Czech President Vaclav Klaus declined to say today how he would proceed in ratification of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty after the document was approved by Irish voters in a referendum.

He said he could not sign until a pending court review is over.

"The question does not exist today. Today I have a ban...until the Constitutional Court releases something," Klaus told reporters.

The Czech Republic and Poland have yet to back the treaty which will streamline decision-making in the 27-nation bloc.

The Treaty would mean Malta will get a sixth seat in the EU. The national parliament, like the other national parliaments in EU states, would have a greater say in EU law-making, while Malta would retain its Commissioner in the European Commission.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.