(BRATISLAVA) - Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic lashed out Monday at a wrangle which has blocked ratification of the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty in parliament.

"I am not happy that the decision about the Lisbon treaty in Slovakia currently depends on arguments which are not related to the treaty," Gasparovic told students at Bratislava's Economics University, referring to the political row over a new media law.

Ratification of the treaty aimed at reshaping the functioning of the widened EU has been on hold since the beginning of February after opposition lawmakers said they would not support it unless the coalition government of Prime Minister Robert Fico made concessions over a proposed media law.

Slovakia's stalled ratification has raised some fears in Brussels that it could delay the whole process.

While Fico's three-way coalition commands a majority in the 150-seat parliament able to push through most legislation, he requires a handful of opposition votes to reach the 90 votes required for ratification.

Gasparovic underlined the importance of the Lisbon treaty as an important step to update the EU from the era when it was only made up of 15 states to its current strength of 27.

The centre-right opposition warned last week that the government needed to make further changes to the media law to win their support for Lisbon treaty ratification. Fico has refused to make any further concessions saying that changes have already been made to the law which answer criticism from international organisations.

The main target of their attacks, a wide-ranging right of response to those unhappy about their media coverage, is still in the bill, due to be discussed again by lawmakers on Tuesday.

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation criticised the media law last week, saying it "would grant politicians limitless access to publicity, and would seriously restrict media independence and editorial autonomy."

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