№215. How to Change the EU Treaties. An Overview of Revision Procedures under the Treaty of Lisbon
№215. How to Change the EU Treaties. An Overview of Revision Procedures under the Treaty of Lisbon

Author(s): Peadar ó Broin
Subject(s): International Law, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, EU-Legislation
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: EU treaties; revision; Lisbon Treaty; European parliament;
Summary/Abstract: Less than a year has passed since the Lisbon Treaty became part of EU law, thereby bringing to an end almost a decade of intergovernmental wrangling over EU institutional reform. Yet despite its protracted ratification process and pledges from national administrations and EU authorities that the Lisbon Treaty had closed the issue of treaty reform for the foreseeable future, a number of modifications to the EU treaties are currently in the pipeline. One such proposal, relating to the number of seats in the European Parliament, has already left the drawing board and is presently pending national ratification. But perhaps most significant are those proposals that could amount to major treaty reform in areas such as the Franco-German Declaration of Deauville, which proposes significant changes in the area of economic and monetary union and, possibly also institutional reform. This Policy Brief provides an overview of the procedures that are available to change the Treaty of Lisbon. A companion piece looks at the political issues raised by the debate on a substantive treaty change that is currently underway.

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