Research Paper Undergraduate 4,589 words

The Lisbon Treaty: Democracy vs. State Sovereignty in the EU

~23 min read 6 sections World Studies · International

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which the Lisbon Treaty reshapes the balance between democratic governance and state sovereignty within the European Union. Using a qualitative, literature-based methodology, the study reviews the expanded powers granted to the European Parliament, the German Federal Constitutional Court's landmark 2009 ruling on the treaty's compatibility with national law, Ireland's stated reasons for rejecting the treaty, and a summary of thirteen key structural changes the treaty would introduce. The analysis concludes that the Lisbon Treaty poses significant challenges to member-state democracy by subordinating national constitutions to EU law, transferring legislative authority to supranational institutions, and eroding national vetoes across dozens of policy areas.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Overview of EU Parliament power under Lisbon
Effects of the Lisbon Treaty on the European Parliament: Five ways Parliament gained expanded authority
German Federal Constitutional Court Ruling on the Lisbon Treaty: FCC judgment on sovereignty and democratic deficit
Ireland's Case Against the Lisbon Treaty: Ireland's enumerated objections to ratification
Thirteen Key Facts About the Lisbon Treaty: Thirteen structural changes the treaty would introduce
Analysis and Conclusion: Treaty threatens democracy and national sovereignty

✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾

What makes this paper effective

Draws on multiple primary and authoritative secondary sources — the European Parliament's own documentation, a detailed legal analysis of the German Federal Constitutional Court ruling, and a contemporaneous Irish political journal — giving the argument multi-perspectival grounding.
Organizes the analysis progressively: institutional expansion first, followed by judicial pushback, then a member-state's practical objections, and finally a numbered-point factual synthesis, making the critique cumulative and easy to follow.
Uses enumerated lists to present complex treaty provisions clearly without sacrificing legal detail, which aids both readability and substantive accuracy.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates source triangulation in a policy-analysis context. Rather than relying on a single viewpoint, the author systematically juxtaposes an EU institutional source (European Parliament), a constitutional legal source (the German FCC judgment), and a political-advocacy source (the European Journal's Irish perspective). This technique allows the argument about democratic deficit to emerge from converging evidence rather than assertion alone.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a brief methodology and research-question section before moving through five substantive sections: (1) expanded European Parliament powers under the treaty; (2) the German Constitutional Court's conditional approval and its sovereignty reservations; (3) Ireland's enumerated objections; (4) a numbered summary of thirteen structural changes; and (5) an integrative analysis leading to the conclusion that the treaty undermines member-state democracy. This funnel structure — from institutional description to judicial scrutiny to popular resistance to analytical synthesis — is a sound model for policy-focused research papers.

📘 Read the full research paper guide → Generate citations → Build an outline → Draft a literature review → 📚 More International examples →

Essay 4,589 words

Introduction

The objective of this research is to analyze the extent to which the Lisbon Treaty changes the balance of power between democracy and state sovereignty. This work examines why the Lisbon Treaty adopted its particular approach and assesses the prospects for success on that basis. The two guiding research questions are: (1) What impact will the Lisbon Treaty have upon countries whose governments are formed on the basis of democracy? (2) Will the Lisbon Treaty effectuate the superiority of EU law over the laws of individual countries? The methodology is qualitative and interpretive, taking the form of a review of the relevant literature.

The European Parliament will possess more power than ever in shaping Europe due to the powers conferred by the Lisbon Treaty. While each successive EU treaty has effectively increased the legislative power of the European Parliament, the Lisbon Treaty now equalizes the power of the Parliament and the Council of Ministers in decisions on the largest part of EU laws.

Effects of the Lisbon Treaty on the European Parliament

The Lisbon Treaty is stated to have made the European Parliament "a stronger lawmaker by bringing over 40 new fields within the 'co-decision' procedure, under which it has equal rights with the Council. These areas include agriculture, energy security, immigration, justice and home affairs, health and structural funds." (European Parliament, 2009) The European Parliament has also gained a larger role in budget-setting, with the "old distinction between 'compulsory' and 'non-compulsory' expenditure" being abolished and Parliament deciding on the EU budget in its entirety together with the Council. (European Parliament, 2009) In addition, "MEPs will also have to give their consent to a whole range of international agreements negotiated by the Union, in areas such as international trade." (European Parliament, 2009)

It is stated that more power also means "more responsibility." (European Parliament, 2009) With the increases in legislative power, the decisions of Parliament "will, more than ever, directly affect the daily lives of Europe's citizens. Parliament shall, in all its activities, fully respect the fundamental rights of EU citizens, in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty." (European Parliament, 2009)

It is also reported that MEPs will hold a new role in "relations with other institutions of the EU. From now on, results of elections to the European Parliament will be directly linked to the choice of candidate for the President of the European Commission. The whole Commission, including the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, needs Parliament's approval to take office." (European Parliament, 2009) The Lisbon Treaty further provides Parliament with a newly gained right to propose changes to treaties.

