Catherine Bearder on Lisbon

1.46.00pm GMT Sun 7th Feb 2010

Catherine Bearder in an article for the Surrey branch of the European Movement says the following on Lisbon - 1. This is a period of great change in the European Union, but also one of great uncertainty. Much has changed to the structure and workings of the Union, but if we work carefully the threatened turmoil will be avoided.

2. The appointment of the new Commission was the first test in this new era of European parliamentary democracy. Parliamentary consent is required for the appointment of the President of the Commission, as with the college of Commissioners. Many of the Commissioners-Designate have been impressive throughout the hearings that have been held by the MEPs so there should be a strong Commission over the next five years.

3. Addressing the EU's failure to talk with one voice was one of the priorities of Lisbon. Failure to do this has plagued the EU, as we've struggled to impose ourselves on the international scene. Over the last year we have faced the collapse of the world financial system and the ever increasing threat of climate change, and our approach to both these crises would have been stronger if we'd spoken with one voice. Under Lisbon we now have one person to coordinate external action: the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Baroness Ashton. Mr Kissinger´s successors finally know who to call when they need to speak to Europe.

4. The EU's performance at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change illustrated what happens when we fail to act together. The expectations were great and people from all over the world were willing their representatives to come up with a comprehensive plan to address the warming of the planet's atmosphere. Copenhagen was clearly a miserable failure, and what was also clear was why the European Union failed to achieve its potential. The heads of some member states jostled for seats around the table, and Europe ended up with a muddled and divided face. It was a lost opportunity. The European Union was not recognised or given its negotiating weight. Under Lisbon, this would not have happened.

5. So we enter a new phase in the Union and there is a huge amount of goodwill and energy to make it work. Only time will tell if we live up to the high expectations we have set. But let us hope this new era is a time for concentrating not on how MEPs will work for their constituents, but on actually doing the work our constituents sent us to Brussels to do.

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