Polish President Lech Kaczynski said on Sunday he plans to push for an opt-out from parts of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights after the ruling Civic Platform said it wants to ratify the treaty in full.
The previous conservative government negotiated an opt-out from the charter in the EU's reform treaty, due to be signed next month, arguing that it could limit Warsaw's ability to maintain a traditional Roman Catholic family policy.
Kaczynski, who has the power to veto any legislation, said he was determined to avoid legalising gay marriage which he said was sanctioned by the EU Lisbon Treaty's Charter of Fundamental Rights.
"The charter contains resolutions that are completely proper, but there are also resolutions which may subsequently sanction marriages other than unions between a man and woman," Kaczynski told worshippers after Palm Sunday mass in the north-eastern town of Lyse.
The ruling Civic Platform has said it supports ratifying the Lisbon Treaty in its entirety, but the opposition Law and Justice (PiS), led by Kaczynski's brother Jaroslaw, insists that safeguards must be included in the ratification law.
Kaczynski also said "there are ... certain threats to our national interests - the ownership of our western territories."
He was referring to former German lands granted to Poland by the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union after World War Two to compensate it for the one-half of pre-war Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.
He did not specify in what way the charter might affect territorial issues.
To become valid, the ratification requires two-thirds support in parliament which is possible only with the backing of PiS.
The centre-right government of Donald Tusk is considering a national referendum on the issue, if parliament proves incapable of ratifying the treaty.
