All of these matters will be dealt with later.
European Union literature makes frequent reference to the Treaties of Maastricht (1992), Amsterdam (1997), and Nice (2000), named after the town in which they were signed, in the Member State holding the presidency of the
7 These treaties, and other acts agreed on between the Member States, such as the 1986 Single European Act, have amended the three initial (or founding) Community Treaties – the 1951 Treaty of Paris (ECSC) and the two 1957 Treaties of Rome (EEC and EAEC) – which together constitute the first pillar of the Union. The most drastic change was introduced by the Treaty of Maastricht, which, as mentioned, established the European Union (including the monetary union) and created the three-pillar system, while the most conspicuous change was introduced by the Treaty of Amsterdam, which renumbered the articles, titles, and sections of the Treaty on European Union (EU) and the European Community (EC) Treaty, and deleted lapsed provisions of those treaties and of the ECSC and EAEC Treaties.
As for the Nice Treaty, it confirmed in a protocol the transfer of all assets and liabilities of the ECSC, expiring on July 23, 2002, to the European Community and stated that, except as otherwise provided, the provisions of the EC Treaty shall apply from then on to coal and steel.
The most important achievement of the Nice Treaty, however, was the political agreement reached, after a notoriously fractious summit meeting, on the institutional questions relevant to the upcoming (May 2004) enlargement: voting in the Council; composition of the Commission; and allocation of seats in the European Parliament. Some of the arrangements were introduced as legal amendments in a protocol on enlargement; others were simply set out in a declaration on enlargement and were to be made binding upon accession of the new Member States. Also important from a legal standpoint was the (modest) reform of the Union’s judicial system.8
How do the three pillars operate in relation with third countries (namely countries that are not members of the EU)? An illustration of the difference between the first pillar and the second and third pillars is the European Community’s common commercial policy, which belongs to the first pillar (Articles 131–34 EC), as compared with the European Union’s foreign and security policy, which belongs to the second pillar (Articles 11–28 EU), and the European Union’s cooperation in criminal matters, which belongs to the third pillar (Articles 29–42 EU).
7 See n. 1 above.
8 As a result of the reform, it is possible for the Council to create judicial panels to hear and determine at first instance certain classes of action in specific areas; see n. 16 below.
