The Lisbon Treaty, after nearly a decade of efforts on institutional reforms, has today entered into force. The European Union should find it easier to respond to expectations in the areas of energy, climate change, cross-border crime, and gain greater weight on the international stage, reports hrt.hr.
The main changes brought by the treaty in the institutional structure of the EU include the introduction of the position of a permanent President of the European Council and a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who simultaneously holds the position of Vice-President of the European Commission. It is worth noting that EU leaders elected the former Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy as President and the British Catherine Ashton as High Representative. The new changes also abolish the system of rotating presidency of the European Council.
The Lisbon Treaty increases the number of policy areas in which the European Parliament will have the right to co-decide together with the member states. These are sensitive areas such as justice, security, and immigration, and national parliaments are given the opportunity for the first time to express their opinions when European laws are being made. The new treaty provides for an increase in the number of areas where decisions are made by qualified majority instead of unanimously, particularly in the area of cooperation in justice and home affairs.
