From today, EU cooperation enters a new era. With the Treaty of Lisbon, which comes into force today, the European Union is equipped for new challenges. So writes Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt here on se2009.eu. Mr Reinfeldt is participating in the celebration of the Treaty in Portugal’s capital on Tuesday.

This evening I, as President of the European Council, will be going to Lisbon to celebrate the entry into force of the new EU Treaty. A new era of European cooperation beings today. With the Treaty of Lisbon, EU citizens get a Union that can meet the demands of the 27 Member States for transparency, democracy and efficiency. A Union that can better meet the challenges of globalisation. Now the long efforts to get a new European framework in place have reached an end. Now a new era begins.

Fifteen years ago, when Sweden, among others, joined the EU, it was, in many ways, a different European Union from today. Then it was made up of 12 members, who had worked together for many years and deepened the European cooperation. In 1995, the EU was already a well functioning union – so well functioning that more countries began to knock on the door. Sweden was one of them.

Today, having grown six times since it was formed, the EU now comprises 27 European countries. Today the EU is an important player on the world market, with one third of the world's total economic production and as the world's largest exporter. A union where more than half of the members share a currency. And a union that asserts itself increasingly clearly in the international arena and actively engages in the world's conflict areas. Today the EU is a force to be reckoned with – both economically and politically.

Europe’s successful development forms an important foundation in the history of the EU. But our Union would not have been as successful if it had not always followed this development, step by step – in line with the needs and demands brought by a changed Europe. There are a number of examples of this: the Single European Act, which paved the way for an internal market for goods, services, capital and free movement of persons. The Maastricht Treaty, which reflected a desire to expand cooperation to areas other than economics, and which encompassed both justice and home affairs and foreign and security policy.

The Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice built on the foundations that had been laid in previous treaties. They were successively improved. And today the latest modernisation of EU cooperation enters into force: the Treaty of Lisbon. With the new Treaty, the EU is strengthened in important areas.

The EU becomes more open and more democratic. The European Parliament and our national parliaments are given greater influence. The principle of public access is extended to apply to all EU institutions and bodies. Through the Lisbon Treaty, it is made clear that the EU institutions shall maintain regular dialogue with stakeholders in civil society.

The rights of citizens become clearer. By making the Charter on Fundamental Rights legally binding for the EU institutions, we create better protection for rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion and access to documents. We make clear equality between men and women and protection of children’s rights within all policy areas.

EU cooperation becomes more efficient, more active, and our international action becomes more coherent. In order to enable the EU as a union to speak more effectively and easily with the world outside Europe, we have established two new posts. Herman van Rompuy, as the newly appointed President of the European Council, will provide continuity in the work of the heads of state and government and represent the EU in meetings with countries outside the Union. The newly appointed High Representative, Catherine Ashton, will have a key role in formulating and implementing foreign and security policy. With the High Representative in place, we can better prevent conflicts and also improve our peace support operations and make them more effective.

We are strengthening our action within important policy areas. In the future, when we make decisions concerning citizens’ freedom, security and justice, our main principle will be to make them together with the European Parliament. The Lisbon Treaty also gives the EU new and powerful instruments for combating crime. It gives us new powers to decide on measures to combat human trafficking, with a particular focus on trafficking of women and children.

Small countries will also be important players in the global arena. Through EU membership we gain much greater influence than we would have if we acted alone. Climate change, organised crime, human trafficking and economic crises know no bounds. This is why national measures alone do not work.

Today EU citizens are heading into a new era. Today is the first day for a more efficient, more modern and more democratic EU – for all citizens.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister