By CONSTANT BRAND, Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS – The European Union has turned into an undemocratic and elitist project comparable to the Communist dictatorships of eastern Europe that forbade alternative thinking, Czech President Vaclav Klaus told the European Parliament on Thursday.

Klaus, whose country now holds the rotating EU presidency, set out a scathing attack on the EU project and its institutions, provoking boos from many lawmakers, some of whom walked out, but applause from nationalists and other anti-EU legislators.

Klaus is known for deep skepticism of the EU and has refused to fly the EU flag over his official seat in Prague during the Czech presidency, saying the country is not an EU province.

He said current EU practices smacked of communist times when the Soviet Union controlled much of eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic and when dissent or even discussions were not tolerated.

"Not so long ago, in our part of Europe we lived in a political system that permitted no alternatives and therefore also no parliamentary opposition," said Klaus. "We learned the bitter lesson that with no opposition, there is no freedom."

He said the 27-nation bloc should concentrate on offering prosperity to Europeans, rather than closer political union, and scrap a stalled EU reform treaty that Irish voters have already rejected.

Klaus said that questioning deeper integration has become an "uncriticizable assumption that there is only one possible and correct future of the European integration."

"The enforcement of these notions ... is unacceptable," Klaus said. "Those who dare thinking about a different option are labeled as enemies." Observers had been expecting Klaus to deliver a critical speech during his first and only visit to the EU chamber at a time when his country holds the EU limelight as chair of the 27-nation bloc.

"I have never experienced a situation where the presidency of the European Union ... compares the EU with the Soviet Union," said Belgian lawmaker Ivo Belet.

Czech Republic could quite easily leave the EU. Wonder why not? Political and economic suicide, perhaps?

Yes. And even more if (when) the Lisbon treaty gets approval.

@Samuel: Economic suicide most likely. Due to protectionism it's hard fo Czech to compete with countries inside EU. And, leaving EU isn't easy by any means.

but isnt protectionism like tariffs and import taxs looked down upon int the EU makng it so that it should be an even playing field for all countries involved to ship and sale products from their country to the others? That should be a good think for the EU economy. Also the EU trying to allow for companies in the countries to branch out and expand into other regions which would be good for nations with smaller companies of similar nations as it could lead to a merger and more people getting hired as infrastructure is created.

You're right. And this was my mistake. What i meant to say was, that if Czech would leave EU, it would be hard for them to compete. Maybe EU would even set a ban to trading with them.

Those arrogant Polish and Czech goverments. Only joined in 2004. They would be nothing without the Union.

That's what i thought too... however when the USA talked of tarrifs people complained that the EU didn't give those countries unfair advantages when trading with each other vs America and other countries.

I want to see how the EU turns out. Will they continue to meld together, to form an economic superpower? Or will they remain simply a collection of countries? Europe's day, the times of English, French, Spanish, Dutch, imperial powers is gone. Their populations aren't increasing fast enough, and they can't keep up with the US and China.

 The world has no need for increasing populations. The US is not in particular great shape at the moment. And China is not even close to the Almighty United States of Europe

 Well, the Lisbon treaty brings in Intiatives, which makes the EU more democratic (basically, if one million people get behind an idea they have to force the EC and EP to look into it). It will also fully include each nations' parliament officially into the constitution.

The charter on human rights will also give the Convention of Human Rights some legal strength.

Plus many other things that improve democracy across the board.

tbh, I get a little fed up with all this euro-skeptism bullshit. Especially those that say "I'm fed up with all the decisions made in Brussels". News flash: Brussels holds the European Commission, the Civil Servants, essentially, they just do all of the donkey work that they receive from the Council of Ministers - which, of course, includes the Governments from all of the nations. (This wasn't aimed at you, bdbdbd, but mainly at the British Euroskeptics).