France embarks today on its six-month presidency of the European Union with advice to the Czech Republic not to block progress to closer political unity by obstructing ratification of the Lisbon reform treaty.

Bernard Kouchner, France's foreign minister, and senior officials said yesterday it would be selfdefeating for the Czechs to delay approval of Lisbon, because the treaty held the key to the EU's absorption in coming years of would-be member-states in eastern Europe - a goal dear to Czech hearts.