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Maastricht, Treaty of
Maastricht, Treaty of (1992) Officially known as the Treaty of the European Union (TEU), it formally established the European Union (EU). It added to the European Commission, which came to be recognized as the first pillar, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP) as the second pillar, and cooperation on Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) as the third pillar of the EU. This complex pillar structure was adopted because ministers wanted to cooperate on the sensitive policy areas of defence and immigration while keeping it away from the ever-growing influence of the European Commission and the European Court of Justice. The TEU established the principle of subsidiarity, an ill-defined concept according to which the community institutions should only act if matters could not be better dealt with at a lower, national or regional level. The TEU also established a European citizenship. Effective through the national citizenship of each member state, it guaranteed mutual consular protection in third countries, and the right to vote (and be elected) in the local and European elections of any EU country of residence. Most importantly, perhaps, the TEU adopted a three-stage plan for the creation of European Monetary Union (EMU), and the adoption of the euro in 1999. The TEU fundamentally changed the nature of the European Community. It failed, however, to reform its institutions and streamline them to reflect the Community's growing importance, and to prepare the EU for its next great challenge, the integration of the applicant states of central, eastern, and southern Europe. For this reason, it instituted a further intergovernmental conference, in order to prepare for the Treaty of Amsterdam.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maastricht, Treaty of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maastricht, Treaty of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MaastrichtTreatyof.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Maastricht, Treaty of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-MaastrichtTreatyof.html |
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Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty A treaty signed by the 12 member states of the EUROPEAN UNION, agreed in February 1992, which came into effect on 1 November 1993. The treaty - officially known as the ‘Treaty on European Union’ - envisages political union, with the concept of ‘union citizenship’; eventual monetary union under a European Central Bank; common policies on foreign affairs and security, with the WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION becoming the military arm of the Community; greater cooperation on domestic and environmental matters; some strengthening of the European Parliament; and ‘subsidiarity’, that is, an effective level of demarcation between the powers and responsibilities of the EU institutions and individual member states. The ratification by the member states was complicated by disagreements over certain clauses of the treaty. Britain refused to accept the Social Charter in 1992, a section of the treaty that protects the rights of employees, but agreed to it in 1997. However, Britain secured the right to refuse to adopt the single European currency. Denmark at first rejected the treaty in a referendum, but agreed to ratify it in a second referendum, having negotiated the right to ‘opt out’ of various provisions regarding monetary union, citizenship, and defence.
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"Maastricht Treaty." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maastricht Treaty." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-MaastrichtTreaty.html "Maastricht Treaty." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-MaastrichtTreaty.html |
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Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty (February 7, 1992) Agreement on European Union (EU) signed by the leaders of 12 European nations at Maastricht, se Netherlands. The treaty included a timetable for the introduction of a single currency (the euro); a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), with the Western European Union (WEU) as a possible defence arm of the EU; a common European citizenship for nationals of all member states, and the extension of European cooperation in justice and home affairs. The treaty introduced the principle of subsidiarity, whereby decisions are taken at the most appropriate level: local, regional or national. It extended qualified majority voting in the European Council of Ministers and increased the powers of the European Parliament (EP) over the budget and the European Commission. Eleven states adopted a separate protocol on social policy (the social chapter), with the UK opting-out. The UK signed up to the social chapter in the Amsterdam Treaty (1997).
http://eu.int/en/record/mt/top.html |
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"Maastricht Treaty." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maastricht Treaty." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-MaastrichtTreaty.html "Maastricht Treaty." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-MaastrichtTreaty.html |
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Maastricht, treaty of
Maastricht, treaty of. Popular name for the treaty on European Union, signed on 7 February 1992 at Maastricht in the Netherlands by the twelve EEC members. The treaty amended the treaty of Rome and Single European Act, making institutional changes, increasing the competence of the European Union (EEC), and giving the European Council (meetings of heads of government) greater powers in the fields of defence and immigration. John Major, the British prime minister, obtained opt-outs for the social chapter and single currency and claimed the negotiations as a victory. This satisfied neither those who wanted full participation, nor Euro-sceptics who feared a loss of sovereignty.
Christopher N. Lanigan |
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JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Maastrichttreatyof.html JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Maastrichttreatyof.html |
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Maastricht, treaty of
Maastricht, treaty of Popular name for the treaty on European Union, signed on 7 February 1992 at Maastricht in the Netherlands by the twelve EEC members. The treaty amended the treaty of Rome and Single European Act, increasing the competence of the European Union (EEC), and giving the European Council (meetings of heads of government) greater powers in the fields of defence and immigration. John Major, the British prime minister, obtained opt‐outs for the social chapter and single currency and claimed the negotiations as a triumph.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Maastrichttreatyof.html JOHN CANNON. "Maastricht, treaty of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Maastrichttreatyof.html |
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Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty a treaty on European economic and monetary union, agreed by the heads of government of the twelve member states of the European Community at a summit meeting in Maastricht in December 1991. Ratification was completed in October 1993.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maastricht Treaty." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maastricht Treaty." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-MaastrichtTreaty.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Maastricht Treaty." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-MaastrichtTreaty.html |
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