‘The time is not yet ripe for a European Constitution. Yet: the reform Treaty of Lisbon will go down as another milestone of advancement in European history. […] The treaty strengthens democracy, the rights of the European Parliament and the national parliaments; it also strengthens the rights of every single citizen. Europe has taken a big step closer to realizing its dream of unity. The push for this advancement can definitively be traced back to the German Council President of 2007; to the dedicated, objective and adept negotiating of the German Chancellor, to her unobtrusive yet contagious optimism as well as the persuasive power of this great European woman.’