Treaty of Nice – Institutional Reform of the EU and Balance of Power

The purpose of this article is to provide a political science analysis of the Treaty of Nice which was concluded by the European Council meeting in December 2000. First of all, as it is not yet known exactly when and in what order the applicant courtiers will join the Union, the new distribution of seats in the European Parliament, the new composition of the Commission and the new definition of qualified majority within the Council are determined for a Union of 15 member states. The Treaty restricts itself to setting our principles and methods for changing this system as the Union grows. The Treaty also encores changes in a balance of power between the member states in en enlarged Union.