Czech Republic: Czech prime minister Jiri Paroubek threatened yesterday to ban president Vaclav Klaus from travelling abroad unless he dropped his opposition to the EU constitution, heightening their public row.
The Czech government approves the president's official foreign trips in what is normally a routine decision, but Mr Paroubek, a Social Democrat who took power last month, said Mr Klaus must follow his pro-EU constitution line or stay home.
Tensions have escalated over the treaty.
"It is a legitimate right of citizen Klaus to express his views. However, as the president and part of the state's executive power he should cool his stance. Mainly abroad, where he is not viewed as citizen Klaus but as the president of the country," Mr Paroubek said during a trip to eastern Czech Republic.
President Klaus, one of Europe's most vocal critics of the constitution, says the treaty would be a major step toward creating a European superstate where nation states, especially small ones such as the Czech Republic, would be marginalised.
"The constitution has been ratified by European bureaucrats and intellectuals who are exactly the group who will benefit from it," he has claimed and has complained of "a feeling that steps like the constitution are threatening democracy, freedom and prosperity in Europe".
The comments provoked Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of current EU president, Luxembourg to warn that "when a leading politician from one of the newly accepted countries says 'no' [to the constitution], that's precisely how you destroy Europe."
Mr Klaus's spokesman said Mr Paroubek had no right to force the president's hand in such a way. "I am saying again it would be good if Mr prime minister carefully studies the Czech Republic constitution. It is impossible to agree with the interpretation he is making and I am fundamentally rejecting it," he said in a statement. He said Mr Klaus would invite Mr Paroubek for a meeting next week.