THE EUROPEAN UNION'S INSTITUTIONAL BALANCE AFTER THE TREATY OF LISBON: 'COMMUNITY METHOD' AND 'DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT' REASSESSED

摘要

On December 13, 2007, the Heads of State or Government of the European Union (EU) signed the Treaty of Lisbon. Once it is ratified by all 27 EU Member States, the Lisbon Treaty will provide the Union with a new institutional basis that is aimed at "enhancing [its] efficiency and democratic legitimacy ... as well as the coherence of its external action." The Lisbon Treaty sets the framework that will guide the decision-making process of the world's most successful peace and integration project since the end of the Second World War. With a population of 493 million inhabitants, the EU is a leading actor in the international arena. Its internal institutional structures have a profound effect on the EU's external policies in such areas as trade, investment, environment, labor standards and human rights. In view of its relevance for lawyers and policy-makers within and outside the EU, the following pages will provide a systematic analysis of the EU's new institutional structure following the Lisbon Treaty.