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The EU Faring Through Its Post-Lisbon Crisis: Past, Present and Future of European Integration

Liverpool, United Kingdom
28 June 2013

Only a few years ago European integration appeared an irreversible and increasingly successful phenomenon. A number of Southern and Eastern European States joined the Union between 2004 and 2007. At the same time the Union tried to place itself under the shield of a Constitution. Later events have hindered European integration. Rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in the Dutch and French referendums, the global economic recession which began in 2008, the sovereign debt crisis which involved a number of EU States (Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Hungary). The Lisbon Treaty signed in December 2007 was surrounded by high expectations - more specifically, the expectation to generate a more governable Union, despite its 27 Member States, and to produce further integration in fields such as Criminal Law, CFSP, role of the regions and local authorities, role of national parliaments, democracy, protection of rights, just to mention but a few. Did the Lisbon Treaty achieve its goals? Is the Union equipped to tackle its current crisis? What would be required to enable the Union to leave hard time behind and to move forward?