The Treaty of Lisbon: Focal Points

Abstract

On 13 December 2007, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union signed the Treaty of Lisbon. Also known as the reform treaty, the document aims to pull the Union out of the institutional stalemate. It is obvious that a European Union of 27 countries with a total population of nearly 500 million cannot function effectively upon the legal foundations designed for a Union of 10 or 15 member-states.