German President signs Treaty of Lisbon
The German president Horst Köhler has signed the treaty of Lisbon on September 23, which means that the law is now officially accepted by Germany. In Germany the president is mostly representative person, but he has to sign laws and may reject them. The president may check the content of the law and the process of legislation. If there are major problems, then presidents sometimes refuse their signature.
There is a book about the treaty of Lisbon in Germany, but unfortunately I have not read it yet. It probably explains the treaty in a manner that also non-politicians (still people who know a bit about politics) can understand it.
Criticism on the treaty of Lisbon
The treaty of Lisbon has been criticized a lot in Germany, often because it was transparent. Most people do not know what it really is about and it did just get the affirmation of the Bundestag without being debated in the media. The discussions did not start until the citizens of Ireland voted against the treaty.
The new treaty does not really solve the lack of democracy, either. The Parliament did get more competences, but it still is not allowed to create new proposals for ballot.
Some people also say the treaty of about 270 pages in the English version was much too long.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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