FRENCH PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy opened his country's EU presidency yesterday by pledging to solve the institutional deadlock prompted in the EU by the Irish No to the Lisbon Treaty.
He has also rescheduled his fact-finding trip to Ireland for July 21st instead of July 11th, pleading a hectic schedule during the first weeks of France's six-month presidency.
But even as he briefed European journalists about the need for other member states to continue to ratify the treaty, doubts surfaced about Poland's ability to move ahead with ratification.
In a newspaper interview Polish president Lech Kaczynski asserted that it was "pointless" for him to sign the Lisbon Treaty into law for the moment, appearing to call into question the necessity of the treaty rejected by Irish voters.
"It is difficult to say how all this will end. But on the other hand, to say that without the [Lisbon] treaty there won't be a union is not serious," Mr Kaczynski told Dziennik newspaper.
Yesterday afternoon, he clarified his position during a trip to Georgia, saying: "If the Irish change their mind on ratification of their own free will, not under the influence of others, then there is no impediment from the Polish side to ratification."
The Polish government, embarrassed by the president's comments, was yesterday trying to reassure other states.
Poland's minister of state for European affairs, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, said he remained "cautiously optimistic that our president will consider all pros and cons of his decision, and the timing of his decision, and I hope he will deliver his signature in time and in line with Polish interests in Europe. That means not being the last in Europe."
The announcement from Mr Kaczynski was greeted with a mixture of dismay and anger at the Elysee.
One senior French source said the Polish president had never been a "particularly easy partner to work with in building and shaping Europe".
But the source said that the Elysee would continue to talk to him, particularly on the issue of enlargement, which is a key strategic goal for Warsaw.
Mr Sarkozy said he was concerned about the comments and urged Mr Kaczynski to sign the treaty to complete the ratification process.
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who met Mr Sarkozy in Brussels yesterday for talks, said that 27 member states had signed the treaty and 27 member states should now ratify the Lisbon treaty.
Meanwhile, a number of TDs voiced concerns at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs yesterday about comments made by Mr Sarkozy on a Lisbon deadline. Labour's Joe Costello said talk of deadlines was "not particularly helpful" while Fianna Fáil's Noel Treacy agreed, warning any suggestion of a deadline being imposed could be "dangerous" and counterproductive.