This book gathers leading international scholars to examine the institutional choices and innovations of the Lisbon Treaty and discuss the likely effects of the changes that it set out to accomplish. Will the changes meet the declared goals of a more efficient and democratic Union which will allow the EU to act internationally with greater coherence and efficiency? If institutions matter, how much do they matter? How significant is the Lisbon Treaty? What kind of leadership will be available in the post-Lisbon EU?

Contents: Preface; Part I Introduction: The Lisbon Treaty: overview of institutional choices and beginning implementation, Finn Laursen. Part II Basic Institutional Choices: The 'paradox of Lisbon': supranationalism-intergovernmentalism as an administrative concept, Adriaan Schout and Sarah Wolff; The EU's common foreign and security policy (CFSP) after the Lisbon Treaty: supranational revolution or adherence to intergovernmental pattern?, Kerstin Radtke; The new EU's internal security architecture: implementation challenges, Sarah Wolff; The economy of the Treaty of Lisbon, Ferran Brunet. Part III Institutional Actors: The winner takes it all? The implications of the Lisbon Treaty for the EP's legislative role in co-decision, Rik de Ruiter and Christine Neuhold; Institutional innovation in the EU: the 'permanent' presidency of the European Council, Carlos Closa; From an assistant to a manager - the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy after the Treaty of Lisbon, Carolin Rÿger; The European external action service (EEAS): the idea and its implementation, Finn Laursen. Part IV External Action: The common commercial policy: from Nice to Lisbon, Ann Niemann; Preserving policy autonomy: EU development cooperation from Maastricht to Lisbon, Maurizio Carbone; Lisbon and EPAs: what prospects for regional development in Africa and the Caribbean?, Timothy M. Shaw; A Gordian Knot or not? EU representation in UN climate negotiations, Piotr Maciej Kaczynski. Part V Conclusions: The Lisbon Treaty: how significant?, Finn Laursen; Index.