ABSTRACT
On December 10 and 11, 1991, leaders of the twelve European Community (EC) countries reached agreements of vast potential importance not only for themselves but also for America’s future role in Europe. Views in France differ but one of the most striking developments culminating at Maastricht was the willingness of the present French government, and apparently much of the political class, to accept limits on French sovereignty in financial and foreign policy in order to place limits on Germany. Negotiations on the common foreign and security policy aspects of political union were grouped around two broad questions. The first had to do with how the Community would make decisions and therefore involved the relative power and influence among EC members. The second was to determine what issues would be subject to joint decisions and therefore affect in part the balance of influence between the EC and the United States.
