Conference Paper

This paper explores the influence of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU’s position in the world as a global actor. In economic terms, the EU has been an influential actor. However, to be an influential global actor, the EU also needs to be strong in the fields of security and defence. The main goals of the Lisbon Treaty were to increase the efficiency of decisionmaking mechanisms following previous enlargements and to address new global challenges such as the fight against terrorism, climate change and energy security. The Lisbon Treaty introduced new positions such as the President of the Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The effectiveness of these positions, the relations between them, and their interaction with the President of the Commission and the leader of the member state holding the Presidency, will influence the position of the EU as a global actor.