How "The Treaty of Lisbon" Created the EU We Have Today?

In 2007, the European Union ratified a historic treaty in Lisbon, Portugal's stunning capital. The Treaty of Lisbon resulted in a more consolidated and unified administration, foreign policy, and many other changes. The Treaty of Lisbon, as recognized by key European politicians at the time, made the European Union more democratic. In such a motive, many adjustments had been implemented. This week's article focuses on the changes it brought to integration and how it shaped the European Union we have today.

First and foremost, the treaty modifies two major treaties upon which the EU was created. Those to be known are the Maastricht Treaty, which was signed in the Netherlands in 1992 and has since been updated to be the Treaty on European Union (2007); and the Treaty of Rome, which was agreed upon by European member states at the time in 1952 and has since been updated to be the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (2007). Along with these two main treaties, the Treaty of Lisbon amends the 1957 Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and various earlier treaty protocols. As a result, we can readily conclude that the Treaty of Lisbon is a merger treaty of the European Union's treaties and places the Union in a more democratic and participatory position. 

While discussing how the Treaty of Lisbon is essentially a merger of past treaties, we should also mention a historical event that has served as a guidepost in understanding many developments in the European Union: the failure of the 'Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe.' Therefore, we can see how altering EU institutions may be traced back to the early 2000s but was only accomplished by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. Thus, the Treaty of Lisbon should be regarded as a result of the failure of the "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe." However, it differs in many ways from the failed constitutional treaty, which was rejected by referendums in the Netherlands and France, with a focus on the dwindling power and authority of national sovereignty and national legislative.

According to the treaty's preamble, the goal of creating such a Treaty is to "complete the process started by the Treaties of Amsterdam [1997] and Nice [2001] with a view to enhancing the Union's efficiency and democratic legitimacy and improving the coherence of its action" (Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, signed at Lisbon, 13 December 2007)

One can rationalize and claim success by citing how the Lisbon Treaty strengthened the powers and mandates of the EU's only citizen-elected institution, the Parliament. The treaty has given Parliament full legislative power in a variety of policy areas, as well as the ability to have a role in the EU budget alongside the Council. Parliament is held accountable to European citizens as the custodian of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. As a result, citizens' access to Parliament has been facilitated. A similar pattern is adopted by the European Union's Court of Justice.    Moreover, the Union's bill of rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights has been made legally binding, granting larger protection of fundamental human rights for the European citizens. Furthermore, the Union's bill of rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, has been made legally obligatory, offering European citizens greater protection of fundamental human rights.   

Last but not least, the Treaty of Lisbon was the first EU treaty that specifically stated EU members' legal right to quit the Union and established a system for doing so. Following the measures outlined in the treaty, the United Kingdom withdrew from the Union 13 years after its adoption. Europe and the integration are still clinging to the Treaty of Lisbon and its revolutionary ideas after two years without the world's fifth-largest global economy.