Brussels, 01/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - One year to the day since it came into force, the Lisbon Treaty has more or less been true to its word. A strengthened European Parliament (EP) has not been slow to use its new powers, for example, in rejecting the latest Swift agreement with the United States in February. More recently, it brought its full weight to bear in opposing the Council on the 2011 EU budget. The European External Action Service (EEAS) has been slower in seeing the light of day, although the timetable has been met, with the official launch on Wednesday 1 December. Another step forward is the Citizens' Initiative on which agreement was reached among the European Parliament, Council and Commission in the evening of Tuesday 30 November (see related article, above). Overall, then, European policies present an encouraging picture of the first year of the “Lisbon era”, though some might take the view that there is much more to do.
Speaking on behalf of the Commission at midday on Wednesday, spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said that the Commission had played its full role in putting to the Parliament and the Council all the legislative acts resulting from Lisbon, in particular proposals relating to the EEAS and the Citizens' Initiative. She noted, too, that the Commission had used the new powers granted it by the treaty to strengthen economic governance. She mentioned, for example, the European semester and the strengthening of the Stability and Growth Pact, “especially with regard to sanctions and corrections in the euro area”.
On behalf of the Union of European Federalists, UK MEP Andrew Duff painted a positive picture of the implementation of the treaty, stating that all the EU institutions had benefitted from the streamlining of decision-making. He also spoke of the greater transparency in the law-making of the Council of Ministers, the role of the president of the European Council, the renewed dynamism of the Commission, the possibilities opened up by the EEAS and the use made by the EP of its new powers. He called, however, for further reform which will put in place democratic government of the euro area, a “federal budget” and reform of the electoral system for the European Parliament. (O.L./transl.rt)