[JURIST] The Spanish Senate [official website] voted Wednesday to ratify the new EU reform treaty [JURIST news archive], also known as the Treaty of Lisbon [official website; text, PDF]. Jose Manuel Barroso [official profile], the president of the European Commission, congratulated Spain [text, PDF, in Spanish] on its passage of the Treaty, thanking the country for its "unwavering support for the European Project and the successful ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon." The approval of the Lisbon Treaty by the Spanish Senate marks the final legislative hurdle for official recognition of the Treaty by Spain. It must now be signed into law by the country's King Juan Carlos in order to be officially ratified. BBC News has more.

Some EU countries have delayed ratifying the treaty after Irish voters rejected it [JURIST reports] in June. The future of the pact is currently in doubt as it must be approved by all 27 EU states in order to take effect. EU leaders signed the reform treaty [JURIST report] in December, and 14 countries had ratified the document [JURIST news archive] before the Irish rejection. In 2005, an earlier draft European constitution [JURIST news archive] also failed when voters in France and the Netherlands [JURIST reports] rejected the proposal in national referenda.