The EU Lisbon Treaty and Transatlantic Relations

The EU Lisbon Treaty and Transatlantic Relations

Now that Ireland and Poland have ratified the Lisbon Treaty, a document designed to fundamentally re-engineer the 27-member European Union, Czech President Vaclav Klaus is the only remaining holdout. If Klaus gives in and signs the document, as he is largely expected to do, the Treaty will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010, ushering in profound changes in the way the EU operates, especially on the global stage.

Up until now, the EU has been stymied in its efforts to exert more influence in international affairs, largely because of its inability to "speak with one voice," especially on matters of foreign policy. The Lisbon Treaty is designed to remedy this institutional problem by centralizing key elements of European foreign policymaking in Brussels, in particular through the creation of two top EU jobs, colloquially known as the EU president and the EU foreign minister.

Empowered by the Treaty to unify the myriad competing foreign policy interests of the individual EU member states, these two high-power, high-profile positions will have the potential to completely remake the EU's global image and, over time, to significantly boost the EU's global clout.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review