The Czech Republic has abandoned its final resistance to the ratification of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. This opens the door for E.U. member state leaders to select the bloc's first president and foreign minister. But critics say the reforms are already past their sell-by date.

The last hurdle has been surmounted. On Tuesday, after the Czech Republic's Constitutional Court rejected a complaint  submitted by 17 euroskeptic senators against the Lisbon Treaty, the blueprint for reforming the European Union can now enter into force, as planned, at the end of the year.

Likewise, Czech President Vaclav Klaus will no longer have any more excuses for withholding his signature from the document. When he finally signs it, as he is expected to do within the next few days, the long process of ratifying the treaty will finally - after eight long years - be at an end. At that point, Europe's leaders will be able to take a large, collective sigh of relief. It's been a long, arduous path, one that saw three failed referendums - in France, the Netherlands and Ireland - and a number of complaints submitted to various constitutional courts.

Even David Cameron, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservatives, has given up his resistance. In the spring, if the Tories retake the House of Commons, as they are widely expected to do, they will not call for a retroactive referendum on the treaty. As Cameron regretfully put it, by that time, the treaty will no longer be just a treaty; it will be the equivalent of a European constitution. Though his euroskeptic supporters will be very upset about the fact that he broke a solemn vow, the fact is that Cameron saw no other choice.

In the wake of the court's decision in Prague, there has been widespread relief across the Continent. Freshly minted German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called it "a good day for Germans," adding that it is "high time that we leave these discussions about internal reform behind us." Even Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, seems to be happy with things.