For så vidt hører aftaleændringen og Europa-Kommissionens forhandlingsførerstilling inden for rammerne af regeringskonferencen 1996 til den handelspolitiske fitnesskur, Den Europæiske Union, dvs. verdens største handelspartner, skal gennemgå.
To this extent, the revision of the Treaty and the exclusive right of the European Commission to head the negotiations at the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference are designed to get the trading policy of the European Union, the world's biggest trading entity, back into shape.