Backgrounder: Lisbon Treaty, how it stands

www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-13 16:14:2–
    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Ireland went to the polls Thursday to vote in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, expected to pave the way for key institutional reform in the European Union (EU).

    As the only EU member state to hold a referendum, Ireland's verdict is crucial to the fate of the treaty.

    The Lisbon Treaty, signed by EU heads of state and government last December, is expected to replace a failed EU constitution designed to streamline the policies of the 27-nation bloc and improve its efficiency in dealing with future challenges.

    The charter must be ratified by all 27 EU member states before it can take effect as planned on Jan. 1, 2009.

    So far, 17 countries have approved the document through parliamentary vote.

    The following are details of the countries, which have ratified the treaty:

    COUNTRIES THAT HAVE SAID YES:

    Austria -- Parliament authorized ratification by 151 votes to 27 on April 9.

    Bulgaria -- Parliament approved the treaty on March 21 with 193deputies for and 16 voting against in the 240-seat parliament.

    Denmark -- Parliament ratified the charter in a 90-25 vote on April 24.

    France -- Lower house of parliament ratified the treaty on Feb.7 by 336 votes to 52, nearly three years after the French rejected the planned EU constitution in a referendum.

    Germany -- Upper house of parliament voted to ratify the treaty on May 23 although the city-state of Berlin abstained due to a dispute within its ruling coalition. All the 15 other German federal states voted for ratification.

    Hungary -- The first of the 27 EU countries to ratify the treaty in a parliamentary vote on Dec. 17, 2007. Hungarian lawmakers approved the treaty by 325 votes to 5 with 14 abstentions in the 386-member legislature.

    Latvia -- Approved treaty on May 8.

    Lithuania -- Approved treaty on May 8.

    Luxembourg -- Parliament ratified the treaty on May 29.

    Malta -- Parliament unanimously ratified the treaty on Jan. 29.

    Portugal -- Parliament voted to ratify the treaty on April 23.

    Romania -- Parliament ratified the treaty on Feb. 4. The charter was backed by 387 deputies and rejected by one.

    Slovakia -- Parliament approved the treaty on April 10 after an opposition party backed away from a threat to derail ratification.

    Slovenia -- Parliament ratified the reform treaty on Jan. 29.

    COUNTRIES YET TO COMPLETE PROCESS:

    Estonia -- Parliament approved the treaty by 91 to one on June11. President Toomas Ilves has two weeks to sign the ratification act.

    Finland -- Parliament approved the treaty on June 11 by 151 votes for and 27 against. The process will be completed when President Tarja Halonen signs it into law.

    Poland -- Both chambers of parliament approved the treaty in April. However, President Lech Kaczynski is yet to sign the treaty to complete the final stage of the ratification process.