Five primary points concerning the European Parliament and the Lisbon Treaty are as follows:

(1) The European Parliament is better equipped for present challenges. "The Lisbon Treaty improves the ability of the EU and its Parliament to act and deliver. At a time when both Europe and the rest of the world are faced with new challenges like globalization, demographic shifts, climate change, energy security and terrorism, no single state can effectively deal with them alone. Only by working together, in a more efficient, accountable, transparent and coherent way and speaking with one voice, can Europe respond to its citizens' concerns. The reform treaty makes your Parliament better equipped for today's and tomorrow's challenges — in a growing EU. Further, with Lisbon, your Parliament will also enjoy a new right to propose future treaty changes." (European Parliament, 2009)

(2) The new European Parliament has new and additional power in shaping Europe. "With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament will have more power in shaping Europe than ever before. With its full legislative power extending to over 40 new fields, Parliament becomes a truly equal lawmaker with the Council of Ministers, representing member states' governments. Agriculture, energy security, legal immigration, justice and home affairs, public health and structural funds are just a few of the areas where Parliament acquires full authority. Its decisions will have an ever stronger impact on your everyday life."

(3) The new European Parliament has a tighter hold on the European Union's purse strings. "From now on, the Parliament will decide on the entire EU budget together with the Council of Ministers. Until now, it did not have the final word on 'compulsory expenditure' (around 45% of the EU budget) such as spending relating to agriculture or international agreements. This changes as the Parliament becomes responsible for the entire EU budget, together with EU governments. Your Parliament will not only have a decisive say on overall spending priorities, but will also have a tighter hold on the EU's purse strings."

(4) The new European Parliament will have greater authority over who runs the EU. "In the Lisbon era, the Parliament will not only decide what is done and how money is spent, it will also have a greater say on which men and women run the EU. The Parliament will elect the President of the European Commission, on the basis of the EU heads of state and government's pre-selection, which must take into account the results of European elections — and your choice. Also, Parliament's consent is needed in the appointment of the EU's new voice in the world and foreign policy chief, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who will also be a Commission Vice-President."

(5) The new European Parliament has a stronger voice for Europe's citizens. "New power means more responsibility. As the only directly-elected EU institution, the Parliament will have new tools to give a stronger voice to the 500 million citizens it represents and to hold the EU accountable to them. The Parliament will be the guardian of EU citizens' new catalogue of civil, political, economic and social rights — the Charter of Fundamental Rights — embedded in the Lisbon Treaty, as well as their new right of citizens' initiative, which will allow people to call for new policy proposals if supported by 1 million signatures. Also, it will safeguard national parliaments' right to object to European-level legislative proposals should they consider them to concern matters better dealt with at national level." (European Parliament, 2009)

4 Sections Hidden · 2,490 words

German Federal Constitutional Court Ruling on the Lisbon Treaty820 words

The German Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) delivered a judgment on June 30, 2009 that has been cited as "crucial to the future of the European integration process." (Beaudouin, 2009) The ruling, comprising 150 pages, "concerns the constitutionality of the Act of Parliament ratifying the Lisbon Treaty and of the accompanying Act Extending and Strengthening the Rights of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat." (Beaudouin, 2009) Its terms are applicable not only to Germany but to all other EU member states as well. The judgment:…

Ireland's Case Against the Lisbon Treaty710 words

In the September 2009 issue of the European Journal it is reported that Ireland had one hundred reasons to vote no to the Lisbon Treaty. A representative selection of those reasons includes the following:…

Thirteen Key Facts About the Lisbon Treaty620 words

Anthony Coughlan's (2009) work entitled "13 Facts About the Lisbon Treaty" reports a summary of thirteen important changes the Lisbon Treaty would effectuate if it came into force:

Analysis and Conclusion340 words

It is clear that the imposition of powers of the European Union legitimized by the Lisbon Treaty would be highly invasive for countries that hold tightly to the ideals and principles of democracy and the rule of the people by the people. Monetary policy would most certainly result in conflicts between national and…

View Full Document

Bibliography

Beaudouin, Christopher (2009). Presentation of the German Federal Constitutional Court Judgment of 30 June 2009 on the Lisbon Treaty. Online available at:

Coughlan, Anthony (2009). 13 Facts About the Lisbon Treaty. 21 Aug 2009. Corbett Report — Open Source Intelligence News. Online available at:

European Parliament and the Lisbon Treaty (2009). European Parliament. Online available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public/staticDisplay.do?language=EN&refreshCache=yes&pageRank=1&id=66

McConalogue, Jim (2009). Ireland's 100 Reasons to Vote 'No' to the Lisbon Treaty. The European Journal, September 2009. Online available at:

Key Concepts in This Paper

Lisbon Treaty Democratic Deficit State Sovereignty EU Law Primacy European Parliament National Veto EU Citizenship Qualified Majority Voting Charter of Fundamental Rights Supranational Authority