Moscow. (RIA Novosti political correspondent...

The Lisbon Treaty, which has changed the decision-making process inside the European Union (EU), granting more authority to a Euro Parliament, has ardent supporters and no less ardent opponents. The former believe that it promotes the process of European integration whose voice will be heard from Beijing to Washington. The latter think the treaty does not resolve what its critics call a “shortage of democracy” in the EU.

The introduction of the new charter will make life easier for the bureaucrats in Brussels. They started working on it in 2001 and in the process made drastic changes to the charter documents on the structure of the EU and its institutions, and on EU membership. Ireland twice held a referendum on the treaty. Last year it rejected the treaty but this year it approved it by an impressive majority on October 2.

To understand the reasons behind the new standards and rules of conduct in the EU, we must recall that the need for reform became urgent

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