ABSTRACT
The intergovernmental conferences on Economic and Monetary Union and Political Union came to a close on 9–10 December 1991 at the European Council in Maastricht. This chapter examines German diplomacy regarding the Common Foreign and Security Policy dossier, one of the most difficult despite the key role played by Franco-German couple. Diplomatic success is often the result of careful attention to prior preparation and requires a substantial amount of time for dossiers to mature. The establishment of a European division in the Foreign Ministry, as well as a division for international and European Community monetary issues in the Finance Ministry, is significant for European Union (EU) policy coordination at domestic level. During the second half of 1994, the German presidency of the EU will work toward maintaining the integration dynamic in preparation for another intergovernmental conference on political union in 1996. The Federal Republic views the EU as an open and outward-looking community firmly based on the rule of law.
