The 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam was the result of thirty months of negotiation and major political debates in all the member states of the E.U. Praised as a triumph of the possible and a breakthrough in major policy areas by some, it has also attracted widespread criticism because of the reforms it postponed and the risks of fragmentation it introduced. Whatever its merits and deficiencies, it will have a major impact on the internal development of the E.U., its role in international relations, and the process of its enlargement to the Central and Eastern European countries.