Five hundred and fifty five days after Poland’s parliament voted for the Lisbon Treaty Ratification Bill, President Kaczynski will finally sign the document today into law.

Seven days after the Irish voted “yes” in their second referendum on the issue, guests including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Chairman of the EU Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso will be at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw today to witness the president’s signature.

The document has been waiting for President Lech Kaczynski’s assent for a year and a half. When the ratification bill was debated in parliament in the spring of 2008, President Kaczynski warmed that the Lisbon Treaty may expose Poland to property claims from Germans expelled from Poland at the end of WW II - fears which Czech president, Vlaclav Klaus has repeated this week and is asking for an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

A year and a half ago, Kaczynski also raised fears that the Lisbon Treaty would open the way for gay marriages in Poland.

When the Irish voted against the treaty in the first referendum last year, Poland’s head of state said that he would not sign the document unil the Irish voted “yes”.

Finally, 557 days after parliament sent to the document to the Presidential Palace, Poland is to sign up to the Lisbon Treaty.

The Czech Republic will now be the only country in the 27 nation bloc not to give its assent to Lisbon. (pg)

Related stories:

Poland ratifies Lisbon Treaty, noon, Saturday , thenews.pl 9.10.2009

Poland signing Lisbon Treaty this weekend? , thenews.pl 8.10.2009

President’s signature waits for ceremony in Belweder Palace , thenews.pl 7.10.2009