"The Treaty of Lisbon wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and the leadership exercised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the current presidency of Germany": the acknowledgement was made by José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Union Commission, through a declaration following the approval of the Treaty by Germany. "After Bundestag stated Barroso , Bundesrat has now approved" the text subscribed last autumn which should come into force on 1st January 2009. "I would like to thank the German parliament and government for constantly supporting the Treaty", which added the Chief of the Executive – "is now ratified by over one half of the member states of the European Union. I hope that this example will be followed by the other countries as soon as possible". Until now, the countries saying "yes" through their parliaments are: Hungary, France, Portugal, Poland, Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Denmark. On the other hand, the only people’s referendum on the subject is scheduled on 12th June; it will take place in Ireland. The other countries decided to follow the ratification path through legislative assemblies.
