In 1993, writing in the magazine Política Exterior, the Spanish President, Felipe González Márquez, outlines the substance of the Maastricht Treaty and its importance for Spain.
On 1 November 1993, commenting on the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, the British left-wing daily newspaper The Guardian emphasises the United Kingdom's role in the forthcoming stages of European integration.
On 17 November 1992, Jacques Santer, Luxembourg Prime Minister, delivers an address to the KPMG Fides Forum in Zurich on the future role of the European Union (EU) in which he focuses on the establishment of the Common Market, the common foreign policy of the European Union and Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
The Treaty signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht lays the foundations for a new European structure. It establishes a ‘European Union' that brings together not only the three European Communities, but also two areas of political cooperation between Member States (CFSP and JHA). The aim is to allow these three elements to develop within a unified framework. This new structure is generally represented in the form of a Greek temple made of three pillars: the Community pillar, which has a supranational character, and the second and third pillars, which have an intergovernmental character.
On 13 December 1997, the French daily newspaper Libération comments on the attitude of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and on the compromise reached between the United Kingdom and its European partners at the Luxembourg European Council, held on 12 and 13 December, on the participation in and functioning of the Euro Council, particularly in comparison with the Council of Economic Affairs and Finance Ministers (Ecofin).
The name ‘euro’ is adopted for the new European currency by the Fifteen at the Madrid European Council of 15–16 December 1995. From left to right: Hans van den Broek, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for external relations; Jacques Santer, President of the European Commission; Felipe González, Spanish Prime Minister; and Javier Solana, Spanish Foreign Minister.
