ABSTRACT
Europe's self-imposed deadline of 31 December 1992 has passed. The Single European Act came in with a whimper; the Maastricht Accord (MAA) with a bang. When the former was initialed in 1985 and ratified in 1986, even quite knowledgeable observers discounted its importance. The MAA of December 1992 was a much more scrutinized affair and there is evidence that member-state participants took the elaboration of their respective national positions much more seriously. The major "functional" accomplishment of the MAA consists in its provisions with regard to monetary union. Since the Single European Act modified the voting procedures and that the MAA has issued an extensive license to explore other arenas, the political limits to European Community involvement in virtually all issues of public policy seem to have been relaxed. The MAA abounds in potentially partial and eccentric arrangements. Social policy is another arena in which the MAA found it necessary to improvise.
