In what ways can Maastricht be considered as a watershed in the European Integration?

Résumé du document

The Treaty of the European Union, that was signed in Maastricht in February 1992 and entered into force in November 1993, states that "This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe?. The Treaty of Maastricht represents an attempt to reconcile the economic union with the political union, with the final objective of strengthening the European Integration. In my presentation, I will try to show how this treaty represents a unique turning point in the European integration process in many ways.

Extraits

[...] The idea is to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the institutions and to improve the effectiveness of the institutions. Finally, it establishes an economic and monetary union aiming to launch a single and stable currency for Europe. Maastricht thus represents the first real reform aiming at creating a real change in the structure and in the philosophy of European Union, taking the EU into new policy areas. C. Some problems However, this key treaty had a tough time coming into force and the ratification of the Treaty of Maastricht by the national parliaments was long and difficult. [...]

[...] But eventually, the Treaty of Maastricht came into force in November 1993. II. The pillar structure: a new conception of the Union The new structure is based on three pillars, as if the EU was a Greek temple sustained by three pillars: the first pillar, the central one, is the European Community Pillar, the EC. It is based on supranational competencies, which means that the decisions are made by qualified majority voting. The two other new pillars, the lateral ones, are based on the cooperation among the governments and refer to the Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and to Justice and Home Affaires pillar (JHA). [...]

[...] Germany : Treaty sent to the constitutional court, finally approved in October The pillar structure : a new conception of the European Union A. The European Community pillar the central supranational* pillar The Economic and Monetary Union : the most important agreement consists in a three-stage process, following the Delors Report proposals, leading to the launch of a single and stable European currency The social protocol, relating to employment, working, and social condition B. The Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar (CFSP), intergovernmental* The concept of European citizenship: right to circulate and to reside freely, to vote and to be a candidate for European elections, to receive protection and to submit a complaint. [...]

[...] An ambitious project In this context, two intergovernmental conferences were held from December 1990 to December 1991 on both monetary and political union, and the proposals of these IGC were incorporated in the Treaty. This is also a watershed in the European Integration, as this was the first time two intergovernmental conferences were held at the same time. This was a very ambitious project for many reasons. First of all the Treaty constitutes a new key stage in European integration since it opens the way to political integration. [...]

[...] It destabilised the geopolitical area of the Eastern Europe and brought recondiseration of political aspects of the European Community. Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission between 1985 and 1995, even talked about an acceleration of history Indeed, the prospect of German reunification raised concern in Europe, some countries fearing a resurgence of nationalism. Many Europeans feared that a new unified and more powerful Germany would become a threat, as a more independent country leaving the path of peaceful European integration. [...]