Brussels, 11/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 April the Slovak parliament ratified the Lisbon Treaty, becoming the 9th member state to finalise the ratification procedure (after Hungary, France, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Poland and Austria). With support from the Hungarian SMK opposition party, Prime Minister Robert Fico's government was able to win the three-fifths majority required for approval of the treaty (103 of the 150 parliamentarians voted in favour). Fico announced ahead of the vote that he would resign if the treaty was rejected. He welcomed his country's approval of a treaty which, he said, would bring the EU closer to its citizens. After joining the Schengen Area, Slovakia had registered another success, he added. The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, welcomed the vote in Slovakia which he said had come 'in good time'. The EPP-ED and PES Groups at the European Parliament also welcomed Slovakia's ratification of the Reform Treaty.
After approval by the Belgian Senate in early March 2008, the Belgian Federal Parliament's chamber of representatives approved the Lisbon Treaty on Thursday 10 April by 116 votes to 18. Several regional and language-community parliaments in Belgium will have to ratify the treaty before it is deemed formally ratified by Belgium. Seven different assemblies in Belgium in total have to approve the Lisbon Treaty. (H.B.)