Briefings

The Lisbon Treaty

A streamlined version of the constitutional treaty rejected by the French and the Dutch in 2005, the Lisbon Treaty’s stated aim is to facilitate the workings of the Union of 27 members and upwards. After a rocky road to ratification, it finally came into force on 1 December 2009. With it, a new Europe has been born, and not without difficulties, as this series of articles demonstrate.

 

Briefly

Institutions A million citizens can change the Union
The new Lisbon Treaty authorises popular initiatives backed by at least a million signatures. But that figure will not suffice to provide a regulatory framework for this new tool of participatory democracy.
Institutions The post-Lisbon paradox
Now that the Lisbon Treaty has come into force, the EU must rise to the occasion if it is to be a global player. But the choice of its new helmsmen runs counter to that objective, regrets Polish political scientist Aleksander Smolar.
European Council Some life lessons from Brussels
What do the recent appointments of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton at the top of Commission have to teach us about the European Union? About five things, according to Paweł Lisicki, editor in chief of Warsaw daily Rzeczpospolita, and not one of them easy to digest.
European Council Herman who? Catherine what?
The appointment of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to the post of President of the European council and British Commissioner for Trade Catherine Ashton as High Representative for Foreign Affairs has not been well received by the European press, which was hoping for more charismatic European representatives.
European Council Electing the president, behind closed doors
On 19 November, leaders of Europe's 27 member states will settle the question of who is to head the European Council and the EU's diplomatic service. However, for the European press, a process which should have marked a milestone on the road to European integration has been marred by a lack of transparency.
Institutions A man's man's man's EU
Though women make up the majority of the European population, they are underrepresented in key institutional posts. As the 27 convene to pick the personages to hold the highest offices in the Union, women are demanding action on the parity principle.
Lisbon Treaty Signed at last, time to move on
With the Czech President's signature on Tuesday, it is now certain the the Lisbon Treaty will come into force on 1st of December. The EU has been given the tools for a new reign of more efficient governance, however, the European press warns that the treaty will bring about progress only if European leaders change their ways.
After Lisbon (5) EU presidency: Round 1
Though the topic will not be on the agenda at the European Council meeting in Brussels starting 29 October, it’s bound to be on everyone’s mind. Who will be the next face of the EU? The voice that answers on that famed “single telephone number” that Henry Kissinger wanted, in vain, for Europe? The European press are placing their bets.
After Lisbon (4) EU top diplomat, a much better job
With cross the board ratification of the Lisbon treaty imminent, Con Coughlin in the Daily Telegraph points out that even with Tony Blair as first EU president, the role will be largely ceremonial. Real power will be concentrated in the hands of the High Representative for foreign and security policy.
After Lisbon (3) Museum Europe must go back to the lab
If and when definitively ratified, the Lisbon treaty should give the EU the means to achieve its current political and economic agenda. But it will have to pool its forces and try new approaches if it is to hold its own against the growing powerhouses of the East, foresees Foreign Policy editor Moisés Naím in El País.
After Lisbon (2) Europe’s plot to take over the world
Strengthened by Ireland’s ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union, it is argued, may now be on the verge of becoming a global superpower. The way to achieve this ambition, notes Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times, is in using the new platform that the G20 offers.
After Lisbon (1) Waiting for the European Washington
Ireland's "Yes" to the Lisbon Treaty has relaunched speculation about the identity of the future President of the European Union. However, writing in Le Monde, Arnaud Leparmentier takes the view that the quest for a leader with the charisma to unite Europe's 27 member states, who are unable to speak with one voice, may well be in vain.
Lisbon Treaty Where next for the No vote?
Ireland has voted on the Lisbon Treaty a second time with an overwhelming victory - 67.2% - for the Yes side. To have ignored the vote, however, of those who rejected the treaty in 2008 is an act of disenfranchisement, argues veteran journalist James Downey, and creates a vacuum in Ireland’s political culture.
European Union Three men and a treaty
Approved by the Irish people on 2 October, the Lisbon Treaty still has to secure the support of a trio of European leaders before it enters into force. But Václav Klaus, Lech Kaczyński and David Cameron may raise the stakes for the beleaguered accord.
Lisbon Treaty Czechs wary of taking Pole position
The Czech Republic, like Poland, has yet to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, which is being blocked by President Václav Klaus. Hospodářské Noviny deplores the lack of proper debate in Prague, which has left the citizens of the Czech Republic in the dark on an issue that is better understood in neighbouring Poland.
European Union Are you Lisbon or are you Swiss?
The European Union offers a high level of security, prosperity, freedom and social welfare for most of its citizens, but on the world stage is something of an irrelevance. If it is to escape its status as a “Greater Switzerland”, then it is crucial that the Lisbon Treaty is approved, argues Timothy Garton Ash.
Lisbon Treaty Yes to an imperfect but beautiful Union
With recent polls suggesting that the Irish electorate’s faith in the European project is dwindling, the Irish Times restates its case for a Yes vote in the 2 October referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, arguing that Ireland must contribute its genius, “to this great, imperfect project.”
