The EU Reform Treaty

A revision of the existing treaties is necessary to ensure that the EU can manage the challenges of the 21st century with as many as 27 Member States or even after future enlargement steps have been taken. The last revision of the EU treaties resulted in the Treaty of Nice in 2000.

The citizens expect an active and transparent EU that brings advantages and protects them from danger. To this end, the EU has to be lean and fit, and must have a modern administration. It needs to be democratically controlled and flexible enough to be able to respond to ongoing developments.

A reform treaty does not change everything within the EU but constitutes a revision of the existing EU treaties, namely the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, which is to be renamed the "Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union" (TFEU).

The brochures issued by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs as well as the links indicated below provide a summary of the content of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Brochure on the Treaty of Lisbon (available in German only)
Brochure "The EU Reform 2007 - A Brief Outline" (available in German only)

Brochure "The Treaty of Lisbon" issued by the Economic Chamber (available in German only)

Information provided by the Federal Government on the Treaty of Lisbon (available in German only)
European Commission websites on the Reform Treaty