View source for Treaty of Amsterdam

{{short description|1997 treaty amending the treaty of the European Union}}
{{multiple issues|{{More footnotes|date=February 2008}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2014}}}}
{{Infobox Treaty
|name            = Treaty of Amsterdam
|long_name       = Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts
|image           = Амстердамський договір.jpg
|image_width     = 260px
|caption         = European leaders in Amsterdam,  June 1997.
|type            = Amender of the [[Treaty on European Union|TEU]], the [[Treaty establishing the European Community|TEC]], the [[Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community|TEAEC]], and the [[Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community|TECSC]]
|citations       = Prior amendment treaty:<br> [[Maastricht Treaty|Maastricht Treaty (1992)]]<br>Subsequent amendment treaty: [[Treaty of Nice|Nice Treaty (2001)]]
|date_draft      = 
|date_signed     = 2 October 1997
|location_signed = [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
|date_sealed     = 
|date_effective  = 1 May 1999
|date_expiration = 
|signatories     = {{Collapsible list |title= 15 [[EU member states]]
|{{flaglist|Austria}}|{{flaglist|Belgium}}|{{flaglist|Denmark}}|{{flaglist|Finland}}|{{flaglist|France}}|{{flaglist|Germany}}|{{flaglist|Greece}}|{{flaglist|Ireland}}|{{flaglist|Italy}}|{{flaglist|Luxembourg}}|{{flaglist|Netherlands}}|{{flaglist|Portugal}}|{{flaglist|Spain}}|{{flaglist|Sweden}}|{{flaglist|United Kingdom}}}} 
|depositor       = [[Government of Italy]]
|language        = 
|languages       = {{Collapsible list |title=12 [[Languages of the European Union|EU languages]]|[[Danish language|Danish]] |[[Dutch language|Dutch]] |[[English language|English]] |[[Finnish language|Finnish]] ||[[French language|French]] |[[German language|German]] |[[Greek language|Greek]] |[[Irish language|Irish]] |[[Italian language|Italian]] |[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] |[[Spanish language|Spanish]] |[[Swedish language|Swedish]]}}
|wikisource      = Treaty of Amsterdam
|footnotes       = <hr><small>'''After amendments made by the Amsterdam Treaty:'''<br>[http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/treaty_establishing_the_european_atomic_energy_community_rome_25_march_1957_consolidated_version_1997-en-f0cac9d5-94e8-41f3-a5dc-59b9263605b1.html Consolidated version of EURATOM treaty (1997)]</small><br><hr><small>[http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/treaty_establishing_the_european_coal_and_steel_community_paris_18_april_1951_consolidated_version_1997-en-ab08ab1b-6476-44c5-965f-261f12315a88.html Consolidated version of the ECSC treaty (1997)]</small><br><hr><small>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:11997E&from=EN Consolidated version of TEC (1997)]</small><br><hr><small>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:11997M/TXT&from=EN Consolidated version of TEU (1997)]</small>
}}
{{Politics of the European Union}}
The '''Treaty of Amsterdam''', officially the '''Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts''', was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999;<ref name=tofa>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/treaty/pdf/amst-en.pdf Text of "Treaty of Amsterdam"]</ref> it made substantial changes to the [[Maastricht Treaty]], which had been signed in 1992.

Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, member states agreed to transfer certain powers from national governments to the [[European Parliament]] across diverse areas, including legislating on immigration, adopting civil and [[criminal law]]s in [[European Union#Governance|areas of shared and exclusive competency]], and enacting [[common foreign and security policy]] (CFSP), as well as implementing institutional changes for expansion as new member nations join the EU.

==Background==
The treaty was the result of long negotiations which began in [[Messina]], Italy, on 2 June 1995, nearly forty years after the signing of the [[Treaty of Rome]], and reached completion in [[Amsterdam]] on 18 June 1997. Following the formal signing of the Treaty on 2 October 1997, the [[member state]]s engaged in an equally long and complex ratification process. The European Parliament endorsed the treaty on 19 November 1997, and after two referendums and 13 decisions by parliaments, the member states finally concluded the procedure.

==Contents==
The Treaty of Amsterdam comprises 13 protocols, 51 declarations adopted by the [[Intergovernmental Conference|Conference]], and eight declarations by member states, plus amendments to the existing treaties set out in 15 articles. Article 1 (containing 16 paragraphs) amends the general provisions of the Treaty on European Union and covers the CFSP and cooperation in criminal and police matters. The next four articles (70 paragraphs) amend the [[EC Treaty]], the [[European Coal and Steel Community]] Treaty (which expired in 2002), the [[Euratom Treaty]], and the Act concerning the election of the European Parliament. The final provisions contain four articles. The new treaty also set out to simplify the Community Treaties, deleting more than 56 obsolete articles and renumbering the rest in order to make the whole more legible. By way of example, Article 189b on the [[codecision procedure]] became Article 251.

The most pressing concerns of ordinary Europeans, such as their legal and personal security, immigration, and fraud prevention, were all dealt with in other chapters of the treaty. In particular, the EU became responsible for legislating on immigration, [[Private law|civil law]] or [[civil procedure]], insofar as this is necessary for the free movement of persons within the EU. At the same time, intergovernmental co-operation was intensified in the police and criminal justice field so that member states should be able to coordinate their activities more effectively. The Union aims to establish an area of freedom, security and justice for its citizens. The [[Schengen Agreement]]s have now been incorporated into the legal system of the EU ([[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] remains outside the Schengen agreement due to its open border with the [[United Kingdom]], see [[Common Travel Area]] for details).

