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.