A historic crossroads

Twenty years ago, on February 7 1992, the representatives of twelve European countries convened in Maastricht to affix their signature on the Treaty which took the name of this city in The Netherlands. The historical bearing of the Treaty, which stipulated the creation of the monetary union, establishing an irreversible date for the adoption of the common currency, is out of question. Moreover, the three European treaties that ensued and that are linked to the cities of Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon mainly addressed the question of adapting European bodies to a Union that was bound to welcome new members, owing to the collapse of Communist dictatorships in Central and Eastern Europe. Maastricht was thus the last major concrete step of the European project established in 1957 with the Treaty of Rome envisaged in the European Coal and Steel Community of 1951.The Treaty of Maastricht cannot be understood without the 1989 events that led to its establishment. Given that the 1987 statement already provided for the establishment of the European Union, concrete steps in this direction were made only owing to the thrust of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the prospect of a united Germany. The European summit in Strasbourg of December 9 1989 fixed the target of a common currency and introduced the intergovernmental conference that was tasked with drawing up a new treaty. On June 25 1990 it was decided, in Dublin, to hold a second intergovernmental conference devoted to the creation of a political union. Both conferences were officially held in Rome on December 15. The following year Luxembourg and The Netherlands succeeded each other to the presidency of the two intergovernmental conferences. Decisive talks took place during the European Council of December 9-10 1991 in Maastricht, owing to the strong thrust of Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand. The core of the new Treaty, signed only two months later in the same place, is known. The preamble announced the creation of a "European citizenship". The Treaty of Rome was amended with the introduction of the single currency, due to take place by January 1st 1999, and a social protocol (both without the endorsement of Great Britain) and with the principle of an increased number of German MPs in the European Parliament ensuing German reunification. The objective of a political union was replaced with the objective of a common foreign and security policy, with equally complex and inefficient mechanisms. However, it paved the way for joint action in the areas of justice and home affairs, while on the request of Germany, that called for extended integration, a new intergovernmental conference was scheduled for 1996. The weakness of foreign policy provisions, Germany’s reiterated demand to put into writing all the details regarding the process leading to the adoption of the common currency and monetary policy, whilst neglecting a monetary union, as well as the juridical restrictions of a document amending the Treaty of Rome, made the document excessively complex and unpopular. Its ratification was even more complex and long that expected. However, despite these flaws and the ongoing question of its unintelligibility, the Maastricht Treaty represents a major crossroads in European history. With this new bend, Europe’s construction has fully entered citizens’ conscience, and, en passant, also that of the Church, that was thus bound to step up her relations with European bodies with the rapid expansion of COMECE – and some time later – with the creation of an apostolic nunciature for European affairs in Brussels.