Lisbon treaty Ireland should say Yes, for Germany
Angela Merkel is likely to be re-elected as chancellor this Sunday. Unlike her predecessors shaped by Germany’s troubled history, she demonstrates little of their enthusiasm for a European project which has been of such great benefit for smaller nations. Thomas Molloy argues that this is one reason why the Irish should endorse the Lisbon Treaty in the October 2.
European Commission The wrong man at the right time
Without inspiring much enthusiasm, José Manuel Barroso has been re-elected president of the European Commission. Adrian Hamilton in the Independent argues that a less bureaucratic chief executive would have been more appropriate at a time when Europe urgently needs the unity adn drive to tackle the recession, climate change and energy security.
Lisbon referendum Three reasons to say No
The outcome of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty, 2 October, remains uncertain. In the Sunday Business Post, veteran journalist Vincent Browne calls for a No vote, not on points traditionally associated with those hostile to the controversial treaty, but on the centralisation of powers, particularly those of foreign policy, that would follow with ratification.
European Commission President on a shrinking mandate
In all likelihood the outgoing President of the European Commission will be reappointed for a further term by the European Parliament on 16 September. The European press is quick to point out, however, that his second mandate will not be an easy one.
european parliament Mr. Johnson goes to Brussels
Aiming to create a more secure investment framework in the EU, the AIFM directive has raised fears in the City over its future as international financial centre. On a recent trip to Brussels to plead its cause, London’s mayor Boris Johnson discovered a futuristic city where, he argues, the real centre of power lies, much to the detriment of Westminster.
Ireland The rocky road to Lisbon
October 2, Ireland will decide on the Lisbon Treaty for a second time. While many predict that it will come back into the European fold as a means to emerge from deep economic recession, new polls suggest that the No vote is resurgent, reports the Financial Times.
Ireland-Iceland Two islands in the same boat
Iceland has just voted to apply for EU membership, but as enlargement is contingent on ratification of the Lisbon treaty, Iceland's fate is in Ireland's hands this October 2 as it goes to the polls for a second time to vote on the troubled text. Both islands have much in common, argues Le Monde, while their approach to Europe differs somewhat.
European Union Thinking about tomorrow
The European project is stalling. In order to strike out from the crisis it now faces, it must decide on its future and put forward a major new project as ambitious as that of the single currency, according to a report by demosEuropa, published in Warsaw weekly Polityka.
European Parliament A new Jerzy for Strasbourg
With economic crisis, climate change, immigration and enlargement on the agenda, the European parliament has a heavy schedule for the next five years. Under the leadership of a new president hailing for the first time from Eastern Europe, MEPs, however, can expect a turbulent time ahead, warns the European press.
Institutions Berlin has dealt a blow to European unity
July 14, MEPs inaugurate the newly elected European parliament, many with the aim to strengthen the assembly's influence on European affairs. But the recent ruling by German constitutional court on the Lisbon Treaty, has called into question the future of European construction.
Debate Where are you heading, Europe ?
As confirmed by the low turnout at the last European elections, Europe is unable to seduce the Europeans. What are the reasons for this lack of interest? How to revive the interest of the citizens and give its project a future? Should we proceed with enlargement or deepen existing ties? European intellectuals and politicians have their own opinions.
Germany Lisbon goes Berlin
The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has given the go-ahead for ratification of the simplified Treaty of Lisbon, but called for certain amendments to the German legislation to safeguard the national parliament’s prerogatives. This “yes, but” ruling has sparked no little commentary in the European press and risks delaying the treaty’s ratification.
EU presidency Sweden's PM goes cool on climate change
Stockholm aimed to lead the way in making post-Kyoto a priority during its presidency at the head of the Union. But the economic crisis has put paid to such ambitious plans and expectations have been considerebly lowered, writes Anita Kratz.
Ireland Slouching towards Lisbon
The Irish Republic is set to vote on the Lisbon treaty for a second time later this year. In order to counter the No camp that argues on the negative impact ratification would have in matters of national defence, taxation and abortion, it’s time, argues Peter Murtagh of the Irish Times, to separate EU fact from EU fiction.
European commission Putting the boot into Barroso
On June 18 and 19, EU leaders are likely to support José Manuel Barroso’s candidacy for a second term as President of the European Commission. The former Portuguese prime-minister, however, is not a politician to everyone’s taste, as a swingeing profile in the Guardian demonstrates.
Institutions Metternich 2 - The Lisbon Treaty
One hundred and fifty years after his death, the Austrian Empire’s ambassador in chief remains politically incorrect. With the Lisbon treaty, however, the twenty-seven member states are recreating 1814's Congress of Vienna that gave rise to modern Europe, argues Czech daily Lidové Noviny.
European elections Watching the eurosceptics
Opponents of the Lisbon Treaty, anti-capitalists, far-right extremists - dissenting parties may well be the major winners in the European elections, but what weight will they carry in the future parliament? wonders the European press.
 
 
 

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