In 1991, the Netherlands and Great Britain were the last to oppose a European agreement in Maastricht. So says the Portuguese former Prime Minister Cavaco Silva, who led the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.
Cavaco Silva makes his statements in the L1 documentary “The Legacy of the Maastricht Treaty”. In it, the former prime minister and president looks back on the negotiations that led to the Maastricht Treaty, exactly thirty years ago this month. Cavaco SIlva presided over the meeting in the Maastricht Governorate, as Portugal was President of the European Union at the time of signing.
sleepers
Cavaco Silva was given a leading role because a first Dutch proposal in September 1991 did not receive support from the European member states. This increased the pressure on the negotiations during the European Summit in Maastricht in December 1991. “Two weeks before the summit, I invited Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers to the Dutch embassy in Brussels. There I expressed our objections to the Dutch proposal”, thus says Cavaco Silva. “I knew Lubbers well, because I had been his promoter for the honorary doctorate from the University of Tras-os Montes e Alto-Douro. And Lubbers always holidayed in the north of Portugal. That friendship made the conversation easier, but it had no influence on the outcome.”
“At that European Summit in Maastricht, the negotiations reached a dramatic climax. Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Spain demanded a cohesion fund with the establishment of the European and Monetary Union. This attitude created disagreements, especially with the fiercest opponents the Netherlands and Great Britain. But we didn’t give in. In the end, that solidarity fund was created and we reached an agreement.”
Historical treaty
With the Maastricht Treaty, the European Community turned into a European Union. Maastricht became best known – and infamous – for the establishment of the Economic and Monetary Union, with the introduction of the euro as a common currency. But Maastricht also laid the foundations for a common foreign policy and legal integration, such as asylum policy. This happened mainly under pressure from international developments with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. “After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the pressure on government leaders was immense. We had to reach a new agreement on far-reaching integration of the European Union. In 1988 it was decided in Hanover to set up a committee chaired by Jacques Delors who an Economic and Monetary Union had to investigate. Precisely because of the fall of the Wall, the results of that committee acquired a great urgency. For example, there is a direct line from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Maastricht Treaty.”
Characteristic Maastricht helped
According to Cavaco Silva, the geography of the city of Maastricht played a role in reaching the agreement. The delegations were relatively close to each other, which facilitated informal negotiations. In addition, Cavaco Silva thinks the city’s French appearance helped create an atmosphere in which important countries felt at home. “Due to the hectic negotiations, in December 1991 I hardly had time to get to know the city well. I especially remember Chateau Neercanne well, which I thought was of unparalleled beauty. When I returned in February to attend the signing ceremony of the I had more time to preside over the treaty. We walked along the Meuse, which was beautiful. Maastricht has an impressive historical and cultural wealth. So it is quite possible that that atmosphere helped in accepting concessions and achieving a agreement”.
Maastricht University and Universidade Católica
Thirty years after Cavaco Silva, as chairman of the government, led the signing of the treaty, as an alumnus he once again has to deal with the capital of Limburg. “I have some news that I would like to share,” says Cavaco. “I myself am still involved in the Universidade Católica in Lisbon, where I was professor of economics for a long time. We recently set up a Faculty of Medicine at the Universidade Católica. This opening is a result of our collaboration with Maastricht University. Because Católica is not a public university is, the Portuguese government had to give permission for that Faculty of Medicine. That was successful, especially through the collaboration with Maastricht. So thirty years after I hammered away the Maastricht Treaty as president, we are connected again. Now through Maastricht University and the Universidade Católica.”
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