After the Lisbon Treaty was signed on December 13, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that no single European nation is able meet the challenges of our globalized world alone. He stated that globalization has made the European Union indispensable and more necessary than ever.

Europe is unifying to meet these challenges. Yet, responding to globalization is not enough, says EU Lisbon strategy architect Maria Joao Rodrigues, “We need to shape globalization.”

As the EU works to unify itself internally so it can influence the rest of the globe, the world is starting to see Europe as an up-and-coming superpower.

Portuguese Prime Minister and current EU President Jose Socrates said that the Lisbon Treaty would create the opportunity for Europe to have its voice heard around the world.

Assuming it is ratified by all 27 member states, the Lisbon Treaty will speed up the EU’s decision-making process by removing the stipulation that requires a unanimous vote to make EU law. Instead, most laws will be able to be put into action with approval from 55 percent of the membership—assuming that also amounts to 65 percent of the total population. Only certain notable areas will continue to require unanimity.

Europe’s new treaty will also create the position of an EU foreign minister, called the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Rodrigues stated that the creation of a “central actor with the capacity to represent the European Union in international relationships … is crucial if we want to shape globalization.”

The European Union is well on its way to becoming an influential global player on the international scene. The Trumpet has predicted for years the German-led European Union is that empire in the making. Continue to watch as that empire rises to global dominance.

For more information on the future of the European Union, read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.