Treaty of Maastricht on European Union

 

SUMMARY OF:

The Treaty on European Union

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE TREATY?

• Maastricht is an ambitious treaty. It creates the European Union. This encompasses 3 separate strands (so-called pillars):
  • the European Communities,
  • a common foreign and security policy, and
  • cooperation between EU governments on justice and home affairs.
• Among its most prominent innovations, the treaty:
  • lays the foundations for economic and monetary union, the single currency (the euro) and the criteria for its use;
  • provides the legal basis for 6 new EU common policies;
  • strengthens the powers of the European Parliament; and
  • introduces the concept of European citizenship.

KEY POINTS

European Communities (1st pillar)

This groups the traditional activities, working and decision-making procedures of the 3 original EU organisations:

• European Economic Community,
• European Coal and Steel Community,
• Euratom.

Common foreign and security policy (2nd pillar)

This aims to:

• safeguard the EU’s common values, fundamental interests and independence;
• strengthen the security of the EU and its member countries;
• preserve peace and international security in line with United Nations’ principles;
• promote international cooperation;
• develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Cooperation on justice and home affairs (3rd pillar)

This aims to provide the public with a high level of safety by:

• establishing rules and controls for the EU’s external borders;
• fighting against terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking and international fraud;
• organising criminal and civil judicial cooperation;
• creating a European Police Office (Europol) for information exchange between national forces;
• controlling illegal immigration;
• developing a common asylum policy.

Economic and monetary union

EU countries must:

• coordinate their economic policies;
• provide multilateral surveillance of this coordination;
• respect financial and budgetary discipline.

Common currency (euro)

This:

• is introduced in 3 stages:
  • liberalisation of capital movements (from 1 January 1990);
  • convergence of national economic policies (from 1 January 1994);
  • creation of a single currency and a European Central Bank (from 1 January 1999 at the latest);
• sets out criteria on inflation, levels of public debt, interest rates and exchange rates countries must meet before adopting the euro;
• provides an opt out for the UK (1) from the 3rd stage and subjects Danish participation to a national referendum.

New policies

The EU is given responsiblity for:

• trans-European networks (TEN);
• industrial policy;
• consumer protection;
• education and vocational training;
• youth issues;
• culture.

Social protocol

• This extends EU responsibility to:
  • promote employment;
  • improve living and working conditions;
  • provide adequate social protection;
  • conduct a social dialogue;
  • develop human resources to ensure a high and sustainable level of employment;
  • integrate people excluded from the labour market.
• The UK (1) has an opt out from the social protocol.

European citizenship

This gives every national of an EU country the right to:

• travel and live freely anywhere in the EU;
• vote and stand as a candidate in European and local elections in the country in which they live;
• diplomatic assistance and protection by other member countries’ embassies and consulates;
• petition the European Parliament and address any complaints of EU administrative malpractice to the European Ombudsman.

Institutional changes

These include:

• increased legislative powers for the European Parliament;
• more majority voting when EU governments adopt legislation;
• creation of a Committee of the Regions;
• application of the subsidiarity principle, whereby the EU will only act if this is more effective at the EU rather than national level.

FROM WHEN DOES THE TREATY APPLY?

It was signed on 7 February 1992 and entered into force on 1 November 1993.

BACKGROUND

Officially known as the Treaty on European Union, the Maastricht Treaty marked the beginning of ‘a new stage in the process of creating an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe’ by giving the previous communities a political dimension.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Treaty on European Union (OJ C 191, 29.7.1992, pp. 1-112)

last update 21.03.2018

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(1) The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union and becomes a third country (non-EU country) as of 1 February 2020.