Vaclav Klaus, the Eurosceptic Czech president, yesterday put up yet another hurdle before ratifying the Lisbon treaty, a demand for an opt-out from the pact's charter of rights and freedoms similar to that obtained by Britain and Poland.

“Before the ratification, the Czech Republic must at least ex post negotiate a similar exemption,” Mr Klaus said, explaining that the opt-out is needed to prevent the heirs of the millions of Sudeten Germans expelled after the second world war from filing land claims to regain their property. “It [the treaty] endangers the legal status of the citizens and the stability of property rights in our country.”

Mr Klaus's new demand stirred confusion a week after Irish voters appeared to clarify the bloc's future by approving the treaty in a second referendum. Lisbon, first proposed in 2001, is seen as vital to streamlining the EU and allowing it to project greater power on the world stage.