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Fact Sheet (Interactive diagram n°62) FR EN DE
The three pillars of the European Union (Maastricht, 7 February 1992)
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The three pillars of the European Union (Maastricht, 7 February 1992)

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.

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Title The three pillars of the European Union (Maastricht, 7 February 1992)
Document type Interactive diagram
Source European NAvigator.
Keywords Treaty on European Union
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Caption 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.
Location in the digital library RESEARCH AND TEACHING >> University education >> EU Constitutional Law (Prof. Herwig Hofmann, University of Luxembourg, 2nd edition, 2010) >> I. The development of European integration
SPECIAL FILES >> Luxembourg and the European integration process >> Luxembourg Council Presidencies
EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS >> European Union >> Origin and development >> The founding and reforms of the European Union >> The Maastricht Treaty of 7 February 1992
EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS >> European Union >> Origin and development
HISTORICAL EVENTS >> 1987–1997 The European Union in a Europe in the throes of change >> The Treaty on European Union >> The Treaty on European Union
Document extract The three pillars of the European Union Treaty on European Union (Maastricht, 7 February 1992) For further information, click on the interactive cells Common provisions (Articles A to F TEU) Task Objectives Single institutional framework Principles 2nd pillar - Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) (Articles J to J.11 TEU) Intergovernmental cooperation method 1st pillar - European Community (EC) - European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) - European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) Community integration method 3rd pillar - Cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs (JHA) (Articles K to K.9 TEU) Final provisions (Articles 46 to 53 TEU) (...) Read more in ENA
See also Draft Treaty establishing the European Union (14 February 1984)
Protocol (No 6) on the Statute of the Court of Justice (Nice, 26 February 2001) — consolidated version 2007
Seat of the Limburg Provincial Government (Maastricht)
Recommendation 1195 (1992) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (6 October 1992)
The first stage of Economic and Monetary Union
'Twelve Stingy Ladies' from Crocodile (February 1992)
Article from the Treaty on European Union relating to the convergence criteria (7 February 1992)
Protocol (No 6) on the Statute of the Court of Justice (Nice, 26 February 2001) — consolidated version 2004
EU Constitutional Law: V. The institutions
Sinn Féin, Democracy or Dependency (1992)
The signing of the Treaty on European Union
Treaty on European Union (Maastricht, 7 February 1992)
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