Polish President refuses to sign

President Lech Kaczynski has stated that he will not sign the Constitutional Reform Lisbon Treaty into Polish law even though it had been passed by the parliament because it would be a "pointless" exercise in the light of the Irish No vote.

He thus joins Czech President Vaclav Klaus on the frontline and as a headache for President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country takes over the EU presidency (what a lot of presidents!) today.

Then there is the problem of Germany:

In Germany, the treaty is also facing unexpected problems over ratification. President Horst Köhler has said he cannot sign the pact into law because two legislators have asked the Constitutional Court to decide whether it is unconstitutional.

It looks like Sarkozy and his Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, will have their work cut out.