Speech by the President of the European Commission ahead of the Amsterdam European Council

The President of the European Commission, Jacques Santer, in his address to the European Parliament, refers to the upcoming Amsterdam European Council (16-17 June) and the final obstacles that need to be resolved regarding the Treaty reform. This will show whether the work of the Intergovernmental Conference in this direction has been effective. Specifically, he mentions the reduction of the gap between the European project and citizens (e.g., unemployment-employment and economy, area of freedom, security and justice), the resources that need to be found for the EU to exist in the international arena of developments (e.g., CFSP capabilities), and the institutional revision of the bodies (e.g., extension of qualified majority voting in the Council, co-legislative powers for the European Parliament, approval of the President of the European Commission by the European Parliament).