Reflections on the path from the Constitutional Treaty to the Lisbon Treaty

This paper, which is based on information provided by national reports submitted from 17 member states and one candidate state, reflects on the aftermath of the non-ratification of the Constitutional Treaty (TECE), and more specifically on the particular path chosen by EU political leaders to move forward with reform. It considers what lessons were drawn – or not drawn - from the results of the referenda in France and the Netherlands, and reflects on the nature of the relationship between the TECE and its successor, the Lisbon Treaty. The second part of the paper highlights selected issues from the TECE which were of particular concern to specific states, and indicates the way these concerns were or were not addressed in the Lisbon Treaty. The paper concludes with some general observations on the treaty reform process and the path from the TECE to Lisbon.