European Council of Nice 7-9 December 2000

Three of the most important topics discussed at the European Council of Nice were the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the adoption of the European Social Agenda, and – within the framework of the Intergovernmental Conference – the draft of the Treaty of Nice.
The European Council supported the dissemination of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, jointly proclaimed by the EU Council, the European Parliament and the Commission, among the citizens of the Union. The Charter, signed by EU leaders on 7 December 2000, guarantees the rights of EU citizens and residents. These rights include respect for private and family life, protection of personal data, the right to marry and found a family, as well as the right to education.
Additionally, it approved the European Social Agenda to contribute to the strengthening and modernization of the European social model with specific actions in all areas of social policy for the following five years.
Within the framework of the Intergovernmental Conference, the Heads of State and Government reached an agreement on the draft Treaty of Nice. It should be noted that the Intergovernmental Conference began its work on 14 February 2000 and completed it in Nice, where significant agreements were reached that paved the way for the accession of new member states. These agreements concerned in particular the mechanisms of enhanced cooperation between member states within a more flexible system, the composition and size of the Commission as well as the strengthening of the position of its President, reforms regarding the weighting of votes in the Council and the extension of qualified majority voting, the strengthening of the role of the European Parliament by extending its participation in co-decision procedures and a new distribution of seats in the European Parliament.
In the end, it was agreed that the texts would be submitted for the necessary final legal wording and harmonization in view of the signing of the Treaty in early 2001 in Nice. The Treaty of Nice was signed on 26 February 2001 and entered into force on 1 February 2003.