Article: Roundup: Bumpy year for European integration

Roundup: Bumpy year for European integration

BRUSSELS, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The passing year has been an "annus horribilis" for European integration as the "no" vote by 860,000 Irish voters in June 2008 derailed the Lisbon Treaty, which was designed for 490 million European Union (EU) citizens.

To make it worse, the subsequent financial crisis hijacked the agenda of EU leaders, who had decided to revisit the treaty impasse at an informal summit in October, making its entry into force impossible before European Parliament elections.

When EU leaders signed the Lisbon Treaty in December 2007, they had hoped that the treaty can be ratified by all 27 member states by the end of 2008 so that its ...

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