Besides the Treaties' structure, the second most visible changes brought about by the Constitution are of an institutional nature.

These reforms concern the number of institutions and their respective powers, composition or internal functioning.

They also give increased rights to political actors other than the EU institutions, such as the national Parliaments, the Committee of the Regions and the citizens themselves.

They establish a number of ‘facilitating’ mechanisms in order to allow for more flexibility in the functioning of an enlarged EU: ‘enhanced cooperation’ among some of the Member States, pre‐established cases of ‘inbuilt closer cooperation’, simplified revision procedures for amending the Constitution and an express right for a Member State to withdraw voluntarily from the EU.

Section 1: Adapting the institutions to an enlarged EU

The number of EU institutions is increased from five to seven, by the addition of the European Council and of the European Central Bank. Their respective powers are somewhat reshuffled through a widening of the scope of the codecision procedure, an increase in the number of cases where a (redefined) QMV in the Council will apply, the creation of the new offices of a full‐time European Council President and of a Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, the formal mentioning of the Eurogroup which will be chaired by a President elected by his peers and, finally, a reduced number of Commissioners as from 2014.