Treaty of Lisbon
Rethinking the European Union
The treaty signed in Lisbon on December 13, 2007 is an agreement on new rules that define what the EU can and cannot do, and what means it can use. It aims to change the structure of the EU’s institutions and make the organisation more democratic. The treaty came about after negotiations between EU member countries but it will not go into force until each of the EU’s 27 members ratify it. It was expected to go into force on January 1, 2009, but currently 26 countries have approved it. Ireland has yet to ratify it.
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