Lisbon Treaty ratification is complete

November 04, 2009

President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic has signed the Lisbon Treaty, completing the process for the ratification of the pact, which creates a more powerful central government for the European Union. President Joé Manuel Barroso of the European Commission welcomed the ratification of the agreement, saying that it would allow for a much more powerful European presence in world affairs. "I think the transformational potential that is there-- the new external profile for the European Union-- will be felt immediately," he said.

The Lisbon Treaty, which alters the terms of the European Union, was signed in December 2007, after a previous effort to create a stronger European government, the proposed European constitution, was rejected by voters in France and Denmark in referenda held in 2005. The Lisbon Treaty was ratified by most individual member-states without popular referenda. It will go into effect on December 1.

 

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Further information:

• EU reform treaty passes last test (BBC)