Ratification Process:

Austria: The ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty required a special constitutional law before matters on the treaty proper could be decided. Such a law requires the presence of at least half of the members of parliament and a two-thirds majority of the votes (Const. Art. 44.1). The Austrian parliament adopted both proposals with the required majorities on July 9, 1998 (European Union 1999).

Belgium: The parliament ratified the Amsterdam Treaty on February 5, 1999 (AFP, February 6, 1999) with the last vote necessary, namely that of the Brussels region. All other parliaments, namely the upper and lower house as well as the regional and community assemblies, had already adopted the treaty well before (European Union 1999), each according to the requirement of a simple majority. The consent of the regional and community parliaments became necessary because the Amsterdam Treaty infringed on some of their powers.

Denmark: The Danish parliament voted on the Amsterdam Treaty on May 7, 1998, with 92 MPs voting in favor, and 22 against, thus failing to clear the requirement of a 5/6 majority of the 175 MPs (AFP, May 8, 1998). Hence, the ratification could only be completed by holding a referendum, as had happened with the Maastricht Treaty. Despite some shivers, Denmark ratified the Amsterdam Treaty by referendum on May 28, 1998 with 55.1 % voting in favor (European Union 1999).

Finland: The Finnish president ratified the Amsterdam Treaty on July 19, 1998 (AFP, July 10, 1998). This followed the parliamentary ratification, which required a constitutional change. According to Art. 69.1 of the Parliament Act, treaties necessitating constitutional amendments can only be adopted if two-thirds of the members of parliament vote in favor. The Amsterdam Treaty easily cleared this ratification hurdle on June 15, 1998 with the support of more than two-thirds of the MPs (AFP, June 15, 1998).

France: On December 31, 1997 the French constitutional court came to the conclusion that the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty required a constitutional change (European Information Service, European Report, January 7, 1998, Millns 1999). More than a year later, on January 18, 1999, the French parliament adopted in a joint session in Versailles, by the Congress method, a constitutional amendment. It achieved the required three-fifths majority with 758 votes in favor and 111 against (AFP, January 18, 1999). Subsequently, the lower house voted on March 3 with 447 in favor, 75 against and 10 abstentions, followed by the Senate on March 16, 1999 with 271 yes and 41 against (AFP, March 16, 1999) to adopt the Amsterdam Treaty.

Germany The German Bundestag ratified the treaty on March 5, 1998 by a vote of 561 in favor, 34 against and 50 abstentions (AFP, March 5, 1998). The Bundesrat voted unanimously for the treaty on March 27 (AFP, March 27, 1998; European Information Service, European Report, April 1, 1998). Thus, it fulfilled the requirement of bicameral approval by two-thirds majorities, which had become necessary since the Amsterdam Treaty infringed on some prerogatives of the Länder and infringed on the constitution.

Greece: The Greek parliament adopted the Amsterdam Treaty on February 17, 1999 (European Union 1999), clearing the three-fifths majority hurdle which exists for ratifications of treaties transferring powers to supranational organizations.

Ireland: Ireland adopted the necessary constitutional change by referendum on May 22, 1998, with 61.7 percent of the voters voting in favor. Subsequently the Seanad (June 18, 1998) and the Dail (June 25, 1998) ratified the Amsterdam Treaty (European Union) by simple majorities, as required by the constitution.

Italy: The lower house ratified the Amsterdam Treaty March 25, 1998 by 428 in favor, one vote against and 44 abstentions (Agence Europe No. 7201, 16.4.1998; AP, June 3, 1998). Thus, it easily cleared the constitutionally required simple majorities in both chambers.

Luxembourg: The lower house approved the Amsterdam Treaty on July 9, 1998 by 55 in favor and 4 abstentions (Agence Europe No. 7261, July 1, 1998) and thus easily fulfilled the requirement of a two-thirds majority in parliament, which is required for treaties transferring powers to supranational organizations.

Netherlands: The upper house (75 members) unanimously approved the Amsterdam Treaty on December 22, 1998 (AFP, December 22, 1998). It thus followed the Tweede Kamer (lower house) which had adopted the treaty on November 5, 1998 (European Union 1999). The constitution in both cases requires simple majorities for the ratification.

Portugal: The Portuguese government originally attempted to adopt the Amsterdam Treaty by referendum. The constitutional court, however, judged the question too vague and rejected the call for a referendum (Neue Zürcher Zeitung, July 7, 1998, 5). Subsequently, the Portuguese parliament adopted the treaty on January 6, 1999 (European Union 1999) by the required simple majority.

Spain: Both chambers of the Spanish parliament adopted the treaty in the fall of 1998, namely on October 8 (Chamber of Deputies) and November 24 (Senate) (European Union 1999), by the constitutionally required simple majorities.

Sweden: The Swedish parliament ratified the Amsterdam Treaty on April 29, 1998 by 226 votes in favor, 40 against and 7 abstentions (AFP, 29.4.1998). The constitution requires for ratification a three-quarters majority to ratify a new treaty, provided the treaty transfers powers to a supranational organization.

United Kingdom: The Amsterdam treaty was adopted by the House of Commons on January 19, 1998, followed by the House of Lords on June 11, 1998 (European Union 1999). Thus, the parliament translated the Amsterdam Treaty into national law, which requires simple majorities.