Burson-Marsteller

Practical implications of the Lisbon Treaty

Insights and reports • 22nd February 2010

European Union leaders met on the outskirts of Brussels in 2001 to make a commitment for the EU to become more democratic, transparent and effective. The Nice Treaty had been signed only one year previously, yet with the “Laeken declaration”, the Union was being prepared for a new cycle of institutional reform. That cycle began with the Convention on the Future of Europe, which led to a draft constitutional treaty that was defeated by French and Dutch voters in 2005. After a period of reflection, the next step was an amending treaty, the Lisbon Treaty, which was rejected – and then accepted – by the Irish people, and finally came into force on 1 December 2009.

However, ratification is not the end of the story – and there are several questions left unanswered by the new treaty.

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