Maastricht Treaty

The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). It was concluded in 1992 between the twelve member states of the European Communities. The treaty announced "a new stage in the process of European integration" and included important provisions for a shared European citizenship and the eventual introduction of a single currency.

The treaty also talked about common foreign and security policies and made changes to European institutions and their decision-making procedures. It strengthened the powers of the European Parliament and introduced more majority voting in the Council of Ministers. Although some people thought these changes would lead to a "federal Europe", many important decisions still needed to be made by national governments together.

After the Eurozone debt crisis that began in 2009, the Maastricht Treaty became well-known for its rules, called the "Maastricht criteria", which countries had to follow to join the currency union. The treaty was negotiated during a time of big changes in the world, including the end of the Cold War and the re-unification of Germany, as well as the fast pace of globalisation. This led to disagreements between countries that wanted closer ties and those that wanted to keep more control over their own decisions.

Overview

The Maastricht Treaty, also called the Treaty on European Union, was signed in 1992. It brought together twelve countries working together in Europe and aimed to make their union even closer. The treaty created the European Union (EU) based on three groups that already worked together: the European Economic Community, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community.

The treaty had several important goals. It introduced a shared European citizenship, planned for a single currency, and wanted to work together on foreign and security policies. It also changed how European institutions made decisions, giving more power to the European Parliament. The treaty included rules to help poorer regions and to protect the environment, among other things. It also set up a way for countries to work together on justice and home affairs. The treaty officially began on January 1, 1993, after all countries agreed to it.

Procedural history

Signatories

The countries that signed the Maastricht Treaty were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Ratification

The treaty needed to be approved by each country following their own rules. Denmark, France, and Ireland held votes where people could say yes or no.

In Denmark, the first vote in June 1992 did not approve the treaty, but after some changes, a second vote in May 1993 did approve it. Ireland approved the treaty in June 1992 with a big majority. France approved it in September 1992, but only just barely.

In the United Kingdom, there was a lot of disagreement in the government about the treaty. The prime minister tied the approval of the treaty to keeping his government in power. Germany approved the treaty in December 1992 after some changes to their laws and after a court checked that it was okay. Germany was the last country to approve it, and the treaty officially started on November 1, 1993.

Citizenship of the European Union

When the European Economic Community started in 1957, people believed that if goods, money, and workers could move freely, it would help build a stronger market across Europe. Over time, people began to think that those moving should have the right to live and work in other countries for their own good and their families’ well-being.

The Maastricht Treaty said that anyone who is a citizen of a country in the European Union is also a citizen of the EU. This means people can live and work in any EU country. For the first time, they also have the right to vote and run for office in local and European elections in their new home. However, the treaty did not fully solve questions about access to things like public services and welfare money. People still talked about who should get help from these systems.

Economic and monetary union

French President François Mitterrand changed his plans in 1983 because of problems with the value of the franc. After this, he wanted Germany to join France in sharing one currency. When Germany wanted to join back together after the fall of the Berlin Wall, France agreed only if Germany would use a shared currency instead of the Deutsche Mark.

In 1992, the British government had to leave a system that kept currencies stable because of big money problems. This caused some stress in other countries too. The Maastricht Treaty set rules for countries to join a shared currency called the Euro. These rules included keeping inflation, debt, and interest rates low and keeping currency values steady. The European Central Bank was created to manage this shared currency and focus on keeping prices stable.

Foreign and security policy, justice and home affairs

The Maastricht Treaty talked about two important areas besides the main European Community. These were foreign and security policy, and justice and home affairs. These were called the second and third "pillars" of the European Union.

Before this treaty, countries had already been working together on foreign and security matters since the 1970s under something called European Political Cooperation. They also had rules for working together on law enforcement, criminal justice, and immigration from agreements made earlier, like the Schengen Agreement. The new treaty asked governments to keep talking and sharing ideas in meetings, but decisions were still made by each country separately, not by the European Community's groups. The treaty also mentioned a group called the West European Union, which was part of NATO, to help with decisions about defense, but each country could still decide for itself what to do. This was partly to make sure the United Kingdom could keep following its own ideas, supported by some other countries.

Subsidiarity and co-decision

The Maastricht Treaty made an important idea called subsidiarity a clear rule. This rule asks whether actions are best done by national governments or by the European Union. It suggests that actions should only be taken at the European level if national efforts cannot achieve the goal.

The treaty also introduced a new principle called co-decision. This gave the European Parliament the power to work together with the Council of Ministers when making laws. This helped balance differences between the Parliament and the Council, leading to better ways to solve problems together.

Amending Treaties

The Maastricht Treaty changed the agreements that created the European Communities in the 1950s. After Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, the treaty was updated by the treaties of Amsterdam in 1997 and Nice in 2001. Later, when twelve more countries joined—including ten from the former Eastern Bloc such as Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, along with Cyprus and Malta—the treaties were reviewed again. In 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon made more changes and renamed the Treaty Establishing the European Community to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Timeline

Since the end of World War II, many European countries have worked together through treaties. This helped them share rules and make decisions in more areas, which is part of building Europe closer together. The European Union grew from earlier groups called the European Communities, started in the 1950s based on an important message for peace called the Schuman Declaration.