[JURIST] The French Senate and National Assembly [official websites, in French] Thursday approved the new EU reform treaty [JURIST news archive], properly known as the Treaty of Lisbon [official website; PDF text]. The treaty now goes to French President Nicolas Sarkozy [official profile, in French; BBC profile] for signature. France's opposition Socialist Party had pushed for a national referendum regarding the ratification of the treaty, but the National Assembly Wednesday voted against holding a referendum. Leaders from the 27 countries that make up the European Union signed the reform treaty [JURIST report] in December, but all member countries must ratify the document before it can take effect.

The Treaty of Lisbon was drafted to replace the failed European Constitution [JURIST news archive] that was rejected by French voters in a national referendum [JURIST report] in 2005. On Monday, the French Parliament, in a special session, passed an amendment [text, in French; JURIST report] to the French Constitution [text, English version], deleting reference to the rejected European constitution. BBC News has more.