithart (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) and Marta Bayerova (unaffiliated) approved a resolution saying the Senate is embarrassed about the state of Czech foreign policy.

They said Czech politicians fail to reach agreement on the positions of the state and that Necas is not prepared for EU negotiations.

They want Necas to submit to the Senate the text of the mandate that the government gave him for the negotiations of the EU treaty.

ODS senators head Richard Svoboda dismissed the resolution as unacceptable and said beforehand that not a single ODS senator will support it.

"Such unilateral political statements do not promote the good name of the Senate," Svoboda said.

The Czech rejection of the treaty caused a rift between Necas and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg last week.

Necas claimed he did not have any mandate to sign the treaty. Schwarzenberg said Necas's stand harms Czech interests, to which Necas reacted saying Schwarzenberg works little and is often abroad.

They agreed on Tuesday to be more reserved in their statements and to continue negotiating about the Czech government's stand on the treaty that is to be signed in March.