Klaus opt-out called into question

"Threat to Klaus’ Lisbon amendment," headlines Lidové noviny. The Czech daily explains that opt-outs to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, obtained by Václav Klaus as a condition for his ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in October 2009, may be called into question in the course of Croatia’s accession to the EU. At the time, in response to Czech concerns that the Lisbon Treaty could invalidate the Beneš decrees, theoretically enabling Sudeten Germans to recover property that was confiscated after World War II, the Swedish Presidency of the EU pledged to amend Croatia’s accession treaty to include the opt-outs. However, Lidové noviny reveals that several countries – notably Austria and Hungary – are now pressuring the legal team responsible for the drafting of Croatia’s accession treaty to omit the "Klaus amendment."