the lisbon treaty

It all started with the Convention on the Future of Europe. The resulting document was what became known as the Treaty for a Constitution for Europe - European Constitution in short. That, however and as you all know, was scraped after the referendums in France and the Netherlands. But it did not die. The ressurected and modified version of the Constitution passed trough two more names: the Draft Treaty and then the Reform Treaty. Eventually, the Reform Treaty was signed during an European Council in Lisbon, on 13 December 2007. Thus, it became the Lisbon Treaty.

Nowadays, the ratification process of this new Treaty is on its way, while politicians and average citizens alike, along with an unbelievable number of researchers, analists, jurists and specialists wonder what exactly are the differences between the old and the new versions of this text. Here we will try to shed some light on the murky matter of the Lisbon Treaty.

Thursday, 24 April 2008

The EUDemocrats are happy to announce the publishing of two books on the Treaty of Lisbon by our President, Jens-Peter Bonde. They are aimed at helping readers better understand the genesis and the nature of the international treaty.

The first book, called “From the EU Constitution to Lisbon Treaty”, contains a thorough analysis of how the Treaty of Lisbon came into being. It explores the way secret negotiations and behind the curtains moves took the rejected text of the Constitution and reforged it, or in the large part, simply renamed it. It addresses the lack of transparency in the changes that have been made, and how difficult it would be for anyone without intimate knowledge of the Treaties of the European Union to know what was changed.

Anyone interested in the subject of the book can download an electronic version FREE of charge HERE or go to eubookshop.com and buy a printed version for just €10.

The second book represents a very much needed indexed guide to the Lisbon Treaty. It is called "Consolidated Reader-Friendly Edition of the Treaty on the European Union". It contains the text of the treaty with simple, short explanations of each regulation and amendment on the left hand column. Furthermore, what is really interesting for people who want to understand this legislation, or even researchers or students, is that the book has clear markers whenever something was changed from the previous versions of the EU Treaties. Changes from the EU Constitution are indicated as well, and everything, deletions, new provisions or even old regulations are explained.

Moreover, this book has an index for all terms – something the actual text of the Lisbon Treaty lacked. Any query can thus be resolved rather fast. Talking about the book, Irish EU Researcher and Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin, Anthony Coughlan said: “The Reader-Friendly Edition is a strictly neutral and objective work which will be welcomed alike by supporters and opponents of the Lisbon Treaty.”
 

Anyone interested can get the book instantly online HERE or buy a printed version which will soon be available for just €20 at eubookshop.com. Dealers can get a 30% discount for larger orders.

We warmly recommend you to take a look at these two books. Think of any area of your life which might be affected by the Lisbon Treaty and search for it in the Reader-Friendly Edition – you might find out surprising facts about the Union to which we belong, as well about how silent our governments are on matters that are, at times, incredibly important.