Preamble

The Preamble to the TEU in its current version is the result of the stratification of its contents, starting with the Treaty of Maastricht and amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam and subsequently the Treaty of Lisbon. The Treaty of Nice instead did not make any variation to the Preamble's text. With regard to these innovations, the most laborious one was that concerning the inclusion of the second paragraph on the "cultural, religious and humanistic inheritance of Europe" which was the subject of a heated political debate. Finally, the Lisbon Treaty, by restricting itself to modifying the existing Treaties (EU Treaty and EC Treaty, the latter is now TFEU), by conferring the same legal value they have on the (separate) Charter of fundamental Rights, leaves in force the Preambles of the two Treaties plus the Preamble to the Charter, with some overlaps in meaning and content between the two.