2007년 12월 13일 EU頂上들은 리스본에 모여 이른바 “TEU와 EC설립조약을 개정하는 리스본조약”(Treaty of Lisbon Amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community) (이하 리스본조약)과 관련 문서를 담은 최종의정서에 공식 서명하였다. 외견상 리스본조약은 EU설립조약에 유럽의 헌법이란 명칭을 부여하려던 2004년 유럽헌법제정조약의 시도가 완전히 실패하였음을 의미하는 것이지만, 그러나 유럽헌법제정조약이 시도하였던 기존조약들에 대한 개정/변화는 대부분 그대로 유지되고 있다. 특히 -유럽헌법 하의 “EU외무장관”에서 개명된-“EU외교안보정책 고등대표”, 유럽의회 의석의 배분, 유럽집행위원회 위원의 감축, EU탈퇴조항, EU의 완전한 법인격 등, 유럽헌법의 상당 부분을 사실상 차용하고 있다. 그러나 실패한 유럽헌법에 몇 가지 주요 수정이 가해졌는데, 특히 리스본조약은 -그 공식제목에서 시사하는 바와 같이- (암스테르담조약과 니스조약에 의하여 개정된 바 있는) EU의 두개의 핵심조약, 즉 ‘TEU’와 ‘EC설립조약’(그리고 이와 더불어 ‘Euratom설립조약’)을 단지 “개정”하기 위한 것일 뿐, 마스트리히트조약에서처럼 EU를 창설하거나 유럽헌법에서처럼 새로운 EU를 수립하기 위한 것이 아니다 ; 다만, 이 과정에서 “EC‘설립’조약”은 “EU의 ‘기능’에 관한 조약”(Treaty on the Function of the European Union)으로 改名되었는데, 이것은 물론 기존의 EU가 이제 완전한 법인격을 가지며 EC는 자신의 독립된 이름과 법인격을 상실하고 EU에 흡수됨을 의미하는 것이기도 하다. 리스본조약은 각 체약국이 “각자의 헌법상의 요건에 따라” 비준되어야 한다 ; 2009년 1월 1일까지 모든 비준문서가 기탁되면 동 일자에 발효한다 ; 만일 이 때까지 이 요건이 충족되지 않으면 마지막 비준문서가 기탁된 달의 다음 달 첫째 날에 발효한다.

On 13 December 2007, the summit leaders of the European Union gathered in Lisbon to sign a Final Act containing what’s called “Treaty of Lisbon Amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community”(hereinafter referred to as “Lisbon Treaty”) and related documents. Although ostensibly this confessed to the failure of what they attempted to attain in 2004 in the name of “Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe”(hereinafter referred to as “Constitution for Europe”), some key elements of the Constitution for Europe have been kept alive, which include the office of “High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy”(which was to be called “Union Minister for Foreign Affairs” under the failed Constitution for Europe). new allocation of seats of the European Parliament, reduction of the European Commissioners, withdrawal from the EU and the grant of complete personality upon the EU. But when reading the Lisbon Treaty, we cannot miss some major modifications done to the Constitution for Europe. Among others, the Constitution for Europe intended to establish a new European Union which would replace the existing EU and EC, while the Lisbon Treaty intends to simply amend again the existing ‘two core treaties’ amended already two times by the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties respectively, -to wit “Treaty on European Union” and “Treaty establishing the European Community”. However, under the Lisbon Treaty, the Treaty establishing the European Community will be renamed the “Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”, which means that the European Union as it stands now will be given a full legal personality and that the European Community will lose its own name and personality. The Lisbon Treaty shall be ratified by all the Contracting States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements. The target date for this is 1 January 2009. If this requirement is not met until this date, the Treaty is scheduled to come into force on the first day of the month after the last ratification instrument has been deposited.

On 13 December 2007, the summit leaders of the European Union gathered in Lisbon to sign a Final Act containing what’s called “Treaty of Lisbon Amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community”(hereinafter referred to as “Lisbon Treaty”) and related documents. Although ostensibly this confessed to the failure of what they attempted to attain in 2004 in the name of “Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe”(hereinafter referred to as “Constitution for Europe”), some key elements of the Constitution for Europe have been kept alive, which include the office of “High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy”(which was to be called “Union Minister for Foreign Affairs” under the failed Constitution for Europe). new allocation of seats of the European Parliament, reduction of the European Commissioners, withdrawal from the EU and the grant of complete personality upon the EU. But when reading the Lisbon Treaty, we cannot miss some major modifications done to the Constitution for Europe. Among others, the Constitution for Europe intended to establish a new European Union which would replace the existing EU and EC, while the Lisbon Treaty intends to simply amend again the existing ‘two core treaties’ amended already two times by the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties respectively, -to wit “Treaty on European Union” and “Treaty establishing the European Community”. However, under the Lisbon Treaty, the Treaty establishing the European Community will be renamed the “Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”, which means that the European Union as it stands now will be given a full legal personality and that the European Community will lose its own name and personality. The Lisbon Treaty shall be ratified by all the Contracting States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements. The target date for this is 1 January 2009. If this requirement is not met until this date, the Treaty is scheduled to come into force on the first day of the month after the last ratification instrument has been deposited.

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European Union, legal personality of the European Union, indirect right of initiative of European citizens, fundamental rights of EU, competences of EU, legal acts of EU, law-making procedure of EU, institutions of EU, common security and defence policy of EU, withdrawal from EU, amendment of EU Treaties