The lower house of the Dutch parliament has ratified the Treaty of Lisbon with a convincing majority, but the treaty still has to be approved by the upper house before the ratification process is complete in the Netherlands.
Both the governing Labour Party and the Christian Democrats, the two parties which dominate the Dutch political landscape, voted in favour of the treaty on 4 June. But the Socialist Party and the Party for the Animals voted against.
In June 2005, Dutch voters hammered the final nail into the coffin of the then EU constitution when more than 60% of voters rejected it - just one month after French voters had blighted its prospects by voting ‘No'. This time round, only one member state, Ireland, is set to put the treaty to popular vote. The Irish will go to the polls on 12 June.
