Belgium first to ratify EU treaty

11 April 2008

BRUSSELS – The Belgian House of Representatives has approved the new European Union treaty.

Five other national and regional legislatures need to pass the treaty before Belgium can officially adopt it. It is still unclear when the process will be complete.

The House passed the treaty on Thursday with a 116-to-18 vote.
The treaty needs to be ratified by all 27 member states to come into force. The deadline is June 2009. Slovak lawmakers approved the treaty, designed to streamline EU decision-making, on Thursday.

[AP / Expatica]