The Treaty of Amsterdam 1997

While the 1992 Maastricht Treaty established the Union and the principles on which it is based, many matters remained unresolved and for future determination. The Treaty of Amsterdam marked significant changes in respect of four principal areas: freedom, security and justice; the Union and the citizen; Common Foreign and Security Policy; and the EU Institutions. The Treaty of Amsterdam also introduced significant alterations to the three pillars. In relation to the structure of the Union, the 1997 Treaty transferred aspects of visas and asylum and immigration out of the third pillar and into the European Community pillar.