Polish president Lech Kaczynski will not sign the Lisbon Treaty, telling Polish daily Dziennik that signing it after the Irish decided they did not want their country to ratify the treaty was pointless.

Kaczynski gave Dziennik an interview, published on July 1 2008, the date when France takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.

Poland's parliament approved the treaty, aimed at streamlining EU's decision-making process and increasing the efficiency of its institutions following the bloc's expansion, back in April. The president's signature was the only thing left for the ratification process to be completed.

Kaczynski's statement comes as yet another blow to the intended reform of the EU, after on June 12 Ireland decided on referendum it will not ratify the document, thus making impossible its entering into force, which requires ratification on the part of all 27 member states.

Despite this rule, however, European leaders urged for the ratification process  to continue, hoping to agree on a solution with the Irish.

Poland was also one of the last countries to hold out against the reform treaty, asking for a number of exceptions, before finally agreeing to the text at the European Council meeting in Lisbon in December 2007.