(LUXEMBOURG) - Luxembourg ratified Thursday the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, becoming the 15th of the 27 EU nations to endorse the massive reform package through parliament.

Forty-seven of the 51 deputies present in the 60-seat house voted in favour, while three abstained and only one voted against the treaty, which is meant to streamline the way the EU operates as it expands.

In Brussels, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso congratulated lawmakers in the Grand Duchy, one of the EU's smallest member nations.

"I would like to thank the Luxembourg government and parliament for the support they have given to the treaty throughout the negotiations and ratification process," he said in a statement.

"We now have fifteen member states that have completed the parliamentary process and I hope that the remaining member states will follow as soon as possible."

Only Ireland is constitutionally bound to ratify the treaty via a potentially perilous referendum, which will take place on June 12.

The EU's draft constitution was scuppered in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, sparking the bloc's worst political crisis.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.