Reform of the EU Treaties
With the adoption of the Nice Treaty in December 2000, the EU Heads of State or Government agreed on a comprehensive overhaul of the EU Treaties. Work on the Union's future was to primarily focus on clarifying the division of competence between the Union and its Member States, defining the status of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, simplifying the existing Treaties and strengthening the role of national Parliaments in EU-level activities. These priorities were further specified and widened at the Laeken European Council in December 2001. It was also agreed that the main goal should be to improve the openness and effectiveness of decision making in the enlarged Union and achieve a thorough reform of the Union’s institutions.
On 18 June 2004, the EU Intergovernmental Conference reached an agreement on a Constitutional Treaty. The draft Constitutional Treaty was initially drawn up by a separate European Convention which had more than a hundred members. Further work was done by representatives of the Member States’ governments in an Intergovernmental Conference.
The Treaty was rejected in the referenda held in France (29 May 2005) and the Netherlands (1 June 2005). After that, the European Council adopted a declaration introducing a period of reflection on the Constitutional Treaty in June 2005. Each Member State was given an opportunity to decide for themselves on how to proceed with the ratification.
The Finnish Government planned to submit a proposal on ratification of the Constitutional Treaty to the Finnish Parliament during the autumn session in 2005. However, after the European Council issued the declaration introducing the reflection period, the Finnish Government considered that there was no need to ask Parliament to approve the Treaty immediately. Instead, the Government submitted Parliament a report on the Constitutional Treaty in November 2005. Parliament duly discussed the report in the spring of 2006 and endorsed the Government’s position that the Treaty was a balanced package, acceptable to Finland. Parliament gave its support for ratification of the Treaty.
In June 2006, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on ratification of the Constitutional Treaty. On 5 December 2006, Parliament approved the Treaty and the President adopted a decision ratifying it on 8 December 2006.
Intergovernmental Conference 2007 and the Treaty of Lisbon
In June 2006, the European Council decided that the country holding the EU Presidency was to present a report on the Treaty reform process during the first semester of 2007, based on extensive consultations with the Member States. In June 2007, the European Council agreed that the details of the Reform Treaty are to be negotiated in an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) in 2007. It was also agreed that the key reforms of the EU Constitutional Treaty, negotiated at previous Intergovernmental Conference, will be implemented by amending the current Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC). TEC is to be called the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union.
The Intergovernmental Conference was opened on 23 July 2007 in conjunction with the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Conference in Brussels. The Portuguese Presidency presented the IGC with a proposal for a new Treaty. The IGC negotiations were led by the EU Heads of State or Government assisted by the members of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council. Civil servant level preparations were conducted in a group of legal experts who finalised their work at the beginning of October 2007.
The Intergovernmental Conference was brought to a conclusion at an IGC session held at the level of EU Heads of State or Government in Lisbon on 18 and 19 October 2007. The EU Heads of State or Government reached a political agreement on the contents of the Reform Treaty amending the current EU Treaties. The treaty was signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007.
In the referendum on 12 June 2008, the Irish people rejected the Treaty of Lisbon which reforms the European Union’s structures. The European Council reached a consensus on the continuation of the Treaty process in December 2008, providing Ireland with sufficient guarantees as a response to the issues of concern that came up in the referendum. It was further agreed that each Member State would continue to have a member in the European Commission when the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force.
Ireland held a new referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon on Friday 2 October. The majority of Irish voters endorsed the treaty. The Czech Republic was the last country to ratify the treaty on 13 November 2009. The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on Tuesday 1 December 2009.
Furher information
Full text of the Lisbon Treaty
Prime Minister Vanhanen's statement to Parliament on the results of the IGC (23 October 2007)
EU Member States adopted the Reform Treaty (press release 19 October 2007)
EU Intergovernmental Conference opened (press release 23 July 2007)
Thors and Tiilikainen to lead IGC negotiation delegation (press release 28 June 2007)
