Tag Archives: Maastricht

Treaty on European Union

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The Maastricht Treaty, also known as the Treaty on European Union, was signed on February 7, 1992. It became active on November 1, 1993, during the Delors Commission. It established the European Union and led to the creation of the Euro. It was amended by the treaties of Lisbon, Nice, and Amsterdam.

Upon creation, the European Union was comprised of three pillars: the European Communities, which dealt with economic, social, and environmental policies, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which handled foreign policy and military matters, and the Police and Judicial Co-Operation in Criminal Matters, which focussed on law enforcement and fighting crime. The three pillar structure was abandoned on December 1, 2009, when the Treaty of Lisbon became active.

The Maastricht Treaty and the European Union

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Main Points:

1. Established the European Union, forming a union of states and peoples, demonstrating consistency and solidarity between the member states. Recognized that despite the differences between European nations, there was a distinctly European identity shared by all member states.
2. Established a common currency, the Euro, for all member states, which would tie the economies of all member states together. This is significant because inflation or deflation of the Euro, or any other economic activity for that matter, would significantly affect all the economies of the European Union. In addition to a common currency, the treaty broke down barriers to trade within the Union in order to stimulate all the economies of member states.
3. Mandated sustainable fiscal policies by the member states, including the maintenance of a debt no larger than 60% of that country’s GDP, and annual deficits no larger than 3% of that country’s GDP. Since the economies of all member countries would be tied to a single currency, it was very important to establish guidelines for successful and sustainable fiscal policies. An economic disaster in one state could lead to a continent-wide depression.

Questions:
1. What were some of the major challenges in switching all of these economies to the Euro from their original currencies, and what was the time frame in which the switch occurred?
2. What was the primary impetus for the formation of the European Union, since trade agreements in Europe had already existed for decades?

Observation:
The European Union began with twelve member states, and has grown to include 28 members since its inception. There are more states waiting to join the Union, perhaps most notably Turkey.