Definition
European integration began in the aftermath of World War II. Founding members of the Community first pooled their heavy industries. They then set about creating a single market in which goods, services, people and capital move about as freely as within one country. The process was a gradual one spanning 40 years and covering political and social as well as economic and trade dimensions. As they completed the single market, which formally came into being in January 1993, the Member States also prepared for the future. The Maastricht Treaty on European Union took effect on 1 November 1993. It strengthens the Community further, most notably by preparing the way for economic and monetary union (EMU) and a single currency and by giving extra power to the European Parliament. But Maastricht also added a common foreign and security policy and cooperation on justice and police affairs. The term 'European Union' is used to describe the wider Maastricht framework in which all these activities - old and new - take place.
The Maastrict Treaty- Founded the EU
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UC Davis International Relations