Questions for discussion: How much has the EU changed with the Lisbon Treaty (concerning the EU institutional structure, competences, the decision-making processes)? Why was the treaty so controversial and criticized before its final ratification? Has the development after the Lisbon Treaty ratification supported the EU´s direction towards more "supranationalism” (or even a „superstate“), or rather the opposite is true? What are the most serious problems, which the EU faces today? Is the current EU primary law able to bring the solution of these problems?

Readings:

Berman, Paul (2012): “From Laeken to Lisbon: The Origins and Negotiations of the Lisbon Treaty”. In: Biondi, Andrea, Eeckhout, Piet and Ripley, Stefanie (eds.): EU Law after Lisbon. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 22 – 39. (17 pages)
Pech, Laurent (2012): “The institutional development of the EU post-Lisbon”. In: Ashiagbor, Diamond, Countouris, Nicola and Lianos, Ioannis: The European Union after the Treaty of Lisbon. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 7 – 46. (39 pages)

Recommended:
The Lisbon Treaty: 10 easy-to read fact sheets: Fondation Robert Schumann. December 2007 (Updated in December 2009)