Download European Union and Lisbon Treaty

European Union and Lisbon Treaty
Europe is not the same place it was 50 years ago, and nor is the rest of the world. In a
constantly changing, ever more interconnected world, Europe is grappling with new issues:
globalisation, demographic shifts, climate change, the need for sustainable energy sources and new
security threats. These are the challenges facing Europe in the 21st century.
Borders count for very little in the light of these challenges. The EU countries cannot meet
them alone. But acting as one, Europe can deliver results and respond to the concerns of the public.
For this, Europe needs to modernise. The EU has recently expanded to 27 members; That’s why it
needs effective, coherent tools so it can function properly and respond to the rapid changes in the
world. That means rethinking some of the ground rules for working together.
The treaty signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 sets out to do just that. When European
leaders reached agreement on the new rules, they were thinking of the political, economic and social
changes going on, and the need to live up to the hopes and expectations of the European public. The
Treaty of Lisbon defines what the EU can and cannot do, and what means it can use. It alters the
structure of the EU’s institutions and how they work. As a result, the EU is more democratic and its
core values are better served.
This treaty is the result of negotiations between EU member countries in an
intergovernmental conference, in which the Commission and Parliament were also involved. The
treaty was ratified by each of the EU’s 27 members. It was up to each country to choose the
procedure for ratification, in line with its own national constitution.
The Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009 (thus ending several years of negotiation
about institutional issues), in accordance with its Article 6. The Treaty of Lisbon amends the current
EU and EC treaties, without replacing them. It provides the Union with the legal framework and tools
necessary to meet future challenges and to respond to citizens' demands. The ratification of the
Lisbon Treaty and its successful implementation will pave the way for a more democratic and more
transparent Union with a strengthened role for the European Parliament and national parliaments,
more opportunities for citizens to have their voices heard and a clearer sense of who does what at
European and national level.
Europe will be more efficient, with simplified working methods and voting rules, streamlined
and modern institutions for a EU of 27 members and an improved ability to act in areas of major
priority for today's Union. The Treaty promotes the Union's values, introducing the Charter of
Fundamental Rights into European primary law and gives its provisions a binding legal force. It
concerns civil, political, economic and social rights.
Treaty of Lisbon preserves and reinforces the "four freedoms". Also the Union gets an
extended capacity to act on freedom, security and justice, which brings direct benefits in terms of the
Union's ability to fight crime and terrorism. New provisions on civil protection, humanitarian aid and
public health also aim at boosting the Union's ability to respond to threats to the security of European
citizens.
It is said that without Lisbon Treaty, EU cannot move ahead with enlargement. Lisbon Treaty
would significantly streamline decision-making processes within the now 27-member EU.
Enlargement is one of the EU’s most powerful policy tools. The pull of the EU has helped to transform
the nations of Central and Eastern Europe into modern, well-functioning democracies. More recently it
has inspired far-reaching reforms in the candidate and potential candidate countries. All European
citizens benefit from having neighbours that are stable democracies and prosperous market
economies. Enlargement is a carefully managed process which aids in the transformation of the
countries involved, extending peace, stability, prosperity, democracy, human rights and the rule of law
across Europe.
A gradual and carefully managed enlargement policy is in interest of the EU. Future
enlargements will concern the countries of Southeast Europe. These countries are at various stages
on their road towards joining the EU. Croatia, Turkey and Republic of Macedonia are candidate
countries. While Croatia and Turkey started accession negotiations in 2005, the negotiations with
Macedonia have not yet started. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo
are potential candidates for membership of the EU.
Have no doubts: no European country can resolve global problems such as immigration,
energy, climate change or international terrorism on its own.
The challenges and the problems of the world are too big to be dealt with by European states
in an autonomous way. Only together, can we be successful. Globalisation and economic competition
have become more than ever the motor for our prosperity. We face new external threats to our
security. And we have new global challenges such as climate change, the financial crisis, and the rise
of fuel and food prices.
Over the next 50 years, we shall have to tackle the new challenges now facing us, which are
no longer on a continental, but on a global scale. In the 21 st Century, we need a united Europe to face
globalization with confidence and success.