The Austrian Parliament ratified on April 9 the Lisbon Treaty, despite some protests which were held in the country by some minority groups demanding a referendum.The treaty was approved by a large majority, with 151 votes in favour and 27 against the new charter, which would make EU legislation simpler and EU institutions more effective once it comes into force next year.
The Social Democratic Party (SPOe), the People's Party (OeVP), both in the "grand coalition" government, and the Green Party all backed the treaty, agreeing that it would represent a progress for Austria.
However two small far-right opposition parties voted against the treaty, saying it would endanger national sovereignity, and have campaigned since last December, when EU leaders signed the new document in Lisbon.
Some 1,000 people staged a protest the day before the ratification in the streets of Vienna, asking for a referendum.
The Parliamentary session went on for eight hours before the ratification itself took place in the evening. Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, during the parliamentary debate, highlighted that the ratification represented an "important, necessary and right step" for his country, according to the International Herald Tribune.
Austria is the eighth EU member state which has ratified the treaty, as of now. In the last ten years, the country has seen a wave of Euro-scepticism that was fomented by far-right leaders, including current governor of Carinthia and former leader of the Austrian Freedom Party Chancellor Jörg Haider, known at home and abroad for his extremist views.
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