The Lisbon Treaty: A Legal and Political Analysis

Description

Given the controversies and difficulties which preceded the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it is easy to forget that the Treaty is a complex legal document in need of detailed analysis for its impact to be fully understood. Jean-Claude Piris, the Director General of the Legal Service of the Council of the European Union, provides such an analysis, looking at the historical and political contexts of the Treaty, its impact on the democratic framework of the EU and its provisions in relation to substantive law. Impartial legal analysis of the EU's functions, its powers and the treaties which govern it make this the seminal text on the most significant recent development in EU law.

Since 1988, Jean-Claude Piris has served as the Legal Counsel of the Council of the EU and Director General of its Legal Service. He is an Honorary Counsellor of State of France, a former diplomat to the UN and the former Director of Legal Affairs of the OECD. He was the Legal Advisor of the successive Inter-Governmental Conferences which negotiated and adopted the treaties of Maastricht in 1992, Amsterdam in 1997, Nice in 2001, the Constitutional Treaty signed in Rome in 2004 and, finally, the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007.

'This book traces the outline of the historical process and in so doing clearly elucidates the roots of the core provisions and also the relationships between them. At the same time the work illuminates the most significant judgements relating to the Lisbon Treaty - for instance the judgement by the German Federal Constitutional Court. The book achieves in effect a comprehensive assessment of existing primary law in the European Union, written by an authoritative hand.' Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Federal Republic of Germany '... Jean-Claude Piris is Europe's leading expert on the Lisbon treaty and its predecessors ... and his latest book gives a masterful exposition of how Lisbon came into being ...' Financial Times '... Piris' book focuses, as the title suggests, on a two-sided analysis (legal and political) of the Lisbon Treaty. It is an exquisite mixture of information and academic analyses ... This is a useful handbook for those studying community law or ... EU related topics, both professors and students ... the book is well organised, each chapter referring to individualised matters, accompanied by sufficient examples and explanations that rule out any possible after-reading dilemmas ... Piris' work is exceptional regarding the modifications introduced by the Lisbon Treaty to the European Union. It is comprehensive, has a neutral tone, the argument is well balanced and well documented ... strongly recommended to those professionals interested in any aspects related to the European Union, as well as to those interested in precise matters, looking for answers or simply an authorised opinion on the matter.' Oana Elena Branda, CEU Political Science Journal