15 years since the Lisbon Treaty: How open data is supported by the
treaty
Today we mark the 15th anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty
[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=OJ%3AC%3A2007%3A306%3ATOC],
where we reflect on its transformative impact on the European Union's
governance and structure. Signed on December 13, 2007
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/in-the-past/the-parliament-and-the-treaties/treaty-of-lisbon],
and effective from December 1, 2009, the Lisbon Treaty aimed to
enhance the EU's efficiency and democratic legitimacy. Key changes
included the establishment of a long-term President of the European
Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy, strengthening the EU's external representation. 

A notable achievement of the treaty was the extension of the
co-decision procedure, now known as the ordinary legislative
procedure, which changed the European Parliament's legislative powers.
This ensured that the Parliament and the Council of the European Union
share equal responsibility in passing legislation, thereby enhancing
democratic accountability. Additionally, the treaty empowered national
parliaments with a greater role in the EU legislative process,
ensuring adherence to the principle of subsidiarity. 

The Lisbon Treaty has also been instrumental in promoting open data
over the past 15 years. With Article 15 of the Treaty
[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A12008E015]
focusing on transparency in work and citizens being able to access
documents of the Union, the treaty encourages the provision of open
data, to which data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en] contributes.
For example, our portal offers a range of almost 20 000 datasets from
EU institutions
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&minScoring=0&dataScope=eu&country=eu&page=1],
accessible to all citizens. The Lisbon Treaty provides the legal and
philosophical framework for open data initiatives, like our
platform. 

Looking ahead, the Lisbon Treaty continues to operate as the EU’s
governing framework, supporting the usage and provision of open data.
Only if needed, the Treaty will adapt to the changing world and
challenges of the 21st century, but this will then need to be aligned
with Member States and European citizens’ expectations. 

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Publication Date/Time
2024-12-01T09:00:00+00:00
What does the Treaty look like and the purpose of Article 15