Lisbon Treaty and the Common Commercial Policy of the EU[Lisabonská smlouva a společná obchodní politika EU]

Lisbon Treaty brings some changes in the EU Common Commercial Policy and related decision processes. CCP is newly a part of the EU external policies, to which belong common foreign and security policy, international environmental policy, development cooperation and economic, financial and technical cooperation with third countries. The basic areas of the CCP have been extended by foreign direct investment, services and trade related aspects of intellectual property rights. EU external exclusive competences for negotiations and conclusions of agreements have been confirmed as well as internal exclusive competences within their implementation. Changes concern also the role of the European Parliament and functioning of the European Council, Council, activities of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European External Action Service. The above mentioned changes will be reflected in the procedures within the EU. Many of aspects of the decision process are not yet clarified and only the practice of participation of the Member States and European Parliament on drafting the Common Commercial Policy could bring clear conclusions.Changes in the legal ground for the EU Common Commercial Policy have impact on the scope of Member States' influence in this area and could be reflected also in the position of the EU within international trade, namely in negotiations with third countries on bilateral and multilateral trade and investment agreements.