(LISBON) - Portugal's parliament voted overwhelmingly to ratify the EU's Lisbon treaty Wednesday, making it the 10th of the 27 member states to do so.

The Lisbon treaty, negotiated under Portugal's presidency of the EU and signed in the Portuguese capital, is aimed at streamlining Brussels decision-making, and replaced the EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005.

Despite 'no' votes from the Communist party, Green party and Left Bloc of extreme leftists, parliament voted 208 to 21 to ratify the document.

The Communists and Greens had unsuccessfully demanded a public referendum on the treaty.

But with backing from all the major parties -- the ruling Socialist Party, which has an absolute majority, the Social-Democrats and the centre-right CDS-PP grouping, the result was never in doubt.

In Brussels, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, himself a native of Portugal, congratulated his country's parliament for its support.

"I would... like to congratulate the parliament for the large majority for the treaty showing the unequivocal Portuguese support for the European project," he said in a statement.

"This is another important step towards our objective of a new treaty in force by January 1, 2009."

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