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Article: He's met his Maastricht. (European Community summit) (Editorial)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 7, 1991
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ONE thing is certain, as they say: Maastricht will never be the same again. Nothing has ever happened in the small town on the Maas before. True, it was besieged or captured by the Spanish, Dutch, French (thrice), Belgians unsuccessfully) and Germans, but it never became a household word. The European summit has changed all that. Maastricht has joined the exclusive club of small towns and villages whose names are made famous by single events.
Once upon a time, the only way for a little town to achieve such fame was by playing host to a battle. Cannae's chamber of commerce successfully attracted the semi-finals of the second Punic War in 216 BC: Hannibal's ...