Czech President Vaclav Klaus announced on his Web site Tuesday that he has signed the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for major changes to the way the 27-nation bloc is run.

A government spokesman said that the Czech Constitutional court ruled hours earlier that the treaty did not conflict with the country’s constitution.

In a written statement, Klaus said, “I respect the decision of the Constitutional Court” though he added he “disagreed” with it and said the court’s analysis was “not neutral.”

However, he concluded, “I signed the Lisbon Treaty at 3 p.m.” (local time).

Earlier this year, the Czech Parliament’s two chambers voted in favor of the treaty. But 17 Czech senators asked the country’s Constitutional Court in late September to examine whether some further parts of the treaty were compatible with the country’s constitution.

They pose no conflict, the court ruled Tuesday.

(article and photo source: CNN)