However, the past year was positively marked by some momentous decisions, such as the decision to begin implementing the Treaty of Amsterdam, the decision to incorporate the Schengen Agreement into the Community pillar, and the decision of the Cologne Council to create a Charter of Fundamental Rights and the decision of the Extraordinary European Council in Tampere to bind the Member States to common directions, priorities and goals with a view to creating a common area of freedom, security and justice.