Speech of Alternate FM Droutsas at the joint session of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Defense and Foreign Affairs and on European Affairs discussing the institutional reforms introduced with  the Lisbon Treaty’s entry into force, including the establishment of an External Action Service of the European Union

Mr. President,

Ladies and Gentlemen MPs,

The Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1 December 2009, has created a new institutional and political reference framework for a European Union of 27 or more member states. It has laid the foundations for a more democratic, dynamic and enlarged European Union; a Union of states and citizens. The Treaty strengthens the efficiency and effectiveness of the Union’s institutions and decision-making mechanisms. Global challenges such as climate change, energy security, international terrorism, transnational organised crime and immigration take a prominent position in the Treaty. Our country made its own contribution to the creation of this new framework. And it will continue to do so, by expressing its positions confidently and by helping to shape developments.