Der Lissabonner Reformvertrag

The European Union has recently expanded from 15 to 27 members and new candidate countries are knocking on the door. Due to this and to some other rapid changes in the world the European Union needs to modernise. The Treaty of Lisbon signed by the Heads of State and Government of all Member States on 13 December 2007 sets out to do just that by amending the current EU and EC treaties without replacing them. The Treaty of Lisbon will provide the Union with the legal framework and tools necessary to meet future challenges and to respond to citizens' demands. When the responsible actors 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. As a result, the Union will be more democratic and its core values will be better served. The Treaty of Lisbon, which will not apply until and unless it is ratified by each of the European Union's 27 members, will not only provide the Union with a strengthened role for the European Parliament and with more effective procedures and voting rules. Moreover, this treaty will define what the modernised Union can and cannot do. Additionally, it will alter the structure of the Union's institutions and how they work. Furthermore, this treaty will promote the Union's values by introducing the Charter of Fundamental Rights into European primary law and by ensuring better protection of European citizens and undertakings. Last but not least, the Treaty of Lisbon will strengthen the role of the Union as an important actor on the global stage by giving the Union a clearer voice in relations with other countries or organizations whether in its neighbourhood or across the world. All these topics are subject of this volume which contains sixteen papers especially concerning the new institutional structure and policies of the Union, the protection of fundamental rights, and the economic constitution of the Union.