Sarkozy: No EU treaty, no enlargement

BRUSSELS, June 21 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that no new members can be admitted to the European Union unless the Lisbon Treaty takes effect.

At a news conference Thursday in Brussels, Sarkozy said that some Eastern European countries that are enthusiastic about making the union bigger are the most reluctant to approve the treaty, the EU Observer reported.

"It is certain that as long as we have not solved the institutional problem, the question of enlargement is stopped de jure or de facto," he said.

The Lisbon Treaty, meant to replace the treaties that originally created the Common Market and European Union, received a setback when Irish voters rejected it. The British parliament approved the treaty Thursday, but a judge delayed ratification Friday.

Sarkozy is just beginning a six-month period as president of the union.