The Maastricht Treaty leaves, in principle, the other elements of economic policy in the hands of the Member States as a matter of national responsibility. This has led to an "asymmetric" economic policy framework. This asymmetry reflects the limits of the Member States’ willingness to hand over their national sovereignty in the area of economic policy-making.
However, it is also a reflection of the subsidiarity principle, a fundamental constitutional principle of the European Union. But the subsidiarity principle also has an economic rationale, namely that the delegation of policy responsibilities to a higher level is only justified if the Community is better placed to carry them out.