The treaty cleared a major hurdle on 2 October when voters in the Republic of Ireland backed it overwhelmingly, in a second referendum. The Irish had rejected it first time round, in June 2008.

President Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, had said he would wait for the Irish voters' final verdict before signing the treaty.

EU leaders are anxious to get the treaty fully ratified this year - well before UK elections next spring, which could see a triumph for Conservative leader David Cameron. Many in his party oppose Lisbon and are demanding a referendum on it.

EU governments see the treaty as fundamental to the 27-nation bloc's future success. Without it, they argue, the EU's decision-making processes will remain slow and cumbersome, because they date back to when the EU consisted of only 15 nations.

Opponents see Lisbon as part of a federalist agenda that threatens national sovereignty.

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Gus: it has been my long held belief that without Europe being united, be it by whatever means, European countries would have buckley's chance of competing against the US, or against the rest of the emerging world such as China. It is also my deranged belief, that although the US "has supported" former countries from the Eastern block joining the "Western" alliance, they have tried discreetly to stop Yourp from gelling properly... Are the US secretly behind the Czech delay? During G W Bush's "presidency"(was it Cheney's?), it was obvious that the US were trying hard to create discreet discord between the French and the Germans, by making unilateral offers that would benefit one against the other... It did not work as well as they'd hope and now the Pax Yamericana dream is being undermined as the Dollar is being challenged for the oil trading currency and eventually challenged as the standard currency for all.

see toon at top

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has compared the Lisbon Treaty on EU reform to an unstoppable speeding train, suggesting he may have to sign it.

A staunch opponent to the treaty, he said even if it did come into force, it would not be "the end of history".

He was speaking in an interview with Saturday's Lidove Noviny newspaper.

His signature is now virtually the last hurdle before full ratification of the treaty, which is aimed at streamlining the 27-member EU's decision making.

"I do not consider the Lisbon Treaty to be a good thing for Europe, for the freedom of Europe, or for the Czech Republic," Lidove Noviny quoted Mr Klaus as saying.

"However, the train has already travelled so fast and so far that I guess it will not be possible to stop it or turn it around, however much we would wish to."