INTERVIEW - EU parliament head sees Lisbon in place year-end

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The president of the European Parliament said on Friday he expected the Lisbon reform treaty to come into force before the end of the year, although he acknowledged there were risks to his assessment.

The charter is pending ratification by the Czech Republic, the only country in the 27-nation block which has yet to sign.

"It's my personal opinion: I can say that it's a very high probability that we will have our Lisbon Treaty in place at the end of this year," President Jerzy Buzek said in an interview.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus wants an opt-out from a charter attached to the treaty, saying he wants to shield the Czech Republic from property claims.

Klaus hopes to secure approval for the opt-out at an EU summit in Brussels next week.

Klaus has held off signing the treaty into law, saying he must wait for an Oct. 27 ruling from the Czech Constitutional Court on its legality.

"I expect that some solution is possible, in my opinion. I'm optimistic about the whole issue," Buzek said.

However, he voiced concerns such a deal could "bring problems in other member states".

If more countries decide to try to negotiate footnotes to the charter, its entering into force may be further delayed.