On 14 January the European Parliament debated the priorities of the presidency with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek.
Regarding the Lisbon Treaty Mr Topolánek has revealed “Personally, I find that it is a bit worse than the Nice Treaty”, but “I negotiated this text on behalf of the Czech Republic, we approved it, I signed it and I will vote for it.” Unsurprisingly, such comment has given rise to criticism from the MEPs. Czech Prime Minister has explained that his comment was related to a Czech saying, which states: "This year will be an average one, a little bit worse than the preceding one and little bit better than the next one." But the MEPs have not laugh at the joke.
Moreover, he said "I am convinced that it is necessary to carry out these talks sensitively and with respect to the sovereignty of Irish citizens. If a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty were to take place in the Czech Republic, according to all indications, it would also not pass. It is necessary to find a solution that a majority of the Irish will be able to accept."
According to the EUObserver “Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has trampled on the EU's unspoken rule that presidency countries do not offer a controversial opinion on the sensitive topic of the moment.”
