The parliament of the northern Belgian region of Flanders approved the Lisbon Treaty on Thursday, making Belgium the 22nd European Union (EU) member state to complete the ratification process of the EU treaty.

The Flemish parliament is the last of Belgium's seven assemblies which need to clear the treaty. It was uncertain for a time whether the treaty would be approved before the summer recess, as some of the parliamentary parties were demanding amendments.

But an agreement was reached and the treaty was approved. Belgian King Albert II now need to sign it before it is fully ratified by Belgium.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso congratulated Belgium on its decision. "This is a strong signal of how important it is that all member states are heard during the ratification process," he said in a statement.

The Lisbon Treaty replaces the EU constitution treaty, which was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. The treaty can not enter into force unless all EU member states approve it.

The Lisbon Treaty was rejected by Irish voters several weeks ago, but EU leaders have been calling for a continuation of the ratification process in other EU countries.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2008)