Suchergebnisse

Rejection of Constitutional treaty and enlargement of EU to 27 member states drew highlights for the need of institutional reform of the Union. These reforms were important for the functioning of the EU. So, leaders of member states prepared a new treaty which will fulfill needed reforms in order to achieve the goals. Thus, in order to avoid the referendums, they decided to take out those parts of the rejected treaty and to continue forward with reformation of European Union. Lisbon treaty is designed to achieve these institutional reforms and to be more close to the citizens of EU member states. There are some institutional changes and other provisions that leads toward this goal. Also, it makes the Union more accountable and transparent. All these purposes are achieved through involvement of National Parliament, strengthening of European Parliament, giving to the citizens more involvement in EU decision-making through citizen's initiative. Now, we expect the positive results in practicing all these reforms that are included in the Lisbon Treaty.

"The Lisbon Treaty" published on by Oxford University Press.

554Relationship of international law and municipal law — Conduct of foreign relations — Treaty-making power — Federal Republic of Germany — Constitutional review of the exercise of treaty-making power — Treaty on European Union (Treaty of Lisbon) — Compatibility with Basic Law of the Federal Republic of GermanyTreaties — Conclusion and operation — Constitutional limitations — Extension of powers of European Union — Compatibility with Basic Law of the Federal Republic following enactment of Act amending Basic Law of 8 October 2008 — Accompanying laws — Right to vote as concretization of principle of democracy — Whether providing satisfactory constitutional basis for ratification of Federal Republic of Treaty of Lisbon — Whether membership in EU violating Articles 20, 23, 38 and 79(1) of Basic Law — Scope of permissible transfer of sovereignty to community institutions — Requirement that Member States must retain sufficient space for the political formation of the economic, cultural and social living conditions — Condition that national parliaments should retain substantial level of authority — Openness to integration in EU — Responsibility for integrationJurisdiction — Whether Acts of community institutions are subject to national constitutional review to ensure that their powers are not exceeded — Ultra vires review — Review of core of identity of national constitution — No absolute primacy of application of EU law — Application by virtue of national empowermentInternational organizations — European Union — Powers — Extension of powers by Treaty — Lisbon Treaty — Whether European Union developing into federal State — Loss of statehood of Federal Republic — Member States as masters of the treaties — Principle of conferral — Whether Treaty of Lisbon granting Union competence to determine or extend its own powers — Principle of subsidiarity — Association of sovereign national States — Whether membership in EU irreversibleTreaties — Simplified revision procedure — Bridging clauses — Flexibility clause — Requirement of Act by German legislative bodies — Democratic responsibility — Responsibility of integration — Principles for the exercise of some newly transferred competences — Criminal law and the military — Democratically especially sensitive areas555International organizations — European Community — Institutions — European Parliament — Council — Commission — Whether fundamental principle of democratic legitimacy in Federal Republic undermined by Treaty of Lisbon — Democratic legitimacy of community institutions — Method of election by citizens of Member State — The law of the Federal Republic of Germany

The Lisbon Treaty will have a considerable impact on the development of policy and law on the environment. Potential damage from trans- boundary pollution, for example, calls for common EU measures to protectthe environment and for more efficient implementation of the concept of sustainable development as a core EU objective. With the Lisbon Treaty, the EU assumes even greater responsibility for global environmental protection. By the European Union Treaty, environmental policy must be integrated with economic, social, energy, agricultural, transport and other policies. With the Lisbon Treaty, the links between the environmental sphere and the other mentioned spheres will be much stronger. Since 1973, , has developed spectacularly. The Treaty of 1957 contained no provisions on the environment. The Single European Act defined the protection of the environment and Maastricht identified the environment as an objective of EU activity. The treaties of Amsterdam and Nice further strengthened EU activities on the environment and sustainable development. The Lisbon Treaty expands the scope for common action on the environment and a more coherent energy policy. Article 191 defines the priority objectives of EU environmental policy: preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment; protection of human health; prudent and rational utilization of natural resources; promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems, in particular climate change. Article 194 promotes a more harmonized energy policy in the context of the establishment and functioning of the internal market and with regard for the need to preserve and improve the environment. The EU internal energy market will produce solidarity in the Union and ensure the existence of an energy market.

This article deals with the intricate ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty, while focusing on the thorny issues of Euroscepticism and democratic deficit within the European Union in the current institutional context. The study is based on a wide research endeavour, whose purpose has been to encompass multiple points of view on the future of the European Union, seen from the perspective of the Treaty of Lisbon and its reception in all member states. These viewpoints include the ones found in the speciality literature, as well as in the press that published representative articles during the debates on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Useful attempts are made in order to classify the member states of the EU according to various relevant criteria in their attitude germane to the ratification of the Treaty, so as to outline new waves of Euroscepticism, opt-outs and criticism. Apart from an institutional and a legal perspective, this study presents a large number of political, national and even cultural aspects encountered in attitudes and courses of action pertaining to the future of European Construction, seen through the eyes of the reform process carried out by the latest EU major legal document.

One of the main themes of the conference focused on the definition of neutrality. The convenors of the conference frequently raised the question, "what do we mean when we talk of 'neutrality'?" This paper explains the differences between the public concept of neutrality and government concepts of 'military neutrality' and evaluates whether the Lisbon Treaty, including the June 2009 'clarification' declarations, contravene or protect neutrality.

Abstract
The reason why Ireland voted in a referendum on June 12th 2008 to reject the Lisbon Treaty was mainly due to the failure from Europe to articulate the overall justification for this strengthening of European powers in terms acceptable to the Irish, who hope for a federalist Europe, and don't trust the global military intentions of some of Europe's leaders. Most people were not canvassed door‐to‐door at all. Where there was a canvass it was generally against Lisbon, raising fears about threats to Irish neutrality, and of conscription, as well as about abortion, taxation, and the loss of an Irish Commissioner. While 51% of men voted in favour because of the perceived economic benefits, 56% of women voted against because of the perceived risks associated with a more powerful Europe.
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This title offers an overview of the principal reforms to the European Union brought about by the Lisbon Treaty. It gives an account of the extended Treaty reform process, analyses the main legal and governance changes effected by the Treaty, and examines these against the background political forces that shaped the new provisions.