The treaty lays down new principles and responsibilities in the field of the common foreign and security policy, with the emphasis on projecting the EU's values to the outside world, protecting its interests, and reforming its modes of action. The [[European Council]] will lay down common strategies, which will then be put into effect by the Council acting by a qualified majority, subject to certain conditions. In other cases, some member states may choose to abstain "constructively", i.e. without actually preventing actions being taken.

The treaty introduced a [[High Representative]] for [[EU Foreign Policy]] who, together with the Presidents of the Council and the [[European Commission]], puts a "name and a face" on EU policy to the outside world. Although the Amsterdam Treaty did not provide for a common defence, it did increase the EU's responsibilities for [[peacekeeping]] and humanitarian work, in particular by forging closer links with [[Western European Union]].

=== Institutions ===
As for the institutions, there were two major reforms concerning the co-decision procedure (the legislative procedure involving the European Parliament and the council), affecting its scope—most legislation was adopted by the co-decision procedure—and its detailed procedures, with the parliament playing a much stronger role. The President of the commission will also have to earn the personal trust of the parliament, which will give them the authority to lay down the commission's policy guidelines and play an active part in choosing the Members of the commission by deciding on their appointment by common accord with the national governments. These provisions make the Commission more politically accountable, particularly vis-à-vis the European Parliament. Finally, the new Treaty enables, under very strict conditions, closer co-operation between member states which so wish. Closer co-operation may be established, on a proposal from the commission, in cases where it is not possible to take joint action, provided that such steps do not undermine the coherence of the EU or the rights and equality of its citizens.

==Challenges==
The Amsterdam Treaty did not settle all institutional questions. Work was still in progress on reforming the institutions to make them capable of operating effectively and democratically in a much enlarged EU. The most pressing issues were the composition of the commission and the weighting of member states' votes upon qualified majority voting. These questions were addressed in the [[Lisbon Treaty]].

== Signatures ==
{| width=100% style="margin:0em 0em 0em 0em; font-size:.95em; border:1px solid #CCCCCC; background:#FFFFFF; vertical-align:top;"
|-
| align="center" width="20%" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Belgium.svg|100px]]
| align="center" width="20%" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Denmark.svg|100px]]
| align="center" width="20%" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Finland.svg|100px]]
| align="center" width="20%" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA France.png|100px]]
| align="center" width="20%" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Greece.png|100px]]
|-
| [[Erik Derycke (politician)|Erik Derycke]]<br />{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Niels Helveg Petersen]]<br />{{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Tarja Halonen]]<br />{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Finland)|Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Hubert Védrine]]<br />{{flagicon|France}} [[French Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Theodoros Pangalos (politician)|Theodoros Pangalos]]<br />{{flagicon|Greece}} [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Ireland.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Italy.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Luxembourg.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA the Netherlands.png|100px]]
| align="center" height="85px" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Portugal.png|100px]]
|-

| [[Ray Burke (Irish politician)|Ray Burke]]<br />{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Lamberto Dini]]<br />{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Jacques Poos]]<br />{{flagicon|Luxembourg}} [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Luxembourg)|Luxembourgish Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Hans van Mierlo]]<br />{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Jaime Gama]]<br />{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Portugal)|Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Spain.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA the United Kingdom.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Sweden.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty FA Germany.png|100px]]
| align="center" | [[File:Amsterdam Treaty Austria.png|100px]]
|-
| [[Abel Matutes]]<br />{{flagicon|Spain}} [[List of Foreign Ministers of Spain|Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Doug Henderson (Labour politician)|Doug Henderson]]<br />{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Minister of State for Europe and North America|British Minister of State for Europe]]
| [[Lena Hjelm-Wallén]]<br />{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Klaus Kinkel]]<br />{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|German Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]<br />{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Austria)|Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
|}

===Withdrawal===
On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom [[Brexit|left the European Union]] and so withdrew from the treaty.

== EU evolution timeline ==
{{EU evolution timeline}}

==See also==
*[[Common Travel Area]]
*[[Enhanced cooperation]]
*[[Schengen Agreement]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|The Treaty of Amsterdam}}
{{Commons category|Treaty of Amsterdam}}
* [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:11997D/TXT The Amsterdam Treaty] – official site
* [http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/institutional_affairs/treaties/amsterdam_treaty/index_en.htm The Amsterdam treaty: a comprehensive guide]
* [http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/treaties/pdf/treaty_of_amsterdam/treaty_of_amsterdam_en.pdf Full text of the Amsterdam Treaty]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060721165930/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12002M/pdf/12002M_EN.pdf The Treaty on European Union] (as amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam – PDF 203Kb)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060721165837/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12002E/pdf/12002E_EN.pdf The Treaty establishing the European Community] (as amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam – PDF 488Kb)
* [http://www.historiasiglo20.org/europe/amsterdam.htm The History of the European Union – The Treaty of Amsterdam]
* [http://www.edf-feph.org/ European Disability Forum]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20050928002126/http://www.ebuindigo.org/gat-en.htm Guide to the Amsterdam Treaty] ([http://www.independentliving.org/docs3/edf98.html Single page])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060404104908/http://www.corporateeurope.org/observer0/maastricht.html The Amsterdam Summit in retrospect: Maastricht II and corporate lobby successes] ([[Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe|UNICE]])
* [http://www.pmckenna.com/agenda/treaty/amsterdam/social3.html The Amsterdam Treaty – How Industry Got Its Way] ([[European Round Table of Industrialists|ERT]])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204142/http://www.ena.lu/?lang=2&doc=20985 Amsterdam Treaty] – European Navigator

{{EU treaties and declarations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Treaties amending the founding treaties of the European Union|Amsterdam]]
[[Category:Treaties concluded in 1997]]
[[Category:Treaties entered into force in 1999]]
[[Category:1997 in the European Union]]
[[Category:1999 in the European Union]]