BRUSSELS, July 8 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday welcomed the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Dutch parliament.

    Dutch senators voted 60 to 15 in favor of the treaty Tuesday, following approval by the lower house of parliament on June 5.

    "I want to congratulate the Netherlands on the approval of the Treaty of Lisbon today. I want to thank the Dutch government and parliament for their strong support for the treaty as shown by the large majority in today's vote," said Barroso in a statement.

    The Netherlands became another European Union (EU) member state to ratify the treaty following the rejection of the charter by Irish voters on June 12. Eighteen member states had ratified the text before the Irish "No" vote.

    The Lisbon Treaty, signed by EU heads of state and government in December 2007, is designed to make EU's much needed institutional reforms possible. It will also streamline decision-making in the growing union.

    The coming into force of the treaty requires ratification from all 27 EU member states.

    The Lisbon Treaty was designed to replace an EU constitution treaty, which was rejected in referendums in the Netherlands and France in 2005.