(Adds Czech PM comments, paragraphs 8-10)
By Madeline Chambers
BERLIN, Dec 4 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel
expressed confidence on Thursday that the European Union would
succeed in implementing the Lisbon treaty despite a rejection of
the reform document by Irish voters in June.
Leaders will discuss the way forward for the treaty,
designed to ease decision-making in the 27-nation bloc, at an EU
summit on Dec. 11-12, she said.
"I believe that we will manage to put into effect the Lisbon
Treaty," Merkel told the German lower house of parliament.
Despite her unusually confident tone, she gave no time frame.
The Chancellor held talks with Irish Prime Minister Brian
Cowen in Berlin late on Wednesday which covered the future of
the reform treaty.
The treaty is a central plank of EU efforts to modernise its
institutions which have become unwieldy in the last few years
due to the accession of countries especially from central and
eastern Europe. All EU countries have to ratify the document
before it can take effect.
Merkel, who played a leading role in laying the groundwork
for the treaty during Germany's EU presidency last year, said
there were positive signs coming from countries that still had
to ratify the treaty, including Ireland and the Czech Republic.
"Ireland is working intensively on ratifying the treaty and
we support their efforts," said Merkel.
Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of the Czech Republic, which
takes over the six-month EU presidency in January, said on
Thursday the treaty may be adopted across the bloc in 2009.
"I believe that under certain circumstances it is possible
to conclude the ratification process next year in the whole
(group of) 27," he said in Prague after talks with European
Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering.
The Czech Republic is moving ahead with ratification after
its Constitutional Court ruled the treaty conformed with Czech
law after a legal challenge from parliament's upper house.
A final vote is expected some time early next year, although
eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus has said he may not ink the
treaty until all other EU members have ratified.
RULES OF THE CLUB
An Irish parliamentary committee said last month the country
could legally hold a second referendum after the Irish "no" vote
dealt the EU a heavy blow.
Cowen is on a tour of several EU capitals before next week's
summit and holds talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
in London on Thursday before meeting French President Nicolas
Sarkozy on Friday.
Asked if he feared Ireland would be isolated if it did not
sign the Lisbon treaty, EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie
McCreevy told Irish magazine Hot Press that other countries had
to respect the Irish decision.
"You must remember, this is a club. The rules of the club
are being changed," said McCreevy. "The Irish people said 'no'.
And that decision has to be respected by our European partners."
(Additional reporting by Dave Graham, Jonathan Saul in Dublin,
Jana Mlcochova in Prague; Editing by Matthew Jones)
