Van Rompuy charged with changes to Lisbon Treaty

The man charged with amending the Lisbon Treaty is EU Council President Herman van Rompuy.

He must now prepare a study of the consequences of a treaty change and deliver his report at a summit in December.

The changes to the treaty must be agreed on by mid-2013:

“We all agreed on the principle that a permanent crisis mechanism is needed. And in order to have this permanent mechanism, we have to proceed with a limited amendment of the Treaty,” said the Belgian.

Any changes to the document must be approved unanimously and ratified by all member states by a vote in parliament or a referendum.

As austerity measures kick in across Europe some MEP’s are left wondering where the European axe will fall.

Martin Schultz is the leader of the Socialists and Democrats:

“We keep the agriculture budget, but we now have a diplomatic service with still the same budget. So where are the cuts going to fall research, development, education, infrastructure?”

The EU wants to place financial protection on a sound legal footing with a permanent structure in place for coping with further fiscal problems with a clear plan in place to back the euro in difficult times.

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