On Sept. 20, 1992, a referendum in France narrowly supports the ratification of the Treaty of Maastricht, with 51.05 percent in favor. The signing of the treaty on Feb. 7, 1992, creates the European Union (EU) out of its predecessor, the European Community. The treaty establishes the initial three pillars of the EU, consisting of the European communities, a common foreign and security policy, and police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. France—the largest country in the EU—becomes one of its founding members. NOW Today there are 27 European Union member countries, with France remaining one of the most influential. Due to the recent economic turmoil that has devastated some EU member countries, the EU has recently been debating ways to address the economic problems in Europe. In order to support the EU, France and Germany proposed a measure to impose a tax on a wide range of financial transactions. They also want to see banks share bailout burdens with EU taxpayers. These controversial measures for dealing with the economic crisis have met with resistance within the EU, giving rise to intense debates about the EU’s future. In particular, British member of Parliament, Mark Pritchard—the secretary of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs—called upon British Prime Minster David Cameron to put the issue of Britain’s membership in the EU to a vote in a referendum. Pritchard said, “For many Britons, the EU has already become a kind of occupying force, setting unfamiliar rules, demanding levies, curbing freedoms, subverting our culture, and imposing alien taxes.”
