The Spanish Congress has ratified the Lisbon Treaty on reforming the European Union.
The treaty, which was rejected by Irish voters earlier this month, will now go the Senate but its approval will be a formality after the overwhelming vote of 322 members of congress in favour and only 6 against.
While 19 national parliaments before Spain have approved the treaty, Irish voters threw the Lisbon process into doubt on June 12, when they rejected the treaty in the only referendum held on the issue in any EU country.
The treaty would give the European Council a president for a renewable term and appoint an EU foreign policy chief at the head of a foreign service as well as alter EU voting to make it easier to pass measures despite opposition from a minority of countries.
Spain has always enthusiastically supported the Lisbon process and Spanish voters also approved the European constitution, which was later sunk by referendum defeats in France and the Netherlands.
