Some major events
Despite the apparent lack of interest of European citizens in the European elections during this period , the events of those years permanently shaped the European Union . As we will see , the signing of the Maastricht Treaty ( February 1993 ) and subsequently the Amsterdam Treaty ( October 1997 ) had significant implications for interinstitutional relations and the legislative process .
However , these changes took place against a broader backdrop . The enlargement of the EU to include Austria , Finland and Sweden was an important development which led to new balances within each institution . Alain Lamassoure , former French Minister and MEP , underlined the political , economic and budgetary relevance of this enlargement in a press conference 3 . He noted that , after the Maastricht Treaty had come into force , the Union had a political mission . Those countries had joined the European Union to participate in all aspects of the Union , including the common foreign policy . He also stressed that those three countries engaged in significant levels of trade with other European countries and that enlargement would therefore open up new horizons for European companies . Moreover , the new Member States would be net contributors to the Community budget .
The tension between enlargement of this kind and the strengthening of European unity has continued to mark the development of the Union to this day .
The period from 1994 to 1999 also witnessed a particular boost being given to the free movement of persons , a principle already embedded in the Treaty of Rome , especially after the entry into
3 . Déclaration d ’ Alain Lamassoure sur l ’ élargissement de l ’ Union européenne ( Paris , 2 mars 1994 ).
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