ABSTRACT
The final ratification of the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty (Council of Ministers 1992), in 1993 represented an important step towards full integration. The economic and monetary union (EMU) provisions of the Maastricht Treaty will have far-reaching effects on regional disparities within the EU, particularly as they will be superimposed upon the effects of the single European market (SEM), most of which have yet to be fully experienced (see Chapters 7 and 8).
