Another road to Maastricht: The Christian Democrat coalition and the quest for European Union

Abstract:

This article breaks new ground in our understanding of the Maastricht outcome by examining the role of the European People's Party (EPP) and its member parties. Special emphasis is placed on the meetings of Christian Democrat leaders. At the time of the 1991 parallel Intergovernmental Conferences, six out of 12 heads of government met in the EPP. The article argues that the Treaty on European Union was facilitated by the transnational coalition of the Christian Democrats and by the shared ideological identity of this federalist movement. This weakens the intergovernmental approach to European integration.