This publication examines the ratification process of the Treaty on European Union in the 12 different Member States, as well as the debate in the European Parliament. It studies the main issues that have dominated the debate, looks at the different ratification procedures, and focuses both on the discussions in the national parliaments as well as on the public debate. The study includes an introductory chapter on the main events that took place on the European scene in the course of the ratification process as well as a brief introduction to the content of the Maastricht Treaty. The concluding chapter addresses the question of the extent to which parallels can be drawn between the debates in the various Member States and looks towards the future. The annexes to the book summarize the conclusions of the European Summits that took place in the course of the ratification process and contain some documents of considerable importance in the national debates. This publication is a follow-up to an earlier publication by the same editors on the positions and the role of the Member States during the 1991 Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union.