The Treaty of Nice and beyond: Realities and illusions of power in the EU

Book abstract:

This book is one of the latest in the Contemporary European Studies series published by Sheffield Academic Press. The series aims to provide authoritative texts on the important aspects of European integration. Indeed, this publication covers one of the most significant and most talked about events in the recent history of the European Union - the Nice Treaty.

This book provides the background to the Nice Intergovernmental Conference and goes on to analyse the consequences of the treaty negotiated at Nice for the EU institutions and the decision-making process from the practitioner's perspective. Issues such as the impact of the changes to the institutional structure agreed at Nice, the dynamics of the Intergovernmental Conference and plans for future reform of the European Union and the next IGC are all discussed against the backdrop of the approaching enlargement of the Union. The final chapter provides an overall assessment of the achievements at Nice and discusses the challenges of the debate on the future of Europe and the next EU treaty.

A series of appendices at the back of the book provide the reader with a collection of the key Nice texts relating to enlargement, qualified majority voting, enhanced co-operation and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Published so soon after the signing of the Treaty of Nice on 26 February 2001 this book provides students and those interested in the future of the European Union, with a thorough overview of the key issues of this important EU treaty and some suggestions of future challenges facing the European Union.