Romania, Poland share 'common view' on EU treaty

(BUCHAREST) - Romania and Poland share a "common view" on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the Romanian President said Wednesday in comments that hinted Warsaw was ready to sign the document, after he met his Polish counterpart.

"We have a common view on the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty as well as the future structure of the European Commission," President Traian Basescu told a joint press conference with the visiting Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

Romania ratified the European Union's reforming Lisbon Treaty in March 2008, but the eurosceptic Kazcynski has so far failed to do so, despite parliamentary approval.

On Tuesday, a Polish presidential official told AFP that Kaczynski would sign the treaty in a matter of days, although no firm date for ratification had yet been fixed.

In Bucharest, the Polish president only said he and Basescu had discussed issues linked to "new functions within the EU."

He added that his visit to Romania came in the wake of a "change in policy from our US allies towards the countries of Central Europe," referring to the US decision to shelve plans for a missile defense system in the the Czech Republic and Poland.

Washington's move has prompted a political furore in Prague and Warsaw, with some some political and media critics accusing the US of selling them out to Moscow, which fiercely opposed the shield.