Lisbon Treaty

Treaty of Lisbon An outline of the main aspects of the Lisbon Treaty.

Structure of the treaties governing the EU
List of the set of treaties governing the EU and description of the pillar structure.

How EU decisions are made
The different ways in which EU decisions are made including qualified majority voting.

Institutional changes - Lisbon Treaty
Description of the changes to EU institutions proposed in the Lisbon Treaty.

Lisbon Treaty - areas of EU competence
The EU is competent to make decisions in certain areas when empowered to do so by treaty.

Charter of Fundamental Rights
The civil, political, social and economic rights recognised by the European Union are listed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Area of freedom, security and justice
This EU area of competence includes issues such as immigration, border controls, asylum and police co-operation.

Enhanced co-operation
In certain circumstances member states may use the EU institutions to promote closer co-operation among themselves.

Joining or withdrawing from the EU
The Lisbon Treaty puts the criteria for joining the EU into the Treaties. It also contains a process for withdrawing from the EU.

Role of national parliaments
A new role for national parliaments is set out in a Protocol to the Treaty of Lisbon.

European Council's guarantees and assurances on the Lisbon Treaty
A second referendum was held in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty did not change, but the European Council gave specific guarantees about how the Treaty would affect Ireland in a number of areas. Find out more about the European Council's guarantees.

Amendments to the treaties
The Lisbon Treaty proposes certain changes to the powers to amend EU treaties.