New Czech Eurosceptic party rejects Lisbon treaty

Mach, executive director of the Czech Centre for Economics and Politics (CEP) and a close aide to President Vaclav Klaus, also confirmed that he wants to cooperate with the movement Libertas of Irish Lisbon treaty opponent Declan Ganley in preparations of the European Parliament (EP) elections scheduled for June.

Mach said deputies Juraj Raninec and Jan Schwippel, who have left the deputy group of the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS), along with ODS MPs Alena Paralova and Liana Janackova, are among the supporters of the new Eurosceptic party, as are Klaus´s sons, Jan and Vaclav Klaus jr, and some celebrities, such as world-renowned violinist Vaclav Hudecek and popular painter and illustrator Adolf Born.

President Klaus has not done so, but he has given "a few words of advice" to Mach, Mach said without elaborating.

The first goal of the party is to succeed in the EP elections.

Before it needs to gain at least 1,000 signatures for its candidacy to be registered.

"It would be premature to speak about further elections. Our goal is to gain a position on the Czech political scene," said Mach, who admitted he is considering running for SSO chairman.

The SSO´s programme priority will be the struggle against the EU´s Lisbon treaty.

"In [adopting] the Lisbon treaty the EU would become a new state with the legislation and citizenship standing above [the national ones]. With the Lisbon treaty the EU would gain the right to appropriate further powers without member countries´ consent," Mach said.

He called on Czech deputies and senators not to support the Lisbon treaty in parliament.

"We are for a new treaty to be worked out, a brief and comprehensible one, that would secuire the preservation of democracy in all EU member states," Mach said.

The Czech Republic is the only of the EU´s 27 countries not to have taken a position on the Lisbon treaty so far.

The criticism of the Lisbon treaty brings the SSO close to Ganley´s Libertas movement. That is why Mach said the SSO is open to cooperation with Libertas or its Czech branch if it is established in the Czech Republic.

Besides, the SSO wants to promote low taxes, reduction of bureaucracy, clean environment "without any extremist ideology," the development of nuclear energy industry and the stopping of the biofuel production at the cost of food.

"As far as the adoption of the euro is concerned, we want to wait until it is really advantageous for most Czech citizens, and we will demand a referendum," Mach said.

He said the SSO supports the plan to have a U.S. missile defence radar base built on Czech soil.

The SSO will have a jumping ram on a green field as its logo.

Mach said the animal symbolises the path towards freedom and marks a new beginning. He added that resolve is linked with rams.

Another new party, Liberals.cz, has also announced its programme for the EP elections today. Unlike the SSO, the Liberals seek deeper European integration.

Mach, close aide to Czech president Klaus, presents new party

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz