Finland's Aaland Islands approve Lisbon Treaty

(HELSINKI) - The parliament of Finland's autonomous Aaland Islands approved on Wednesday the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, ending an uncertain situation that could have landed Helsinki in a political quagmire.

Only six out of 30 members of parliament voted against the text, which some of the islands' politicians had used to press Helsinki to bolster Aaland's influence on EU matters.

Although Finland ratified the Lisbon Treaty in September 2008, two-thirds of the Aaland Islands' MPs needed to approve the treaty for the islands to endorse it.

"I am happy with the result. I think we can now continue to develop our society together with Finland and Europe," Roger Nordlund, speaker of the Aaland parliament, told AFP.

A No vote could have created a legally problematic situation, because the Finnish state is responsible for EU laws being followed in the country. And any decision by Helsinki to ignore an Aaland No would have been perceived as undemocratic.

Aaland, a Swedish-speaking territory of 27,000 people located in the Baltic Sea, is one of Finland's wealthiest regions and its relations with the Helsinki government have often been tense.

The situation has worsened since Finland joined the EU in 1995.

A series of exemptions for Aaland were negotiated in Finland's EU membership deal, and there have been occasional calls for Aaland to withdraw from the bloc or even separate from the rest of Finland.

Aaland has also claimed a seat in the European Parliament, a demand the Finnish government has rejected.

The islands were part of Sweden until 1809 when the territory fell into Russian hands. In 1921, it was "given" to Finland by the League of Nations, which also guaranteed its autonomous status.

The Lisbon Treaty has been ratified by all 27 EU member states and comes into force on December 1.