| Synopsis: |
The Treaty of Lisbon, also known as the reform Treaty, was signed on 13 December 2007 at a 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 ("Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe (Cm. 6429)" - ISBN 010164292X) for a Commentary on the Constitution (see "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe: Commentary (Cm. 6459)" - ISBN 0101645929, both available below).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, but these still continue to exist. |