The milestones for the today‘s structure of the EU and for the implementation of euro were founded with the signature of the Maastricht Treaty on February 7th, 1992. The Treaty altered three former European treaties and created the European Union. From the point of the actual discussion about the European future it makes sense to go back for 30 years.
The Maastricht Treaty defined such structure of the European Union, which Austria joined in 1995. The new union, based on three former associations, brought with it several novelties. The implementation of the euro and related so called „Maastricht Criteria“ obliged member countries to severe financial discipline. The competences regarding economic and fiscal policies expanded to the common European level with the implementation of mutual foreign and security policies and the stronger cooperation in the home affairs and legislative fields. The Maastricht Treaty is the milestone of the European integration in spite of several other treaties, which were signed in the following years.
Then was the European citizenship established, which made equal to a certain extent the EU citizens in other EU countries with domestic citizens. On the institutional level the role of the EU Parliament as a directly elected representation of EU citizens in relation to the member countries grew significantly.
