EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has welcomed the Maltese Parliament's unanimous ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

"I want to congratulate Malta on the successful approval of the Treaty of Lisbon by the national Parliament. I particularly welcome the unanimous agreement reached in the Parliament for its swift approval. I find it particularly symbolic that each of the first three countries to approve the new Treaty are member states that joined the European Union in 2004. This shows that enlargement is an inspiration and impetus for the future development of European integration," Mr Barroso said.