It was originally intended to have been ratified by all member states by the end of 2008. This timetable failed, primarily due to the initial rejection of the Treaty in 2008 by the Irish electorate, a decision which was reversed in a second referendum in 2009. The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009. It provides the EU with modern institutions and optimized working methods to tackle both efficiently and effectively today's challenges in today's world. In a rapidly changing world, Europeans look to the EU to address issues such as globalization, climatic and demographic changes, security and energy. The Treaty of Lisbon reinforces democracy in the EU and its capacity to promote the interests of its citizens on a day-to-day basis.
The EU had expanded from 15 to 27 members; it needed effective, coherent tools so it can function properly and respond to the rapid changes in the world. That meant rethinking some of the ground rules for working together.
The Treaty sets out to do just that. When European leaders reached agreement on the new rules, they were thinking of the political, economic and social changes going on, and the need to live up to the hopes and expectations of the European public. The Treaty of Lisbon defines what the EU can and cannot do, and what means it can use. It alters the structure of the EU's institutions and how they work. As a result, the EU is more democratic and its core values are better served.
This Treaty is the result of negotiations between EU member countries in an intergovernmental conference, in which the Commission and Parliament were also involved. The treaty was ratified by each of the EU's 27 members. It was up to each country to choose the procedure for ratification, in line with its own national constitution.
The Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009, in accordance with its Article 6.
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