Prague - Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday urged people to vote in June's European Parliament elections as Prague assumed the European Union's rotating presidency until July 1.

Klaus, a fierce critic of the EU and deeper European integration, in his New Year address urged Czechs to the polls so they contribute to shaping the 27-member bloc into "a truly democratic space."

"The membership in the European Union does not have an alternative... Methods and forms of European integration however have a range of alternatives," he said.

"The European Parliament election in June of this year can contribute to a search of a rational European order. Let's participate."

The president earlier publicly backed the Libertas movement of Irish activist Declan Ganley that successfully rallied opposition to EU's reform blueprint, the Lisbon Treaty, in last June's Irish referendum. Libertas plans to run in the EU polls.

Klaus, whose strong comments had stolen the media attention from the new EU president, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, held a tame New Year's speech in the view of analysts.

He only briefly mentioned the country's half-year EU job, saying that Czechs "will get a chance to influence into some extent activities of this important organization." Klaus previously called the Czech EU presidency unimportant. (dpa)