(PRAGUE) - The Czech government will send the European Union's reform treaty to lawmakers for approval by the end of the month, deputy prime minister and minister for European affairs Alexandr Vondra said Sunday.

"We will not artificially hold this up," he said on Czech public television, cautioning though that ratification by all the EU's 27 member states could take 18 months to two years.

He said the process could be complicated by the desire of some lawmakers from the main Czech government party, the right-wing Civic Democrats, to ask the constitutional court to rule on whether the treaty conforms with the constitution.

The government believes there is no clash and does not expect any negative opinion, Vondra added.

The reform treaty, signed by EU leaders on December 13, aims to streamline the functioning of the expanded bloc after a proposed constitution was derailed by referendum rejections by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

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