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After signing the TUE on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht three crisis braked the pro-Europe impulse brought about so far: Firstly, Europe went through a serious and deep economic crisis that caused governments and public opinion to focus on economic problems, setting aside the European construction. Secondly, there were serious monetary tensions that challenged the European Monetary System and the objective of a future economic and monetary union (EMU) and thirdly, the EU appeared unable to implement a common foreign and security policy in the crisis of Yugoslavia. Due to this the Ratification of the Treaty of Maastricht was also fraught with difficulties in various states. Three countries held referenda on the ratification of the treaty of Maastricht: France, Ireland and Denmark. The treaty entered into force on 1 November 1993.
1992: Treaty of Maastricht
(No 52 % - Yes 48 % - Turnout 83 %)
The referendum was held on 20 September 1992. The treaty was ratified with 51.05% in favour and a turnout of 69.69%.
Although the Bundestag,
the German Parliament, had approved the Treaty of Maastricht in December
1992 with a majority of 543 out of 562, and the Bundesrat, the representative
body for the Länder, had voted unanimously in favour of ratification,
the position of the Constitutional Court was not really clear. The
Maastricht decision of the Federal Constitutional Court opens the
way for Germany's membership in the European Union.
The referendum of was held on 18 June 1992, ( 68.7% yes, turnout was 57.31%).
The lower house approved
the Treaty in their third reading on 20 May 1993 with 292 votes in favor
and 112 against. In the upper house the Treaty was approved by 141 votes
in favor and 29 against on 20 July 1993.