European cooperation after fifty years

O lucrare buna, care nu e tocmai un istoric obisnuit.

Henk van Arendonk, European cooperation after fifty years, EC Tax Review. Deventer: 2008. Vol. 17, Iss. 2; pg. 50 [*, ProQuest]

Abstract (Summary)
In the last 50 years, the EC has expanded from 6 to 27 Member States. Supranational powers have also been strengthened. Given these immense changes, institutional reforms were necessary. Only time will tell whether we can move forward on the basis of reforms in the Lisbon Treaty during the coming 50 years. Each amending treaty has to be ratified by the Member States. Where a Member State makes ratification dependent on a referendum, this often turns out badly. In order to prevent the amending treaty from being shot down via a referendum, quite a few Member States choose parliamentary ratification only. Examples are the Netherlands, Denmark, and the UK. A referendum however will be held in Ireland. Whatever the outcome is, it will be influenced by what the EC does in the coming period. If its actions are unacceptable for a Member State, this can have far-reaching consequences for the outcome of the referendum.