Amsterdam Treaty: a Comprehensive Guide
This Guide is provided by the European Commission as part of its Summaries of Legislation website. It gives the background to and objectives of the Amsterdam Treaty which was signed by the European Union member states in October 1997, amending two of the EU's fundamental treaties, the Treaty Establishing the European Community and the Treaty on European Union. A number of key issues are covered, including the Treaty's bearing on international security, human rights, social policy, foreign policy, commercial policy and EU institutional reforms.