Institutional changes - Lisbon Treaty

Introduction

The Treaty of Lisbon proposes to make a number of changes to the institutions which govern the European Union (EU).

European Commission

Each member state nominates one member of the European Commission. However, previous treaties governing the EU required that the number of Commissioners be reduced when the new Commission was appointed in 2009. The number must be less than 27.

The Treaty of Lisbon includes a mechanism for deciding which member states would nominate a Commissioner for a particular five-year term. It also includes a provision that allows the European Council to decide that each member state may nominate a Commissioner. The European Council stated that if the Treaty of Lisbon came into force, it would make a decision to allow each member state to nominate a Commissioner. The Treaty of Lisbon came into effect 1 December 2009.

The Council

European Council

The members of the European Council are the Heads of Government of the member states and the President of the European Commission. The Treaty of Lisbon provided for a new post of President of the European Council. The President is elected (by qualified majority) by the European Council for two and a half years (renewable once). His/her role will be to:

• Chair and co-ordinate the European Council's work
• Represent the EU internationally.

The Council of Ministers

The Council is composed of one Minister from each member state. There are various Councils, for example, the Agriculture Council is composed of the Ministers for Agriculture from each member state. The Council and the European Parliament are the main decision-making bodies of the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon provides for the Council to meet in public when a law is being debated and approved.

European Parliament

The Treaty of Lisbon extends the powers of the European Parliament by:

• Increasing the number of areas within which it will make decisions jointly with the Council
• Giving it more extensive powers over the Budget of the EU
• Giving it more powers in relation to the appointment of the Commission. 

The Lisbon Treaty allows for the Parliament and the Council to have joint decision-making powers over all aspects of the Budget.

At present, the Parliament has the power to approve or reject the appointment of the full Commission. From 2014, it is proposed that the appointment of the President of the Commission must be separately approved by the Parliament.