Nice, Treaty of

Treaty on changes to the institutional machinery of the European Union (EU) to pave the way for enlargement. It was agreed at the European Council meeting in Nice, France, in December 2000 and signed on 26 February 2001, and was ratified by all EU member states. As a result ten new member states joined the EU in 2004.

Under the treaty, qualified majority voting in the Council of the European Union was extended to a further 30 policy areas (including trade in some services, aspects of asylum and immigration policy, regulation of the European Court of Justice, and decisions on senior appointments such as president of the European Commission). From 2005, the European Commission will be composed of one member from each country, up to 27. However, by 2007 the membership will be capped at 20, with smaller states being represented by rotation.

The treaty also created new arrangements for groups of eight or more countries within the EU to pursue closer cooperation on certain issues without involving every member state.