Sweden to start ratification process of Lisbon Treaty

STOCKHOLM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish coalition government said on Thursday that it has started the process of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty of European Union (EU) by the Swedish parliament.

The parliament will vote on the treaty when it reopens in the autumn, the Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said in a statement.

The ratification process in EU should continue so that we can get an overview of the overall situation in Europe by the end of the year, she said, adding that the Lisbon Treaty is the best thing for the EU and that it will bring about increased transparency, democracy and efficiency.

The Swedish main opposition party, the Social Democrats, on Wednesday urged the Swedish coalition government to be cautious about ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, amid doubts over its signing in Poland.

Although the parliaments of 20 EU countries have endorsed the treaty, only 11 members have formally completed the ratification process. The Polish President Lech Kaczynski has refused to sign the treaty after it was rejected by Irish voters in a June 12 referendum.