MaastrichtVertrag

The Maastricht Treaty, formally the Treaty on European Union (TEU), was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands, and entered into force on 1 November 1993. It marked a major step in European integration by creating the European Union and renaming the European Communities as the European Union.

It established a three-pillar structure: the European Communities for traditional economic policy, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and Justice and Home Affairs (JHA). It introduced the notion of European citizenship, granting citizens rights to move and reside freely within the Union, vote and stand in European and local elections where applicable, and enjoy other associated rights.

Economically, the treaty laid the groundwork for an economic and monetary union (EMU). It introduced convergence criteria for budgetary and monetary discipline, the creation of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European System of Central Banks, and a goal to introduce a single currency. The euro would be launched in 1999 (as a non-cash unit) and coins and banknotes in 2002.

In foreign policy and security, the treaty broadened the EU's capacity for external action, created mechanisms for a common foreign and security policy, and increased cooperation in policing and judicial affairs.

The treaty was signed by the 12 member states of the European Community at the time and entered into force after ratification by all member states. Some countries negotiated opt-outs from parts of the treaty, notably from the euro and from certain CFSP/JHA provisions.

Its legacy includes the transformation of the EC into the EU and the design of the EU's institutional framework, much of which continued until the Lisbon Treaty overhauled the system in 2009.