By Martin Banks - 24th June 2007
The reform treaty hammered out at the summit brings an end to two years of drift that has plagued the EU since French and Dutch voters rejected the proposed constitution.
"What counts for me is that we have emerged from paralysis," declared German chancellor Angela Merkel at the end of the busy summit.Here are the main points of the deal struck by EU leaders in the early hours of Saturday.
On institutional reform, EU leaders will choose a president of their European council meetings for a term of two and a half years, with a two-term limit, instead of the current six-month rotating presidency.
The high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, currently Javier Solana, will also be vice-president of the commission, a move aimed at giving the EU a greater say on the world stage.
The representative will answer to governments and manage the commission’s huge external aid budget.
The commission will be cut from 27 members to 17, with commissioners selected on a rotation system among the 27 member states and sitting for five-year terms.
On the vexed issue of voting rights, EU voting will continue to be based on the present procedures agreed under the Nice treaty until 2014.
After that, voting will be based on the “double majority” system requiring 55 per cent of member states representing 65 per cent of the EU population to pass a decision.
However, from 2014 to 2017, any single member state can ask for a reversion to the old Nice rules for any vote during that time.
This effectively means Poland, which made a big issue of voting rights at the summit, has forced a delay of the new procedures until 2017.
The treaty will mean the EU will no longer need unanimity in 50 new areas, including judicial and police cooperation, education and economic policy.
Turning to another thorny issue, fundamental rights, the deal confers legally binding force on the existing Charter of Fundamental Rights which will be legally binding on 26 of the 27 member states, with the UK having successfully negotiated an opt-out.
As for the free market, Britain battled to keep support for the free market in the treaty, while France insisted on enshrining workers’ rights.
Compromise clauses supporting the free market have been kept in the treaty, but were taken out of a list of the EU’s guiding principles.
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