How the treaty saved our skins

On 1 December, the Lisbon Treaty will be one year old — an anniversary that will inevitably be overshadowed by the momentous events of the last 12 months. The coming into force of the new European constitution coincided with the advent of the Greek sovereign debt crisis, which quickly turned into a financial disaster for the euro zone. The treaty was already obsolete from the outset. After a decade of apparent success, we discovered to our horror that Europe was not equipped with the means to defend its currency. Fortunately, the treaty was sufficiently flexible to enable us to introduce the necessary changes, even if many people were scandalised to see it modified at such an early stage.

Europe finally listened to the warnings of europhiles who for many years had been drowned out by the euphoric din of the markets. So it was that we once again became conscious of the voice of Jacques Delors, a long-standing advocate of economic coordination. The former president of the European Commission, and one of the major contributor’s to the development of the European project recently pointed out that “economic and monetary union has fallen victim to financial capitalism and a breakdown caused the irresponsibility of our leaders.”

He further argued that “this breakdown had resulted from the desire to create a monetary union without an economic union” . Delors ironically remarked on the absurd situation Europe now faces. “Today the markets tell us we will come under attack if we do not act to reduce spending deficits. But deficit reduction policies inevitably lead to lower economic growth, so then they tell us: 'We are going to attack you because you don’t have adequate growth.'” He finally added that the stage had been set “for a return to populism” — a troubling development because if Delors is to be believed, populism is not only a feature of national elections, but also a significant influence on the European Council.

'The situation cannot last'

As Marco Incerti, a researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), explains: “One of the problems with the Lisbon Treaty is that when we drafted the European Constitution (a document that was finally shelved, but which gave 90% of its content to the new treaty), we didn’t take into account the difficulties we are facing today, many of which were not apparent at the time.” For Incerti, “the current system is not sustainable, because we do not have the tools to deal with pressing problems,” in particular in the field of finance. “It is ridiculous to have to wait for 16 people [the finance ministers in Eurogroup] to meet before reaching a decision,” he concludes.

One of the main goals of the treaty was to provide the EU with a single voice in its external relations: the logic underlying the appointment of a permanent European Council president and the launch of the European External Action Service. One year on, it is still too early to evaluate the results of these initiatives. But the meticulous approach adopted by Herman Van Rompuy played a decisive role in the bid to obtain agreement at some of the most tense moments of the crisis, when the EU as he put it himself “was on the brink of catastrophe”.

Van Rompuy’s decision to convene European leaders in February, and the manner in which he has managed his task force of economic experts to advance the agenda for economic governance, have contributed to the creation of a constructive climate that has helped to overcome the hesitancy of European leaders. Incerti and other analysts are quick to point out that “Van Rompuy has done much better than anyone could have been expected”. As for the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, it would not be fair to come to conclusions just yet. Catherine Ashton has devoted all her energy to setting up the European External Action Service, “an instrument with great potential,” according to the CEPS analyst.

'Europe has too many chiefs'

However, the problem of representation has yet to be fully resolved. “What worries me,” remarks Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, a member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, and one of the most active lawyers in the drafting of the European Constitution, “is that there are still too many voices speaking on behalf of Europe: Van Rompuy, Barroso [President of the European Commission], the prime ministers [from the EU presidency in office] and now Jean-Claude Trichet [President of the European Central Bank]. […] And all this cacophony results in confusion."

But change is on the way. Former president of the European Parliament, Enrique Barón points out that “the European Council is in the process of becoming the future economic government of the EU and at the same time granting new powers to the European Parliament.” There is no doubt that in the year since the treaty came into force: MEPs have been increasingly assertive, notably in their insistence on certain conditions for the transfer of European bank data to the US, and in their bid to give parliament a greater say in the discussions on the EU.

Taking stock

Lady Ashton still hasn’t made her mark

"A year of Ashton: all that for this?" Le Soir asks bluntly exactly one year after the Lisbon Treaty came into force. The Belgian daily recaps it thus: “Much has been said about the former Belgian prime minister [Herman Van Rompuy], whose effectiveness is acknowledged, but whose discretion may seem problematic. One is hard put, on the other hand, to unearth even the slightest praise for the British baroness! At most, some say give her a little more time.” Le Soir recalls the circumstances of Ashton’s appointment: "An incredible succession of rather inglorious events of a politicking cast, ever since she lifted off from Tony Blair’s entourage.” Since then, observes the paper, "It is hard to make out any impact she has had on the world map over the past year, at any rate.[…] Only the European Parliament has clearly emerged a winner from the implementation of the new EU manual […]. The parliamentary debate has become more lively and politicised, and our elected representatives have taken pains to flex their newfound muscle on a number of issues:privacy protection (Swift),financial regulation, theEuropean External Action Service and, quite recently, the2011 budget and future EU funding."