Portugal and the institutional reform of the European Union

Abstract

The author describes the institutional problems of the European Union of today. These problems arise mainly from the difficulty that institutions designed for six founding states have in operating with 15 members today and, tomorrow, maybe more than 20. It analyses the modest contribution made to institutional reform by the Treaty of Amsterdam. The current impasse leads us to foresee the immediate need for a new intergovernmental conference. The author describes the three basic positions on institutional reform: federalism, the directory of the big countries and the status quo, and then points out some of the lines for probable evolution in the near future.