This is what is known as the hierarchy of standards. Finally, and most important, primary responsibility for foreign and defence policy on the one hand and for freedom and security aspects on the other is transferred to the Union. As far as these two essential areas are concerned, ten years of applying the Maastricht Treaty have confirmed both the absolute need for joint action and, unfortunately, the inefficacy of the intergovernmental procedures.
En ce qui concerne ces deux domaines essentiels, dix ans d'application du traité de Maastricht ont confirmé à la fois la nécessité absolue d'agir en commun et, malheureusement, l'inefficacité des procédures intergouvernementales.