Argument: The Lisbon Treaty simply repackages the failed EU Constitution

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Sally McNamara. “The EU Reform Treaty: A Threat to the Transatlantic Alliance”. Heritage Foundation. February 20, 2008 – How similar is Lisbon to the draft constitution?

It contains many of the changes the constitution attempted to introduce, for example:

• A politician chosen to be president of the European Council for two-and-a-half years, replacing the current system where countries take turns at being president for six months
• A new post combining the jobs of the existing foreign affairs supremo, Javier Solana, and the external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, to give the EU more clout on the world stage
• A smaller European Commission, with fewer commissioners than there are member states, from 2014
• A redistribution of voting weights between the member states, phased in between 2014 and 2017 – qualified majority voting based on a “double majority” of 55% of member states, accounting for 65% of the EU’s population
• New powers for the European Commission, European Parliament and European Court of Justice, for example in the field of justice and home affairs
• Removal of national vetoes in a number of areas.

Most European leaders acknowledge that the main substance of the constitution would be preserved.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero – “A great part of the content of the European Constitution is captured in the new treaties.”[1]

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen – “The good thing is…that all the symbolic elements are gone, and that which really matters – the core – is left.”[2]

Bertie Ahern, Irish Taoiseach – “They haven’t changed the substance. 90% of it is still there.”[3]

Margot Wallstrom, EU Commissioner. – “It is essentially the same proposal as the old Constitution”.[4]

Czech President Vaclav Klaus – “Only cosmetic changes have been made and the basic document remains the same.”[5]