Lisbon Treaty

Treaty of Lisbon

Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community
Signing in the Jerónimos Monastery of Lisbon, Portugal
Type	Amends existing treaties
Signed	13 December 2007
Location	Lisbon, Portugal
Sealed	18 December 2007
Effective	1 December 2009
Signatories	EU Member States (EU-27 )
Depositary	Government of Italy
Languages	23 EU languages
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The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement which amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon was signed by the EU member states on 13 December 2007, and entered into force on 1 December 2009. It amends the Maastricht Treaty (1993), known in updated form as the Treaty on European Union (2007) or TEU, and the Treaty of Rome (1957), known in updated form as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (2007) or TFEU.

Prominent changes included the move from unanimity to qualified majority voting in at least 45 policy areas in the Council of Ministers, a change in calculating such a majority to a new double majority, a more powerful European Parliament forming a bicameral legislature alongside the Council of Ministers under the ordinary legislative procedure, a consolidated legal personality for the EU and the creation of a long-term President of the European Council and a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Treaty also made the Union's bill of rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding. The Treaty for the first time gave member states the explicit legal right to leave the EU and the procedure to do so.