Summary
‘The
Treaty of Lisbon’ (Cm. 7294), also known as the reform Treaty, was signed
on 13 December 2007 at an EU summit in Lisbon, Portugal.
It
amends the existing treaties of the European Union and is due to come into
force in 2009 if successfully ratified by all 27 European Union member states.
The Treaty would carry out some reforms previously proposed in the European
Constitution in the document
'Treaty
Establishing a Constitution for Europe’ (Cm. 6429), for a Commentary on the
Constitution,
'Treaty
Establishing a Constitution for Europe: Commentary’ (Cm. 6459).
The
European Constitution was rejected by referenda of the Dutch and French voters
in 2005. It is intended that The Treaty of Lisbon would come into force on 1
January 2009 in time for the 2009 European elections later that year. If there
is a delay in ratification pushing it beyond that date, it will come into force
on the first day of the month following the last ratification. The treaty
amends earlier treaties but does not replace them as the Constitution aimed to
do. It drops references to the symbols of the EU including the flag, the
anthem, and the motto.
Found this story interesting?
Spread the news by clicking below to add it to your bookmarking
service: