The Lisbon Treaty came into force on Dec. 1, ending an eight-year horse-trading and setbacks in the course of the European Union (EU)'s institutional construction.
The treaty establishes important institutional changes, which aim to streamline the decision-making and bolster EU's influence on the world stage. It is hailed as the backbone of a more transparent, more effective and more democratic EU.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, hailed the treaty's entry into force as "a new era for Europe."
RATIFICATION MARATHON
"This new treaty reminds me of a marathon, but a marathon with hurdles," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Oct. 29.
The treaty is a simplified version of a constitution treaty that was approved by EU leaders in 2004 and but aborted due to French and Dutch voters' rejection in 2005. It had to be ratified by all EU member states before it came into effect.
The treaty should have been put into force in January 2009, but it was postponed as Irish voters rejected it in June 2008 during the ratification process in member states.
The Irish people went back to the polls in October and overwhelmingly voted "yes."
The Czech Republic was the last member state that started the ratification process. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a noted eurosceptic,
secured an opt-out clause in an adhesion treaty.
Klaus said the exemption would guarantee that the Lisbon Treaty will not lead to the reassessment of the so-called Benes Decrees, which refers to a set of laws that allowed the expropriation of property owned by Germans
who were evicted from Czechoslovakia after World War II.
Klaus finally signed the treaty on Nov. 3, removing the last barrier to the EU's plan to overhaul its institutions.
NEW RULES
The treaty features new rules to accelerate decision-making so that the EU can respond more swiftly to global issues such as defense, energy
security, climate change and migration.
It creates the post of president of the European Council for a renewable term of 2 and a half years and gives more power to the EU's high
representative for foreign affairs.
Aside from Herman Van Rompuy, who was elected on Nov. 19 the first president of the European Council, Britain's Catherine Ashton, incumbent EU Trade Commissioner, was chosen as the high representative for foreign and
security policy, or foreign minister.
The creation of the new posts will bring more coherence between different strands of its external policy and give the bloc the capacity to
deliver change and to open up their opportunities to shape globalization.
Under the treaty, the European Parliament and national parliaments will have a much greater say in the EU's decision-making process and European citizens will be given the opportunity to influence proposed EU laws.
To give more rights to EU citizens, the charter of fundamental rights will be given the same legal status as the EU treaties themselves.
Through effective and streamlined institutions, including swifter, more consistent decision-making on law and order issues, the EU will have greater ability to combat crime, terrorism and human trafficking.
BUMPY ROAD AHEAD
However, the impact of the changes under the treaty will not be felt overnight. The treaty went into force only one month after its ratification by all member states, making it vague on many details including the precise
roles which the new leaders should inhabit.
Van Rompuy and Ashton have yet to define their jobs in the coming years, while some observers have criticized the choice of two relatively low-profile leaders to bring Europe into its new era.
Another test is whether member states are willing to put European needs above national interests in order to bolster the bloc's clout on world stage.
On the world stage, the bloc will have to find its position in its relations with big powers including the United States and Russia, and its roles on international issues such as climate change.
The treaty is not a panacea to all the problems the EU faces. Pressing issues such as fighting the economic recession cannot be solved with the adoption of a treaty. More difficulties and obstacles will emerge down the road as the European integration process chugs along.