Today the Czech Republic ratified the Lisbon Treaty, a key treaty that will streamline European Union bureaucratic decision-making and establish an EU President and foreign policy chief. The President role is meant to give the EU a diplomatic voice so it can establish itself in equal standing to the United States and the foreign policy chief will oversee EU development aid within its own borders and extending to (and beyond) the European Neighborhood zone.
The treaty was originally derailed in a 2008 vote in Ireland and was threatened to be derailed again this time around by the Czech Republic. The treaty needed to be ratified by all 27 EU member states to be enacted.
The necessity of the Lisbon Treaty is only reinforced by the fact that a member state with little international influence can derail the entire ratification process. While the voice of every member state is important, the overall functionality of the EU is crucial to success. The passage of the treaty ensures that decisions can be made without having to bend to every caveat of every member state. What the Lisbon Treaty aims to achieve can be found in the decision-making process of the U.S. House of Representatives. An unfortunate side-effect of the streamlining is that decision-making is less equitable. This trade-off will surely be examined as the treaty comes into action.
As of right now (pre-Lisbon Treaty), the EU sphere of influence is limited to Western Europe, Eastern Europe (where it is contested with by Russia), and North Africa (contested with by the Arab world). With the Lisbon Treaty the EU has the chance to gain a foothold in other areas of the world where European countries, in the recent past, have been overpowered by American influence.
I will not go into the socio-political implications of EU influence and their quest to counter American hegemony. Yes, the EU is a neo-liberal economic entity, as is the United States (and increasingly, so is China), but, despite that critical perspective, the EU stands to gain internationally from passage of the Lisbon Treaty.
I wonder how Euroskeptics will respond to its passage though. Clearly, many EU member states fear the homogenization of culture. Will the Lisbon Treaty embolden critics? The public response should be very interesting to note, that’s for sure.
Although I understand there were pluses and minuses discussed in the ratification debate, I want to congratulate my European friends and say, chins up! It is difficult indeed to get unanimity among so many governments. I think it shows strength in Europe. If I haven’t disgusted you sufficiently already, I recommend the following post, http://euandus3.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/the-eu-as-a-partner-for-the-us/