Treaty of lisbon and its implications Dissertation

Treaty of lisbon and its implications - Dissertation Example The 2004 and 2007 treaties led to a great deal of debates where many experts contended that they were created to form a joint European superpower, however, exponents of the treaties argued that they were aimed at merely creating a better scope for a larger EU in the 21st  century.2 The Lisbon Treaty is considered as one the most significant moves towards achieving European integration in the past five to six decades, after the Treaty of Paris created the European Coal and Steel Community or ECSC (1951). Some of the other landmark moves towards achieving European integration includes joining of Ireland, UK and Denmark as member states of the European Council (1973), formation of the Single Market (1985), removal of internal borders as per the Maastricht Treaty (1992), monetary union and the establishment of euro (1999-2002) and further enlargement of European Council in 2004-2007 (more new member-states). The Lisbon Treaty is considered to be at a similar rank as the aforementioned landmarks in the history of EU, and is likely to be the last important modification as regards changes within the constitution of the EU for the next few decades.3 The 2004 Constitutional Treaty, which was ineffective, was criticised on the ground it was presumably a constitution, which was complex and unreadable and despite the changes in the Lisbon Treaty, some critics contend that it also constitutional in nature and even more difficult to read and understand than the Constitutional Treaty.4 A look at the Treaty of Lisbon shows that it is indeed a lengthy piece of document where the official published version comprising of Protocols and Declarations amount to 271 pages. The treaty claims to bring about many modifications to the EU, like improving it to make the Union more effective, conferring it with legal legitimacy and democracy, and making it more transparent and accountable. In this context, the paper will analyse the main reforms as brought in by the Lisbon treaty in order to comprehend its implications on the EU and the member states. The Lisbon treaty A look at the history of EU shows that it laden with sporadic incidents revealing a serious lack of unity between the members, diplomatic problems, persistent issue of missing deadlines and fixed targets.5 The critics have especially remarked on these negative aspects and EU’s failure to yield power within the arena of global or regional politics, and owing to this, the body is often referred to as a ‘soft power.’6 Even in the context of security issues, EU as a body is often perceived as being unstable, indecisive and in general highly ineffective.7 While a war between the EU member-states is unlikely, the organisation’s responses during war-like situations or civil crises in the neighbouring states, as regards ‘crisis management,’ has been largely unsuccessful, owing to which the EU is still viewed as a weak body, in the context of unity and integration between its member-states.8 The representatives from the 27 EU member