Suchergebnisse

On the eve of the East extension of the European Union, its member states face a difficult test. At the government conference in Feb 2000, the structures of the European decision-making process & the institutional fabric will have to be changed on the European level so that, even in a European Union enlarged by 12 new member states, effective political action remains possible. This is not just a question of the "leftovers" of Amsterdam (majority decisions, new allocation of votes in the Council of Ministers, size of the Commission). That would come down to a mere "contractual patch-up job," which would not meet the necessary requirements of institutional & constitutional reform as a prerequisite to the enlargement of the European Union. 114 References. Adapted from the source document.

Discusses changes that need to be made in the structure and practices of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and European Parliament so that effective political action will remain possible after the proposed admission to membership of 12 Central or Eastern European states. Summary in English p. 929-30.

The government conference in Nizza did not address questions of constitutional development. The heads of states & governments, however, agreed to discuss exhaustively the future of the European Union with the aim of preparing a government conference in the year 2004. At issue will not only be the question as to which powers shall be allocated to the European Union in the future; it will be equally important to make the allocation of powers structurally as transparent as possible. The "Berlin Model" of the allocation of powers between the European Union & its member states shares that objective & is intended to be a contribution to the European discourse for the preparation of the government conference in 2004. 41 References. Adapted from the source document.