On Saturday Poland's President Lech Kaczyński ratified the Lisbon Treaty at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, in the presence of EU officials.
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld
The Lisbon Treaty, signed on the 13th of December 2007 in Lisbon by leaders of 27 EU states substituted the European Constitution which had been rejected in national referenda. The Lisbon Treaty was supposed to be implemented as of the beginning of 2009, but needed ratification in all states. The only country which held a referendum on whether the treaty should be ratified was Ireland. The people voted against the Treaty, so the referendum was repeated until they agreed. Polish President decided to sign the treaty on behalf of Poland after the second Irish referendum.
Opinions on the ratification of the treaty are divided. Some demonstrations and campaigns were held against the signing, arguing that it constitutes a voluntary giving up of Poland's sovereignty. A group of parliamentarians of the major opposition Law and Justice party want the Constitutional Tribunal to check the Treaty for its compliance with the Polish Constitution. Leader of major opposition Law and Justice party Jarosław Kaczynski explained, that the Tribunal should reiterate that the Polish Constitution is still the highest normative act in Poland.
This week the Polish government is to send out to all other EU members its official position on the functioning of new highest EU posts. The Lisbon Treaty introduces serious institutional changes, including a new post of the President of Europe, and of a representative for foreign affairs. How, in practice, that will increase the competence of Brussels depends on the interpretation of the treaty, which is now to be debated.