Key Benefits:
MOTION FOR RESOLUTION No. 68 /X
Considering the need to strengthen the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union
Enlarged European, establishing an effective framework for its future development and
for the objectives of European integration;
Considering that the Treaty of Lisbon resulted from the mandate agreed by the Heads of
State and Government at the European Council in Brussels from 21 a to June 23, 2007,
conferring the basis and framework for the proceedings of the Intergovernmental Conference
which have elapsed under the aegis and as a top priority of the Portuguese Presidency of the Union
European;
Having regard to the importance of providing the European Union with the capabilities and the
instruments that enable it to continue to be a successful project, create solid foundations
for the construction of the future Europe and its positioning on the international scene, well
how to bring the Union closer to its citizens, strengthen its democratic character and its
ability to act more effectively and influently on the external plane;
Recognizing the indispensability of allowing for an external action by the European Union more
coherent;
Recognizing the need for the strengthening of the principle of the allocation of competences and the
clarification of the allocation of competences between the European Union and the Member States;
Recognizing the allocation of legal value to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union
European, proclaimed by the three institutions on December 12, 2007 and the forecast
of the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights;
Considering the introduction of the principle of democratic participation as one of the
fundamentals of the functioning of the European Union, namely the possibility of,
at least, one million people sign a petition to invite the Commission to adopt
a legislative initiative;
Recognizing the strengthening of the role of National Parliaments;
Attending to the assignment of legal personality to the European Union;
With a view to the increase of subjects subject to the qualified majority in the Council and to the
co-decision with the European Parliament;
Attending to the strengthening of the principle of economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Being desirable to simplify the procedures for the revision of the Treaties;
Recognizing the need to change the functioning of some European institutions,
notably by broadening the competences of the European Parliament, in
particular through the generalization of the procedure of the co-decision, which goes on to call itself
"ordinary legislative procedure", by participating in the European Parliament in parity with the
Advice in the adoption of legislative acts, including in budgetary matters; the
recognition of the European Council as one of the institutions of the Union;
Taking into account that it is redesigned the composition of the Commission, by keeping a
commissioner by Member State until 2014, reducing after the number of commissioners
for 2/3 of the number of Member States, being the members of the Commission chosen
on the basis of an egalitarian rotation system between Member States;
Recognizing that to correspond to the need to enhance visibility and coherence
of the External action of the European Union shall be created the post of High Representative of the Union for
the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with the aim of strengthening the
visibility and the consistency of the external action of the Union, and which shall exercise simultaneously the
duties as Vice-President of the Commission, and of representative of the Council for the areas of
Foreign and Common Security Policy and European Security and Defence Policy (" double
hat "), also presiding over the Council of Foreign Affairs;
Meeting the development objective of the European Security and Defence Policy and
the relief of the solidarity clause, which creates the commitment of enteraid to the
Member States in the event of a terrorist attack, natural or human disaster;
Considering the importance of a new dual-majority system, vigorously going forward from 1
of November 2014, which will co-exist with the current system of majority voting
qualified by March 31, 2017;
Further aiming at the creation of new legal bases in the area of space policy, politics
energy, civil protection, sport and tourism, as well as the deepening of the
skills in the area of research, intellectual property and combating changes
climate;
Considering, at last, that, if the " Treaty Establishing a Constitution for the
Europe " was a text of a constitutional and completely new character, which revoked the
Treaties in force and aimed to refunde politically to Europe, already the Lisbon Treaty, to the
to make changes to the current constitutive Treaties, deepens European construction
but it maintains the prevailing legal structure, ending also the institutional debate that
occupied Member States for several years.
Thus:
Under the terms of the paragraph d) of Article 197 (1) of the Constitution, the Government presents to the
Assembly of the Republic the following motion for a resolution:
Approves the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty which
establishing the European Community, signed in Lisbon on December 13, 2007, including
the Protocols A, the Protocols B, the Annex and the Final Act with the Declarations, the text of which,
in the authentic version in Portuguese language publishes in annex.
Seen and approved in Council of Ministers of January 17, 2008
The Prime Minister
The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs
The Minister of the Presidency
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs