JURIST - EU reform treaty text approved by legal experts - by Leslie Schulman
EU reform treaty text approved by legal experts - by Leslie Schulman
Legal advisers to the 27 countries belonging to the European Union (EU) [official website] agreed Tuesday that the proposed EU Reform Treaty is ready for approval. The new treaty, which will replace the failed EU constitution, will be the topic of discussion at a meeting in Luxembourg on October 15, and could potentially gain full EU approval at a summit in Lisbon later in the month. Portugal, which took over the EU Presidency on July 1, is hoping to have member states sign the treaty at a December summit and complete the ratification process before the June 2009 European parliamentary elections. Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende last month announced [JURIST report] that the Netherlands would not hold a general referendum on the proposed treaty because the pact had "no constitutional aspirations." British officials have adopted a similar position.
