Barroso welcomes Slovakia's ratification of Lisbon Treaty

BRUSSELS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday welcomed Slovak parliament's approval of the Lisbon Treaty.

"I would like to congratulate the Slovak Republic on the successful approval of the Treaty of Lisbon by the parliament today," said Barroso in a statement.

"I appreciate the support for the treaty from all sides of the political spectrum and that the parliament was able to approve the treaty in good time."

He asked the European Union (EU) member states which have not ratified the treaty to do so.

Slovakia is the ninth member state to approve the Lisbon Treaty after Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Romania, France, Bulgaria, Austria and Poland.

The Lisbon Treaty, signed by EU heads of state and government last December, will make EU's much needed institutional reforms possible.

The entry into force of the treaty requires the ratification of all 27 member states of the EU.