TAKING EUROPE INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
AZG DAILY
02-12-2009
Europe
Europe is not the same place it was 50 years ago, and nor is the rest
of the world.
In a constantly changing, ever more interconnected world, Europe is
grappling with new issues: globalisation, demographic shifts, climate
change, the need for sustainable energy sources and new security
threats. These are the challenges facing Europe in the 21st century.
Borders count for very little in the light of these challenges. The
EU countries cannot meet them alone. But acting as one, Europe can
deliver results and respond to the concerns of the public. For this,
Europe needs to modernise. The EU has recently expanded from 15 to
27 members; it needs effective, coherent tools so it can function
properly and respond to the rapid changes in the world. That means
rethinking some of the ground rules for working together.
The treaty signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 sets out to do just
that. When European leaders reached agreement on the new rules,
they were thinking of the political, economic and social changes
going on, and the need to live up to the hopes and expectations of
the European public. The Treaty of Lisbon defines what the EU can
and cannot do, and what means it can use. It alters the structure of
the EU’s institutions and how they work. As a result, the EU is more
democratic and its core values are better served.
This treaty is the result of negotiations between EU member countries
in an intergovernmental conference, in which the Commission and
Parliament were also involved. The treaty was ratified by each of the
EU’s 27 members. It was up to each country to choose the procedure
for ratification, in line with its own national constitution.
The Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009, in accordance with
its Article 6, Europe.eu reports.