EU Reform Treaty: Settlement Reached

Yesterday, Portugal, which holds the current EU Presidency [website, in English], announced that the 27 judicial experts of the IGC 2007 [website, in English] reached an agreement on a text for the Reform Treaty. This treaty would constitute a large step forward for the European Union. There are, however, still some hurdles to pass. Most importantly, the treaty has still to be ratified by the 27 member states. In some countries, ratification involves referenda and such referenda had been the stumbling block for the previously drafted EU Constitution. In addition, Poland seems to insist on a privilege to bar disagreeable decisions. This request has been blocked by the Portuguese presidency because it was not part of the originally proposed Reform Treaty [earlier post]. Whether the current Reform Treaty will get through is therefore still in the air. For further information click here [report, in German]. I will post the agreed upon version of the Reform Treaty as soon as it is available in English.