The Slovenian Presidency welcomes ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Luxembourg parliament. In common with all other ratifications by Member States so far, ratification by the Luxembourg parliament is an important step forward on the path towards the ultimate goal – the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 January 2009.
Until now, the Treaty has been endorsed by the parliaments of Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Romania, France, Bulgaria, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany. Today‘s approval by the Luxembourg parliament means that the Treaty has now been ratified by 15 Member States. To enable its entry into force at the beginning of next year, Member States will have to deposit their ratification instruments with the Italian government once all necessary formalities have been carried out.
On the one hand, the Lisbon Treaty reforms the functioning of the institutions and strengthens democracy, while on the other hand the Treaty primarily enables more efficient joint action. The Treaty will also enable the European Union to face challenges relating to globalisation and the environment. The Member States will therefore be able to take efficient decisions necessary in this field in order to face the challenges of the 21st century. Citizens are also certain to benefit greatly from implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Instruments such as the civil initiative will be central to the future functioning of the European Union. Moreover, the democratically elected European Parliament will strengthen its role and become an equal partner in legislative decision making in all areas of EU activity.
More about the Lisbon Treaty, details of ratification procedures in the Member States, and the benefits the Treaty will bring to EU citizens is available on the web site: Europa – Treaty of Lisbon 
