Static – World History – The Two Europe Since 1945 – (5) | Focus – Mains
Notes for World History
THE MAASTRICHT TREATY (1991)
A summit meeting of all the heads of the member states was held in Maastricht (Netherlands) in 1991, and an agreement was drawn up for creating an even closer union among the peoples of Europe. Some of the points agreed were:
More powers for the European parliament
Greater economic and monetary union, to culminate in the adoption of a common currency (the euro).
A common foreign and security policy
Britain objected very strongly to the ideas of a federal Europe and monetary union, and to a whole section of Treaty known as ‘the Social Chapter’, which was a list of regulations designed to protect people at work.
The French, Dutch and Belgian govts supported the Treaty strongly because they thought it was the best way to make sure that the power of the reunified Germany was obtained and controlled within the Community.
The ordinary people of the Community were not as enthusiastic about the treaty as their leaders, for example, people of Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, France , Britain voted against it.
