The Lisbon Treaty comes into force

The Lisbon Treaty has now come into force. This is good news for the UK and for Europe.

The UK must be at the centre of Europe, working together with other Member States, with the European Commission and the European Parliament to make the most of the opportunities that are ahead of us. With the Treaty of Lisbon allowing the enlarged European Union to work more effectively and efficiently, and with the institutional debate about Europe over for the next decade, Europe is now focussing on the issues that matter to citizens: jobs, security, tackling climate crime and helping secure stability and prosperity around the world.

The Treaty of Lisbon creates two new senior positions: a President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) to drive forward the work of the EU's most important strategy making body and which will focus those issues affecting the everyday lives of EU citizens, and a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Baroness Cathy Ashton) to implement commonly agreed policies that will further enhance the EU’s relations with other countries.

“The passage of the Lisbon Treaty is a massive opportunity for Europe. In the coming decades, as economic and political power shifts eastwards, there is a danger that we could see the emergence of what some call a “G2 world” in which the US and China shape the major decisions on financial regulation, climate change and nuclear proliferation. I don’t want that. We should strive to create a world in which Europe, with a strong Britain at its heart, is a leading actor. With the world’s biggest single market and largest aid budget, the EU should be a force for peace and stability in foreign policy as well as for dynamism and openness in economic policy.”
David Milliband, Foreign Secretary

See our Lisbon Treaty factsheet for more detail on what the Treaty will do.