On the 11th of March, MPs in Westminster voted to ratify the EU Reform Treaty, also known as the Lisbon Treaty.

There are many myths being reported about this issue, and I would like to take this opportunity to explain why I support the treaty.

Why is this treaty needed?
There are now 27 countries in the EU. Decision making has become slow and undemocratic. This treaty will allow the EU to move away from debating changes to its own institutions and focus on the issues that matter to citizens like energy, crime, immigration and climate change. It is widely seen in Europe as the final stage of the European process, when we can stop debating how to organize our institutions and put them to good use in taking action on the issues that matter.

Why isn’t there going to be a referendum?
Referenda are rarely used in the UK – in fact the only referendum held to date was in 1975, when the electorate voted to remain in Europe. It is a long-established tradition that referenda would be held only on matters of fundamental constitutional change, for example joining the Euro. The European Constitution – which would scrap and replace all previous treaties, including those on which the 1975 referendum was based – would have required a referendum. In our 2005 Manifesto we pledged we would hold a referendum if the European Constitution went ahead. But the European Constitution has now been abandoned. The Lisbon Treaty is an amending treaty. This means that it will consolidate and build upon all the previous amending treaties relating to the EU – none of which has required a referendum. Most importantly, because of the special opt-out clauses for the UK, it does not represent fundamental constitutional change.

A number of European leaders have said the treaty is very similar to the constitution. Are they right?
This may be true for other European countries, but not for us. Because of the opt-outs that Britain has negotiated, the Lisbon Treaty applies differently to Britain than it does to most other EU countries.

So what are these “red lines” that Britain has negotiated?

• We have strengthened our veto power in the areas of tax and social security.
• We have retained the right to opt-out of all measures relating to Justice and Home Affairs – including visas, asylum, criminal law, civil law and immigration – which protects our common law system and judicial process.
• We have ensured that nothing in the Charter of Fundamental Rights extends the power of European courts to strike down UK laws. This ensures that our laws on social rights and the labour market are protected.
• By ensuring that unanimity is still required for foreign policy, we have retained our veto in this area. We have explicitly ruled that the European Court of Justice has no say over matters of foreign and security policy.

There are a number of popular myths about the Lisbon Treaty:

Myth 1: The treaty paves the way for future changes without consent
No! The Lisbon treaty will make it easier to make future changes to the treaty – this is necessary because there are now 27 members in the EU. But any changes must be agreed unanimously by national parliaments – this means that the British parliament will be able to veto any changes.

Myth 2: The treaty introduces a powerful EU Foreign Minister
No! The treaty will create a High Representative on foreign affairs. This is so that we can negotiate with our combined weight in international affairs, especially in key areas like climate change and trade. But because we retain a veto on all foreign policy, the High Representative will not be able to do or say anything that is not approved by the UK.

Myth 3: The treaty allows a President of Europe to overrule parliament
No! At the moment, the European Presidency is rotated between each country for six months, and the role falls to the head of state of the host country. This means that there is very little continuity in Europe. The Presidency can be weak, which means more influence for the unelected Commission. The Lisbon Treaty will allow national governments to choose a full-time President to serve for 2½ years, and does not propose any extension in powers.

Myth 4: The treaty makes the EU a super-state by giving it a legal personality
No! The EU has had a legal personality since it first began in the 1950s. This is so that it can negotiate binding agreements in areas such as trade and international copyright with other countries. Many international organizations have this legal personality – such as the International Postal Union – but that does not make them states.

Myth 5: Britain’s place on the UN Security Council will be replaced by the EU
No! Britain’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council will remain unchanged, and is entirely separate from the EU. In fact, the UN makes clear that organizations such as the EU are not permitted to hold seats on the Security Council.

Myth 6: The treaty will create a European Army
No! NATO will remain the cornerstone of UK defence policy. However, the treaty will allow military forces to operate under the EU flag, in much the same way that troops from different countries operate as part of a UN force. This has already been happening – since 2004 EU troops have been conducting peacekeeping in Bosnia, Congo and Chad. There is no question of a supra-national army: British troops will operate under normal military structures for joint operations, and deployment of British troops will always be a decision for the UK government alone.

Myth 7: The treaty will make British parliament less powerful in Europe
No! For the first time, this treaty will require EU legislation to be sent to Westminster for review before it is debated in Europe, and it allows the British parliament to send legislation back to the EU if it does not agree with it. The treaty also increases British voting power in the European Council.

Myth 8: The UK will lose control of its borders, and will have to release some criminals on to the streets
No! Because of our opt-out clauses on justice, policing and home affairs, we will be able to choose whether to participate in matters relating to asylum, visas, and organized crime. No prisoners will be released because of the Lisbon Treaty.

More myths: The Queen will be removed from British passports, British Embassies will be replaced by a European diplomatic service, we will all have to pledge allegiance to Europe and Devon will have to be renamed ‘Area E4521’.
No! There is no truth whatsoever in these or any of the other wild rumours about the Lisbon Treaty!

I support the Lisbon Treaty, because I believe it is time that the EU stopped worrying about how it organizes itself and got on with the things it is supposed to do like helping us keep our borders safe and our economy thriving. The treaty will speed up decision making and cut down on bureaucracy. It will increase the power of national parliaments to send legislation back to Brussels if we don’t agree with it. It will increase Britain’s voting power in the European Council from 8 to 12%. And it will ensure that key areas of our sovereignty – such as tax, defence, foreign policy, immigration and justice – remain matters for the British people alone.

Our membership of Europe has brought us unprecedented economic success – 3 million British jobs and 700,000 British businesses depend on Europe. We need to be shaping the direction of the EU to make Britain stronger, not standing on the sidelines being left behind. At a time when we face the key threats of climate change, international terrorism and growing protectionism in international trade it is absolutely essential that we combine our bargaining power and speak as a single, powerful European voice to make Britain better, safer and more prosperous.