The French parliament ratified a European Union reform treaty to overhaul the bloc's institutions on Friday, nearly three years after France rejected a planned EU constitution in a referendum.
The treaty, which must win approval by all 27 EU countries to take effect, will give the bloc a long-term president, a more powerful foreign policy chief, more democratic decision-making and more say for European and national parliaments. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso both welcomed the vote.
"The ratification of the treaty of Lisbon by France sets the seal on our country's return to the heart of Europe, a few months before the beginning of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union," Fillon said in a statement.
France is the fifth EU country after Hungary, Malta, Romania and Slovenia to ratify the so-called Treaty of Lisbon, a replacement for the constitution. Only Ireland will hold a referendum on the treaty, as required by its own constitution.
It was the rejection by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005 that torpedoed the planned EU constitution. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose conservative UMP party has comfortable majorities in both parliamentary chambers, has been an advocate of the treaty and signed it with other EU leaders in December.
The treaty drops contentious symbols hinting at possible EU statehood such as the flag and anthem, which were among elements voters disliked in 2005. France's National Assembly voted 336 to 52 in favour of the treaty and the Senate approved it by 265 votes to 42.