The Lisbon Treaty will help the EU not lose manageability
The stillborn EU constitution, buried in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, was a bold dream of a part of the European elite to establish something like a new Roman Empire with a socially oriented market economy, civil liberties, and the rule of law. This attempt failed. The EU did not become a "superstate," remaining a union of states with their sovereignties and private interests of national elites.
The Lisbon Treaty, signed at the EU summit on December 13, 2007, incorporated from the constitution all provisions concerning the governing institutions. Its practical meaning is that the expanding union should not lose manageability. The principle of consensus had already paralyzed the decisions of a union of 12 fairly homogeneous countries in the mid-1990s. It became simply unacceptable when the number of EU members reached 27. Without the Lisbon Treaty, the EU could not admit newcomers. Now, portfolios in the new composition of the European Commission will be easy to divide in case of admission of Croatia and Iceland in the next two to three years.
In the Council of the EU, the majority of issues in four dozen areas – including justice, home affairs, immigration policy – will be decided by qualified majority, not consensus. The possibility of a veto by one country is excluded; this right slowed down the EU's progress and forced it to abandon many innovations. But it remains where member states do not want to cede sovereignty – in foreign policy, taxation, social security, and naturally, in the case of revising the founding treaties.
A new definition of qualified majority is introduced. Previously, it was calculated using a complex formula of demographic and other "weight" of each country, which caused disputes. The largest EU country by population and economy – Germany currently has 29 votes in the Council of the EU. France, the United Kingdom, and Italy have the same number of votes. Malta has three votes, although its population is less than Germany's not by 10 times but by more than 200 times. The Lisbon Treaty introduces a clearer concept of "double majority" – at least 55% of EU countries representing at least 65% of its population. However, some countries are still dissatisfied with the possibility of blocking coalitions that could infringe on their interests.
The treaty cuts the role of member states in favor of the union's powers, which provoked resistance in some countries. Hence the failure of last year's referendum in Ireland, delays in signing the ratified text by the presidents of Poland and the Czech Republic. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU will be able to sign international treaties and join international organizations. At the same time, the treaty for the first time includes an article on the possibility of leaving the EU – for this, a country will need to conduct negotiations, as when joining the union.
The Lisbon Treaty significantly increases the role of the European Parliament. The EU was created as a union of states represented by the Council of the EU. The European Parliament has a direct mandate from citizens. In the future, 95% of decisions will be made jointly by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU – twice as many as before. The European Parliament gets the right to influence decisions on asylum, regulation of the Schengen area, cooperation in civil law and the fight against organized crime. It will have the final say in negotiations on the union budget. "If we say 'no,' then it will be 'no,'" said Elmar Brok, a veteran of the European Parliament and a German Christian Democrat MEP.
The Lisbon Treaty introduced the post of President of the European Council, elected by heads of state and government for 2.5 years with the possibility of one re-election. At an extraordinary summit on November 19, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy became "President of the EU." Briton Catherine Ashton was appointed to the new post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She will simultaneously take over the current powers of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (previously Javier Solana) and the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy (this post was held by Benita Ferrero-Waldner). In the draft EU constitution, this new post was called "EU Foreign Minister," but at the insistence of opponents of turning the EU into a "superstate," the name was changed.
"Under the Lisbon Treaty, the High Representative will have at her disposal levers and mechanisms that were previously in the hands of different power centers in the EU," Javier Solana explained to Vremya Novostei. "Depending on the situation, my successor will find it much easier to use the entire arsenal of EU instruments. She will rely on the European External Action Service we are creating, which will become one of the largest diplomatic services in the world."
When asked how this would affect EU-Russia relations, the outgoing head of European diplomacy answered cautiously: "This innovation will enhance continuity. Whether it gives a fresh impetus to these relations will depend on the political will of both sides to move them forward."