Britain ratified the Lisbon Treaty of the European Union on June 19 2008, just hours before the crucial June 19-20 European Council session in Brussels, which is expected to shed light on the future of the reform treaty following its defeat at the referendum in Ireland, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal assent to the bill for the ratification of the treaty early on June 19, thus finalising the process following a late and stormy debate in the house of lords on the previous day. The upper house of British parliament approved the bill in the end, as the house of commons has done in March.

Opponents of the Lisbon Treaty in Britain have requested a referendum on the ratification, which stood a strong chance of rejecting the document. The government, however, rushed with the process in a show of support for EU's efforts to find a way to save the treaty.

"I welcome news that the (bill) has this morning received royal assent," British minister of state for Europe Jim Murphy said, as quoted by AFP. "We look forward to hearing in Brussels today from the Irish government on their proposals for the way forward," he added.

Voters in Ireland turned down the Lisbon Treaty, aimed at reforming the bloc make its institutions more efficient following its enlargement with twelve new members since 2004. More than 53 per cent of Irish voters voted against the treaty on June 12, fearing that the country would lose too much control over issues its citizens cared strongly about if the reform treaty were implemented.

The Irish "no" has caused a lot of controversy among EU functionaries, since it practically means the bloc's new treaty could not go into force on January 1 2009 as scheduled, since its enactment requires ratification by all 27 member states.

The future of the Lisbon Treaty is expected to be the major topic of discussion at the June 19-20 gathering of the heads of state and government of the EU member states. Irish prime minister Brian Cowen is to brief his counterparts on the referendum held in his homeland.

The accession of Slovakia to the euro-zone, soaring food and oil prices, the situation in the Western Balkans and the European future for the region are also on the agenda of the European Council, although they are likely to be overshadowed by talks meant to find a solution to the institutional crisis engendered by the Irish referendum results.

Against the background of the European neighbourhood policy, progress on the launch of the Mediterranean Union would be reviewed and the development of a partnership with the bloc's Eastern neighbours was also scheduled to be discussed.