Lisbon Treaty

That's what it's like when people have crawled very high up in a tree, then they sometimes need help to get down with ladders and ropes and other instruments.

— Lisbon Treaty

The one who wins in these kinds of situations is the one with the strongest nerves.

— Lisbon Treaty

The way [UK, Poland and other governments] insisted in denying every emotional aspect of Europe [flag, anthem, motto] hurt me (...) And then it is those same governments who complain that the idea of Europe is distant from the people. But how can you involve citizens without involving their emotions?

— Lisbon Treaty

The constitutional treaty was an easily understandable treaty. This is a simplified treaty which is very complicated.

— Lisbon Treaty

The fundamentals of the Constitution have been maintained in large part … We have renounced everything that makes people think of a state, like the flag and the national anthem.”

— Lisbon Treaty

The good thing is that all the symbolic elements are gone, and that which really matters – the core – is left.

— Lisbon Treaty

This was France’s idea from the start.

— Lisbon Treaty

[The mandate approved by the EU] will preserve the substance of the constitutional treaty.

— Lisbon Treaty

There’s nothing from the original institutional package that has been changed.”

— Lisbon Treaty

A great part of the content of the European Constitution is captured in the new treaties … Everyone has conceded a little so that we all gain a lot.”

— Lisbon Treaty

This text is, in fact, a rerun of a great part of the substance of the constitutional treaty.”

— Lisbon Treaty

For the commission the key goal was to save as much as possible from the 2004 text. On reading and rereading the new text, one can safely conclude that most has been preserved. The essentials have been retained.

— Lisbon Treaty

The Constitution will have another name but the same content.Therefore it should also be put for Referendums."

— Lisbon Treaty

Many claim that the Lisbon treaty and the Constitution are 90% identical. Well, the DNA of mice and humans is 90% the same - but the remaining 10% is rather important. The point is that the idea of repealing all the existing treaties and replacing them with a new 'constitution' has been dropped in favour of keeping the existing treaties and simply amending them.

— Lisbon Treaty