The new architecture of the European Union

Abstract

The Lisbon Treaty has brought significant changes into the architecture of the European Union. The most important novelty, however, is the establishment of a full unity of the Union structure achieved by creating new and strengthening the existing elements. The new elements of this unity are the disappearance of the European Community, the 'independence' of the European Atomic Energy Community, constituting the European Union as a single entity and the introduction of EU values. At the same time, the Lisbon Treaty has strengthened the existing elements of the common institutional mechanisms, rules on amending the founding treaties and EU membership. However, constituting the Union as a single entity which has replaced and succeeded the European Communities has not abolished the EU elements of diversity. In the areas that differed, even before the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, from the community pillar, there remain significant differences in the nature and the scope of competences of the Union institutions. This mainly regards the common foreign and security policy, which now includes the defense policy, where the existing model of inter-state cooperation has been only slightly interfered with. In contrast, in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, which has become part of a larger Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, the inter-state model of cooperation has been abandoned in some of its most important elements. However, the implementation of some of the important elements of the supranational model has been postponed.

Lisabonski ugovor doneo je značajne promene u pogledu arhitekture Evropske unije. Najvažniju novinu, svakako, predstavlja njeno značajno pojednostavljenje čime se praktično gube tri stuba na kojima je do sada EU počivala. Uspostavljanje jedinstvene strukture Unije ostvareno je stvaranjem novih i jačanjem postojećih elemenata jedinstva. Nestanak Evropske zajednice, 'osamostaljivanje' Evropske zajednice za atomsku energiju, konstituisanje Evropske unije kao jedinstvenog pravnog subjekta i uvođenje jedinstvenih vrednosti novi su elementi njenog jedinstva. U isto vreme Lisabonskim ugovorom ojačani su već postojeći elementi izraženi kroz jedinstveni institucionalni mehanizam i jedinstvena pravila o izmeni osnivačkih ugovora i članstvu. Međutim, konstituisanje Unije kao jedinstvenog entiteta nije potpuno dokinulo elemente ranije trostubne arhitekture. U oblastima koje su i pre Lisabonskog ugovora odstupale od komunitarnog stuba ostala su značajna odstupanja u pogledu prirode i domašaja ovlašćenja koja su poverena glavnim organima Unije. Reč je najpre o zajedničkoj spoljnoj politici i politici bezbednosti, kojoj je sada pridodata i odbrambena politika, i gde je postojeći model međudržavne saradnje tek neznatno načet. Nasuprot tome, u oblasti policijske i pravosudne saradnje u krivičnim stvarima, koja je postala deo šire oblasti slobode, bezbednosti i pravde, međudržavni model je napušten u nekim svojim najvažnijim elementima, s tim što je odložena primena određenih bitnih elemenata naddržavnog modela saradnje.