The Treaty of Nice has been signed but not ratified by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen, at a ceremony in France today.
The Treaty puts into legal form the agreement reached by the Intergovernmental Conference in Nice last December, which set out preparations for EU enlargement, including institutional reforms to EU Commission membership, the weighting of EU Council votes, and the allocation of EU parliament seats.
However, in order to come into effect, the Treaty must be ratified by all fifteen Member States. Today all the States signed the Treaty and although none has ratified it yet, Mr Cowen said "to avoid delaying the enlargement process, the Member States have undertaken to do so by the end of 2002".
The text of the Treaty has been undergoing legal review in Ireland following calls last December by three parties for a referendum on the issue. It was established with a view to permitting ratification in Ireland, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, and is expected to conclude shortly.
Sinn Féin, the Greens and the Socialist Party called for a referendum on the Treaty of Nice last December on the basis that it constituted a threat to Irish neutrality, a diminution of Irish sovereignty and a further step towards transforming the European Union into a military super-state.
Mr Cowen, however, said today the Treaty "provides for reform in the institutions and decision-making procedures which will equip an enlarged Union to function effectively, while maintaining important balances".
Under the Treaty, from 2005 the five largest Member States will forego their right to nominate a second member of the Commission and each State will nominate one member until the Union reaches a capacity of 27. Also from 2005, decisions will be taken by a qualified majority only with the support of at least half of the Members.
However, with enlargement seat allocation at the European Parliament will be reduced per country. Ireland's current 15 MEPs will be reduced to 12.
Mr Cowen claimed today that the Treaty negotiations were "satisfactory from Ireland's viewpoint" and said he was particularly pleased that the requirement for unanimity on taxation was maintained.