The Reform Treaty was signed by twenty-seven EU Heads of State and Government during a ceremony in Lisbon on 13 December 2007. It is designed to make the European Union function more effectively and democratically so that it can better serve the interests of the people of Europe. It responds to the needs of today’s enlarged European Union. The negotiations on the Reform Treaty took place following the failure to ratify the European Constitution which had been agreed upon in 2004. Regrettably the Constitution was not accepted by the French and Dutch electorates and a revised document based on the Constitutional Treaty and protecting all of its strong points was forged in further discussions.

Forum Malta fl-Ewropa and TAIEX have teamed up for the organisation of a national conference which focused entirely on the EU Reform Treaty. Entitled Reflecting on the Future of the EU: Understanding the Implications of the Reform Treaty, the Conference explored the key reforms which the Lisbon Treaty seeks to introduce and assessed their importance for the development of EU law and the European Union as a whole. It also examined the implications of the Treaty for Malta. This event was held on Wednesday 13^th  February 2008.

The Conference involved the participation of various distinguished speakers including Elmar Brok MEP (Member of the EPP-ED political bureau and EP representative at the Intergovernmental Conference for the Treaty of Lisbon), Professor Dr Klemens H. Fischer (Head of Department, Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union), Dr Andreas Maurer (The German Institute for International and Security Affairs) and Dr Wolfgang Heusel (Director, Academy of European Law, Trier).  It also included two panel discussions and addresses delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Michael Frendo, as well as by the Leader of the Opposition Dr Alfred Sant and the Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi.