The Treaty and Maastricht: the savoir faire of a city and a document’s legacy

“I can certainly say that our delegation has never been so well accommodated at any previous European Council. I am sure that contributed to the success of the summit.”
British Prime Minister John Major, December 1991

Last February I had a chance to see the authentic Treaty of the European Union, more commonly known as the Treaty of Maastricht, on display at the Hoofdwacht building on the Vrijthof square. Mayor Gerd Leers had exceptionally managed to borrow the thick volume from Rome to mark the 15th anniversary of the inauguration of the European Union in his city.

As I was contemplating the signature of the British Queen Elizabeth on the yellowish page, I thought about the first time I had heard about the Treaty. I must have been 7 or 8 years old. I was watching my favourite adult television show, Duty Chemist. A Galician farmer appeared on screen, entering in the pharmacy with a cow. He complained to the nonplussed owner that the new communitarian policies on agriculture established by the Treaty were threatening his livelihood.

This surreal image cunningly captured the thrust of the historical document by showing the sometimes painful dislocation between policy and reality. I did not grasp the implications of the skit at the time, but the word Maastricht was etched in my memory.

Now, fifteen years later I feel privileged to be in Maastricht, studying about the European Union, its history and its contradictions. Funnily enough, had the Treaty not being signed here I might have ignored the name “Maastricht” in the list of study abroad options offered by my university.

Nowadays, the city and the Treaty are inescapably linked together. Aware of this, the municipality has set up Euroute 92, a three kilometre long walk across the city centre and the east bank of the Meuse river. The bilingual guide Euroute 92: Where the spirit of the treaty still roams the streets (available for free at the Tourist Information Office) highlights the places reminiscent of the two European summits that took place here (in 1981 and 1991) and the signature of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.

Moved by a desire to learn more about the history of Maastricht and the Treaty, I decided to walk the route. I thought it would be a fascinating experience to see Maastricht’s most emblematic buildings under the lens of this crucial historical event, which has shaped Europe as we know it today.

Quick history
Maastricht welcomed its first European Council summit on 23 and 24 March 1981. The main topics on the agenda at the time were the economic and social situation of the European Community, particularly youth unemployment, and the possibility of introducing a common European passport.

Ten years later, under the leadership of European Commission President Jacques Delors and Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, delegations from the 12 member states met in Maastricht between 8 and 12 December 1991. Their goal was to modify and expand the initial economic objective of the European Community and begin the “process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe.” Union citizenship, Community policies, and the economic and monetary union were some of the topics discussed during the summit, which led to the formal signature of the Treaty on 7 February 1992. The European Union was born in Maastricht.

Euroute 92: a piece of history through the buildings of Maastricht
What surprised me most as I walked the Euroute 92, was to realise the radical transformation that Maastricht must have undergone to accommodate all the delegations and more than 2000 journalists who participated in the 1991 Euro-summit. For instance, 12 cafés in the city centre adopted the cuisine and style of each of the delegations and became the meeting place for the guests of that country. Thus, the De Bòbbel served a variety of tapas and Spanish wines while the Charlemagne took on a Belgian flavour and offered selected beers and chocolates.

Stadhuis (City Hall), Market square
This is where it all began. The Renaissance City Hall building, which majestically sits on the centre of the Market square, hosted the inaugural banquet of the 1991 Euro-summit. On the cold evening of Monday 9 December 1991, the European government leaders and heads of states from the 12 countries enjoyed dinner in the Mayor’s Chamber. As I entered the chamber my stomach grumbled. I was thinking about the médallions de chevreuil à la limbourgeoise and the bavaroise aux amandes served at the dinner… for a moment I considered working for the European Council.

According to former Mayor Philip Houben, this building was “where the real decisions were made.” That evening, Mayor Houben was presented with a special chain of office by Dutch Prime Minister Lubbers. The chain, made in solid silver, was decorated with stars that symbolised the city of Maastricht, which has a star in its coat of arms, and the individual countries that were to form the European Union.

Dominicanenkerk (Dominican Church), Dominicanenkerkplein
Although today this Gothic church from the 13th century houses the Selexyz Dominicanen bookshop, at the time of the 1991 Euro-summit dozens of activities were organised here. The Netherlands’ oldest fresco on the ceiling of the church was the silent witness of several exhibitions and music concerts. After a day of intense negotiations at the summit, members of the different delegations could relax at the Dominicanerkerk, which at the end of December was decorated with big Christmas trees.

Looking down on the altar area from the top floor of the bookshop, I could perfectly imagine how magnificent Bach’s Cantata Wachet, betet, seid bireit! must have sounded here.

The Vrijthof Square
Under the vigilant towers of the Basilica of Saint-Servatius and the Church of Saint John, the monumental Vrijthof square hosted a large Christmas fair in December 1991. Curiously, one of the first things that I saw when I arrived in Maastricht was the Christmas fair, having no idea that it had taken place for the first time during that summit. Back in 1991, the fair was part of the so-called Europe Pavilion in which three informative debates were held. At the Basilica, visitors could admire an international exhibition of Christmas Cribs.

Sint-Janskerk (Church of Saint John), Hendrik van Veldekeplein
This impressive 14th century church, whose 70 metre tall tower is modelled after the Dom church in Utrecht, has been used by the Dutch Reformed Community since 1632.

On 8 December 1991, the Jacques Delors Chair was established here by the Universities of Maastricht, Aachen and Liège and the Open University of Heerlen. The President of the European Commission Jacques Delors received this high honour in the presence of Dutch Prime Minister Lubbers, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hans van den Broek, Euro Commissioner Frans Andriessen, Mayor Houben and Governor of Limburg Emile Mastenbroek.

The Old Government Buildings, Bouillonstraat 3
This rather modern building, built in 1935, hosted the meetings of the Provincial Executive of Limburg until 1986, and was the protagonist of the 1981 Euro-summit. The European Council met for two days in March in the modernist halls designed by G.C. Bremer. Nowadays, Law students of the University of Maastricht will start giving you funny looks if you spend too much time admiring the architectural details executed in bluestone from Namur.

Bonnefantenklooster (Bonnefanten Convent), Bonnefantenstraat 2
On 7 December 1991 several European institutes held an open doors day in this building to celebrate the Euro-summit. The building has had many uses throughout the centuries: convent, female boarding school, barracks, museum, university library. In 2006 the Bonnefantenklooster became the Visitors’ Centre of the University of Maastricht. Students of the Centre for European Studies like me take classes here too and attend lectures in the Karl Dittrich hall.

European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA), Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 22
This prestigious European Institute was founded on the first day of the 1981 European summit. It carries out training and research on public administration and European policies, and provides a variety of services to the administrators of the member states and for future candidates applying for admission into the EU. In the courtyard, which has the flags of all the EU state members, you can admire the stunning reflection of the towers of the Onze Lieve Vrouw Church on the sleek glass surface of the building.

Plein 1992
At the end of the “Hoeg Bröck” which crosses the Meuse river one finds Plein 1992.

This square was designed by architect Jo Coenen on behalf of the municipality in order to commemorate the signing of the Treaty. The concrete pavement has been inlaid with a pattern of little bronze plaques with the Euro sign and the date: ‘1992’.

The modern design of the square makes me think of the new design of Europe: imposing and confident. The fact that a civic and cultural centre such as Centre Céramique, which houses the city library, the European Journalism Centre and the European Centre for Work and Society, has been erected here is not incidental. The new Europe, the square seems to say, is founded upon culture, flow of ideas and civil society.

Europe Monument Stars of Europe, Avenue Céramique
Designed by architect Maura Biava the Starts of Europe monument stands on the “Euroundabout”, in front of Maastricht’s Bonnefanten museum. Unveiled on 7 February 2002 (exactly a decade after the signing of the Treaty) by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hans van den Broek, the monument is a celebration of the European project. It consists of 35 stars on poles, whose heights vary from 2.5 to 12 metres. The 12 highest poles in the outer ring symbolise the 12 member states that participated in the 1991 Euro-summit. The remaining 23 stars, at lower levels, represent the future member states, of which 13 have since acceded. A statement handwritten in graffity style by a European philosopher or historian is engraved on every pole. These statements were discussed and selected by the public, who were invited to the planning of the monument.

Those curious to read these statements, however, must be careful not to be run over by a car when crossing the always busy Avenue Céramique.

The Maastricht Exposition and Congress Centre (MECC), Gaetano Martino Laan
This large exhibition hall was witness to some of the most amusing anecdotes of the summit. It became the press centre for some two thousand news-starved journalists from all over the world. When the first versions of the Treaty were made available, they fought over them to such an extent that there even was some blood on the documents!

Here, every delegation had its own press room, decorated with a backdrop painted by Limburg artist Guus van Eck. The organisers wanted to make sure that the word “Maastricht” on the painting featured prominently during the broadcast of the press conferences. Problems began when the German delegation insisted on using an enormous desk chair they had brought with them for this purpose. The backdrop had to be lifted because the seat was so high that the word “Maastricht” was blocked. The goal was to ensure that everyone worldwide could see where this historical event was taking place.

An equally entertaining anecdote happened here near the end of the summit. The pocket diaries that the media professionals had been given as a promotional gift, made mention of Minister of Foreign Affairs van den Broek’s birthday on 11 December. That day negotiations were particularly intense and lasted until after midnight, so the final agreement came about on Van den Broek’s birthday. When he entered the press hall at MECC at 1.30 am, all the journalists sang “Happy Birthday” for him. “There I stood, holding a glass of water… Just like many others, I experienced a great sense of relief”, remembers Van den Broek. Nowadays, MECC hosts every spring the internationally renowned European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF).

Provincial Government Buildings, Limburg Laan
Perhaps the most important location during the 1991 summit was the Provincial Government Buildings where the intense negotiations took place. On 9 and 10 December 1991 the heads of state and government met in the Banqueting Hall to discuss the details of the Treaty.

Discussions were heated and disagreements abounded. When the negotiations reached a stalemate, Prime Minister Lubbers initiated what is known as “the confessional procedure.” He invited government leaders to visit him in his office to share their own views in private, so that a “Lubbersian” compromise could subsequently be formulated. This approach gave fruitful results.

On 7 February 1992 the Treaty of Maastricht was signed in the Council Chamber. The table in the chamber was made especially for the ceremony and was inlaid, afterwards, with the same coins that were placed on the guests’ bedside tables in their respective hotels during the summit as a welcome souvenir.

I particularly enjoyed the visit to the Provincial Government Buildings where I was given another guide just about the building itself. Its huge scale and the large amount of sculptures and pieces of art it houses are worth admiring.

Maastricht: 15 years later
Fifteen years have now passed and Maastricht still wants to retain a prominent place in the European map. Initiatives like Euroute 92 and the conferences organised by the University of Maastricht under the title “Europe and its citizens” testify to this.

As my semester progresses, Euroute 92 has helped me in my efforts to work through the achievements and contradictions of the European Union, in my attempt to reconcile the image of a farmer and his cow and the menu served at the inaugural banquet of the 1991 summit.

Walking the Euroute 92 has made me gain a new and deeper perspective of the city. The descriptions of the buildings skilfully combined information about their history and architectural features with vivid details about the activities that took place inside them during the Euro-summits.

Euroute 92 also highlighted for me how the Treaty has changed the urban landscape of the city. Projects of public art, such as the Stars of Europe monument, the 5.7 million euro restoration of the Bonnefantenklooster, and the creation of new institutes show the constructive spirit born during the 1991 Euro-summit.

According to Max Konstamm, one of the founding fathers of the European project, “what was agreed in Maastricht was a giant step towards a more united Europe.” It certainly was a giant moment for the city of Maastricht.

By Hector Pascual Alvarez

Hector Pascual Alvarez, 21, is a Spanish student enrolled at Macalester College in Minnesota (US) where he is majoring in International Studies and Theatre Arts. He is spending the first semester of 2007 at Maastricht University as part of a study abroad programme.

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