Maastricht Treaty

What is the ‘Maastricht Treaty’

The Maastricht Treaty is the treaty that is responsible for the creation of the European Union, signed in Maastricht, a city in the Netherlands. The Maastricht Treaty was signed on February 7, 1992, by the leaders of 12 member nations, and it reflected the serious intentions of all countries to create a common economic and monetary union.

Also known as the Treaty on European Union.

Explaining ‘Maastricht Treaty’

The Maastricht Treaty aimed at unifying policies of defense, currency and citizenship among all member nations. The treaty required voters in each country to approve the European Union, which proved to be a hotly debated topic in many areas. The agreement took effect on November 1, 1993, with the creation of the European Union and has since been amended by other treaties.

Further Reading

  • State interests and institutional rule trajectories: A neorealist interpretation of the Maastricht treaty and European economic and monetary union – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
  • The Maastricht Treaty as High Politics: Germany, France, and European Integration – www.jstor.org [PDF]
  • The Maastricht Treaty, Economic and Monetary Union and the neo-realist research programme – www.jstor.org [PDF]
  • From the Maastricht Treaty to post-crisis EMU: The ECB and Germany as drivers of change – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
  • Negotiating the Maastricht Treaty – www.nomos-elibrary.de [PDF]
  • The politics of IMF–EU co-operation: institutional change from the Maastricht Treaty to the launch of the euro – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
  • The Maastricht Treaty at Twenty: A Greco-European Tragedy? – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
  • Budgetary collective action problems: convergence and compliance under the Maastricht Treaty on European Union – onlinelibrary.wiley.com [PDF]
  • No credit for transition: the Maastricht Treaty and German unemployment – ideas.repec.org [PDF]