Implications of the Lisbon Treaty on EU External Trade Policy. EU Centre Background Brief No. 2, March 2010

This background paper examines the changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty (which entered into force in December 2009) to the European Union Common Commercial Policy (CCP) and the likely implications for the EU’s trading partners. It begins with an overview of the major changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty on the EU’s external action and then elaborates more on the specific changes in the area of CCP. The paper further puts forward some possible implications that these changes may have for EU’s external trade relations with third countries