EU under Lisbon treaty will be 'more democratic': Merkel
(BERLIN) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday hailed the Czech Republic's final approval of the European Union's Lisbon treaty, saying the bloc will be stronger and more democratic.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, an ardent eurosceptic who was holding up the implementation of the landmark document, signed it into law earlier Tuesday.
"I am happy that the final ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon was completed today in the Czech Republic," Merkel said in a statement.
"The importance of this day for Europe is difficult to measure. Today is the successful end to a European Union reform process that has lasted for years."
Europe "will be more democratic on the inside, and stronger and more confident on the outside."
The Lisbon Treaty is designed to smooth the workings of the EU, which has almost doubled in size to 27 nations since a swathe of ex-communist nations including the Czech Republic joined in 2004.
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