EUROPE’S NEW REALISM: THE TREATY OF LISBON

Abstract

The article by Hans Jürgen Papier discusses the institutional reforms of the Treaty of Lisbon. The author assesses whether the innovations of the Treaty are suited for restoring Union’s capacity to act. The author welcomes the changes in the organizational structure of the EU. He considers that the most far-reaching change results from the new architecture of the European Union as one of a unitary legal personality with a supranational character. From the author’s point of view, the reinforcement of the subsidiarity principle is the most valuable reform in the Treaty of Lisbon. However, the weakness of its protection is still here. The author wishes the Treaty to give a clearer picture of Europe, of both its inner and outer boundaries.