Among the explicit goals of the Treaty of Lisbon it stands out the aim to strengthen EU democratic legitimacy and the coherence of its action. To achieve this, TL has introduced a number of significant changes in the institutional structure of the EU. This paper focuses on the potential long-term impact of the so-called ‘parliamentarisation’ of EU politics. In the first section, I discuss the context in which the TL was adopted and the characteristics of its institutional changes regarding EP and national parliaments. In the second section, I analyse the track record of these changes and the impact they have had so far. In the third section, I extend the analysis to assess how well the TL lives up to its promise of democratic legitimacy and institutional coherence. I conclude by pointing out both areas of potentially fruitful developments, and areas of potentially weak institutions and procedures.
