'The Lisbon Treaty has replaced the old European Union with the new Essay

'The Lisbon Treaty has replaced the old European Union with the new European Union.' (Sch_tze, 2012). Criticall - Essay Example Thus it critically evaluates the statement based on an overview of how it came into being, followed by a review of its four structures to demonstrate to the extent and ways it represents a new way forward. It also reviews how the treaty seeks to increase the effectiveness of the new EU compared to the old EU through more qualified majority voting, institutional changes and co-decision procedure. In addition, it offers an analysis of how the democratic values and the roles of the national parliaments are strengthened compared to the old European Union1. Further analysis includes improvement of citizen’s rights and political changes that signify a change from the old system. Section A: The Lisbon Treaty has replaced the â€Å"old† European Union with the â€Å"new† European Union’ Background of the Treaty of Lisbon The Lisbon Treaty seeks to rectify the structure and the function of the old European Union, which justifies the statement that it has replaced t he â€Å"old† European Union with the â€Å"new† European Union2. Also known as the Lisbon Treaty (LT), it comprises an international agreement that seeks to amend or revise the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Rome, the two treaties that make up the European Union’s (EU’s) constitution3. ... Upon the expansion of EU to comprise 27 member states, it was necessary that amendments be made on the way Europe’s institutions function and how they make decisions. It was further agreed that the treaty shift focus on modernizing European Union, which also justifies the statement that it replaced the old order5. The Lisbon Treaty’s objectives are categorized into four primary areas6, namely to create more transparent and democratic Europe, to promote citizen rights, to build a more efficient Europe and to reposition Europe as a key figure on the global scene7. Shift in decision-making process The Lisbon Treaty transformed the decision-making process of the EU8, thus implying a change from the old system enabling it to work more effectively. First, it seeks to render the EU a stronger yet more coherent say with the creation of a new position of the President of the European Council who chairs the activities of the heads of governments of the member states9. This way, h e works towards facilitating consensus as well ensuring the continuity of the policy. The LT has therefore increased the significance of the Presidency as a decisive organ in the policy-making process10. The president can today mediate between the actors during negotiations while at the same juncture pushing the process towards a favorable direction. He also guides the strategy direction of policy-making. In addition, the LT has created changes to the European Union’s internal decision-making apparatus. The changes are intended to rationalize the process and make it less vulnerable gridlocks by a single member-state. The treaty further attempts to address issues on the democratic transparency and