European Union (Amendment) Bill and the Lisbon Treaty: Implications for the UK Constitution Report with Evidence 6th Report of Session 2007-08

This report is concerned with the changes that may be brought to the workings of the UK constitution, rather than the operation of the EU’s institutions and processes. The Committee welcomes the Bill’s provision that Parliament must give approval before the Government can ratify any future amendments to the founding treaties. Parliament should also take close interest in scrutinising initiatives on the functioning of the EU to ensure they comply with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. The Lisbon Treaty, if ratified, should provide a welcome period of stability in the institutional framework of the EU. The report then considers: defining the EU’s competences; people’s rights and responsibilities; citizenship; the UK Parliament and parliamentary supremacy; nations and regions; the area of freedom, security and justice; and, courts and the judiciary.