Publications
Lisbon: What the Reform Treaty Means
Tony Brown
21 May 2008
This study was published as a contribution to informed public debate within Ireland on the meaning and implications of the Treaty of Lisbon. It consists of fourteen chapters, dealing with aspects of the Treaty’s origins, content and implications, written by twelve contributors from a wide field of disciplines.
The report covers the background and origins of the Treaty and describe its structure. An introductory reflection on the debates following the French and Dutch referendums of 2005 sets the scene. To begin, the study addresses the Treaty’s contents, ranging from the Union’s Values and Objectives and the proposed institutional reforms to the details of key policies – the social dimension; the external action of the Union; freedom, security, and justice; energy and the environment; economic governance, enlargement and the Treaty’s final provisions. The volume concludes with consideration of Europe’s future after Lisbon and of the implications for Ireland.
The various contributions are intended, individually and collectively, as an objective examination of a Treaty which holds out the prospect of an institutional settlement permitting the European Union to deal effectively with the global challenges of the early 21st century.
Price: € 20 (Hard copy)