Treaty reform in the European Union: the Amsterdam process

Amsterdam's Treaty reform was part of an interlocking process of adaptation at several levels of EU decision-making, While Commission and Parliament did contribute to the negotiation's agenda-shaping, the endgame was dominated by the preferences set within the fifteen member states. Rather than focusing on pre-emptive institutional spillover in preparation for enlargement, the Amsterdam negotiation was characterized by a 'maintaining national control trend'. As Treaty reform must be approved by unanimity, the reluctant governments were able to obtain safeguards allowing them to remain in control either through veto right or via the consolidation of national competences.