The Maastricht Treaty, an agreement intended to shape the future of Europe, went into effect Nov. 1 after clearing final hurdles in a German court.
The battle to approve the treaty was hard fought in Britain, where there was strong opposition to giving up further autonomy to the European Parliament. Britain was the last nation to give its approval.
Earlier in the year, Denmark approved a revised version of the treaty after having rejected it in 1992.
The last hurdle came when a German court said it was constitutional for Germany to sign the pact.
The treaty extends the provisions of the Treaty of Rome that created the 12-nation European Community in 1957.
The pact gives more power to the European Parliament, calls for unity in international and security policy, and aims at establishing a single European currency by 1999.
