This paper aims to examine whether the economic and political reasoning behind Maastricht is consistent with earlier approaches to monetary integration. In doing so, it revisits the intellectual debate on monetary integration in Europe at different stages. It concludes that Economic and Monetary...

Focusing on the 1992-93 crisis of the European Monetary System (Ems), I stress, in opposition with the conclusions reached by “escape clause” models, the role played by the availability of foreign reserves. In particular, I show the lack of credibility of the Bundesbank’s commitment to...