Amsterdam Treaty
The Amsterdam Treaty was a treaty amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaties establishing the European Communities, ie the EC Treaty, the Euratom Treaty and of the then in force of the ECSC Treaty, and certain related acts. He was originally intended to keep the European Union after the enlargement to act. A thorough reform of the EU, however, failed and necessitated further reforms. For the reforms still outstanding, the European Council convened at its meeting in Cologne, on 3 and 4 June 1999 an Intergovernmental Conference for the year 2000.
The contract was approved by the Heads of State and Government of the European Union on the occasion of their meeting in the European Council in Amsterdam on 18 June 1997 and signed on 2 October 1997. It entered into force on 1 May 1999. The thus created legal status was further amended by the Treaty of Nice on 1 February 2003.
Democratization
The agreement extended the powers of the European Parliament from considerably by strengthening its rights under the codecision procedure. The codecision procedure was introduced in some areas already in the Maastricht Treaty and set the Parliament on the level of the Council. With the Treaty of Amsterdam, the codecision procedure now applied in almost all areas in which the Council decided by a qualified majority. One important exception was still agriculture - the largest financial items of the European Union.
Even with the appointment of the Commission the powers of the European Parliament have been extended: After the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty, the Parliament had to agree not only the Commission's appointment as a whole, but also in advance of the appointment of the Commission President.
However, there were still shortcomings of democratization, since the Parliament - the only EU institution elected by the people - not the right to initiate legislative proposals has. This right was and is still only at the Commission, so as the executive body at the same time takes up major legislative functions.
Democracy theory problematic was the new ruling, which was introduced in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. Here important decisions previously only in the form of conventions, so own international treaties had been possible, had to be ratified by the parliaments of all Member States. By the Treaty of Amsterdam, these decisions were now made in the form of a unanimous Council decision, without the national parliaments or the European Parliament have been involved.
Employment policy
Due to rising unemployment in Europe for the first time the employment policy was incorporated as a main objective in the contracts. However, the employment policy remained in the hands of nation states, but there was better coordination of Member States' actions agreed.
Area of freedom, security and justice
With the Treaty of Amsterdam, the target has been incorporated into the Treaties establishing the " area of freedom, security and justice ". To this end, the interest of closer cooperation, judicial cooperation in civil matters and the rules on the accompanying measures for free movement of people ( migration, asylum, immigration policy ) of the intergovernmental third transferred to the supranational first pillar were ( " communitarized "). The decision process of remaining in the third column of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters have been simplified by decisions could be taken by a unanimous Council decision now, which was immediately valid without parliamentary ratification. Previously, common law had to be closed only through their own international treaties ( also called agreement or convention ). In addition, the rights of European police agency Europol were extended and incorporated the Schengen Agreement in the form of a protocol to the Treaties. The free movement of persons, ie the crossing of borders within the EU without checks, so was at a contractually stipulated law.
Common Foreign and Security Policy ( CFSP)
In the course of developing a common foreign and security policy, the Heads of State and Government created the post of High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy ( CFSP referred to for short as Mr. ), which should represent the Union externally.
The decisions of the Council ( the Council for General Affairs and External Relations ), however, were more unanimous and thus enabled each country a veto. Only the implementation of decisions that have been taken unanimously in the Council could be adopted by a majority decision.
Institutional reform and " Amsterdam left-overs "
In order to remain effective even in an enlarged Union, it was agreed that the larger states gave up their second Commissioner after enlargement. It was also laid down in the Treaty of Amsterdam, the European Parliament after the EU enlargement should not exceed 700 members. The majority method was extended in many areas, unanimity, however, was retained. Newly created were, inter alia, the possibility of a suspension of membership in breach of EU principles by a Member State as well as the enhanced cooperation procedure.
Despite these reforms, there was also after the Treaty of Amsterdam in front of the view that the EU institutions are too big after enlargement and could lose their ability to act. In particular, the weighting of votes in the Council of the European Union and the size of the European Parliament were still considered problematic. They are therefore also referred to as the Amsterdam left-overs ( such as: " Remains of Amsterdam " ), which were finally treated in 2000 in the Treaty of Nice.
Renumbering of the TEU and the TEC
The Treaty of Amsterdam introduced a renumbering of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, Article 12. The renumbering was conducted in accordance with the tables annexed to the Treaty. The European Court wished now in citing standards in the new numbering that the Treaty on European Union, " EU", the Treaty establishing the European Community, with " EC " was quoted as saying. This clarity should be achieved by the new numbers was quoted, the abbreviations " EUV " and " TEC " were on for the old numbering. The citation of the contracts as such was still with the abbreviations " EUV " and " TEC " in contrast to the respective institutions. The literature was largely followed this requirement.