(97) Clearly, in Nice, the old EU-15 realized that the organization was in much need of major institutional reform. The Intergovernmental Conference (IGC),20 which preceded the Nice meeting, had to come up with a vision of how the Union could function effectively with an expanded membership. Without going into too much detail,21 Nice limited the size of the European Parliament to 732 members, while also placing a ceiling on the number of commissioners (a maximum of 27). After acrimonious and lengthy negotiations, the summit also agreed to a new voting formula for the Council of Ministers, which acts as the intergovernmental forum of the member states with the main responsibility of approving legislation. Apart from these institutional changes, the EU also tried to silence its critics by addressing democratic shortcomings, specifically the lack of a fundamental rights agenda. • Changes 1. European Parliament capped at 732 MEPs 2. Council of Ministers: more policies that will be decided under majority voting by using a new voting system 3. Commission: maximum 27 members 4. Commission president can fire commissioners and change their portfolios • Aspects Not Addressed 1. Fundamental rights charter still not part of EU law 2. Unanimity voting remained in such policy areas as tax, cohesion, CFSP,JHA.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 06:20:00 +0000
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