MAASTRICHT TREATY: An agreement among 12 European nations in 1992 that established the European Union. The 12 nations signing the Maastricht Treaty are Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Great Britain. This treaty was designed to form a more economically and politically integrated European economy, including the reduction or elimination of tariffs and nontariff barriers, the creation of monetary unit (the euro), the establishment of a common military and defense policy, and centralized monetary policy. This amended early agreements setting up a European common market. The Maastricht Treaty is merely one of several international trade agreements created over the years to reduce trade restrictions. Others include the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement. See also | European Union | Economic and Monetary Union | Euro zone | international trade | international finance | euro | monetary policy | trading bloc | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade | Maastricht Treaty | tariff | nontariff barrier | common market | customs union | economic union | free-trade area | European System of Central Banks | European Commission |
