European Union (Amendment) Bill 2007-08

Summary of the Bill

The Bill paves the way for UK ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed on 13 December 2007.  The Lisbon Treaty is an amending Treaty.

The Lisbon Treaty aims to reform the European Union’s institutions to enable it to function more efficiently with 27 Members. It also introduces new elements, many of which were in the abandoned 2004 constitutional treaty.

Key areas

• The Bill will amend the European Communities Act 1972 to include the Lisbon Treaty in the list of ‘Community Treaties.’ This gives it legal force in the UK, with the exception of provisions on or linked to the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which will remain subject to intergovernmental procedures.  
• Other amendments to the 1972 Act concern a mechanism for parliamentary control over provisions in the Treaty which allow for its amendment without the full Treaty amendment system, and changes to terminology under existing UK legislation to take account of the new Treaty.
  

Stay up to date

Keep up to date with the progress of Bills going through Parliament. Sign up for email alerts or use our RSS feeds.

• RSS feed for this Bill
• Receive email updates for this Bill

Related information

Guide to the passage of a Bill

Find out what happens at each stage of a Public Bill’s journey through Parliament with the Passage of a Bill guide.

When will the Bill become law?

What happens after the Bill has been passed? When does the law change?

Get involved: guidance on written submissions

Do you have expertise or a special interest in matters contained within a Government Bill? Submit your views to the Commons Public Bill Committee.