Abstract. On December 1st, 2009, the pan-European Treaty named after the place of its signature "The Treaty of Lisbon" became operative and marked the beginning of a new stage of political integration. However, having at least temporarily worked out the issue of institutes, has the European Union managed to overcome those of its remote problems that have destined the ambitious "constitutional" project to fail? Is the "post-Lisbon" EU able to remove the accumulated democracy deficits and the increased estrangement of citizens from the pan-European idea, to determine what the united Europe represents, where its political borders are, and what it wishes to become in the long run? This article is devoted to these issues.