A series of EU accession referendums were held in nine candidate countries, eight post-communist states and Malta, between March and September 2003. These referendums provide us with an excellent comparative opportunity to deepen our understanding of the European integration issue and how it interacts with domestic politics, and of the dynamics of referendums in general and referendums on the European issue in particular. This book therefore provides a set of focused comparisons between these different cases. Each of the individual chapters provides an authoritative analysis of the referendum campaign and outcome in each of the countries concerned by a leading specialist on the politics of that country. This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal West European Politics.
This handbook provides an empirically rich analysis of referendums in Europe from the end of the Second World War to the present. It addresses a range of perennial theoretical and legal questions that face policy-makers when they offer citizens the chance to take or influence decisions by referendum, not least whether to accept the ‘will of the people’. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on historical, philosophical and political science perspectives, the book includes a contextual section on the history of referendums, the theoretical questions underpinning their use, and on constitutional and legal questions about the use of referendums. The empirical sections are divided into those referendums that focus on domestic issues, such as constitutional matters or questions of social policy, and those related to the European Union, including membership referendums and treaty ratification.
In order to assess the impact of referendums on European integration, this study offers a comparative analysis of referendums that have occurred so far. It then draws on comparative data to analyze the consequences of referendums.
The year 2017 has been an uneasy one for the EU, with so-called Brexit on the horizon and the rise of populist euroskepticism in a number of Member States. This year, with the tenth anniversary of the Romanian and Bulgarian accession to the Union, is a good year to pause and reflect over the life and future of the Union. In this work, we envision the next decade with Europe 2020 strategy and review the fruits of the 2004 accession in Central and Eastern Europe. What has the Union achieved? Which policy areas are likely to change and how? How successful, and by what measure, has the accession of the 10 Member States in 2004 been? Reviewing European Union Accession addresses a wide range of issues, deliberately without any thematic constraints, in order to explore EU enlargement from a variety of perspectives, both scientific and geographical, internal and external. In contrast to the major works in this field, we highlight the interrelated, and often unexpected, nature of the integration process – hence the subtitle, unexpected results, spillover effects and externalities.
Provides an analysis of the relationship between the UK and the EU, treating the key overarching issues in the 1975 referendum and looking ahead to the prospect (eventually) of further referendums on the subjects of EMU and a European constitution.
This work analyses Ireland's relationship with the EU in the wake of Ireland's shock 'No' vote to the Treaty of Nice and the major changes in the EU since enlargement. The book will be invaluable to anyone interested in contemporary Irish politics and economics.
This book analyses the Central European Countries' referenda on their accession to the European Union. These events took place in a very short period of time and have the same main issue at stake; this is why a comparison of their results is very feasible. Political scientists of different countries use the same pattern for their analysis, taking Into account the themes of the campaigns, their organization, the pro- and anti-European electorates, the stake of Europe in the public discourse, and the issue areas that were mobilized. Can we speak about the same types of arguments for the different countries? Did the different types of relations with Europe have a stake in the results? Is it possible to compare the anti-European electorates? Which were the public positions of the different political parties, trade unions and employers' organizations? Is it possible to draw a parallel with the situation in the other fifteen member States? Was the position of the parties in a political family Identical for the different countries? Can we speak about peculiarities due to the communist past? Is there a domino effect for the different consultations? This book tries to answer the questions outlined above. A transversal reading of these themes is favored by the chapters' organization. At a time when Europe gets more and more visible in the national political debates, and when the first political and economic effects of the enlargement are being felt, it is important to better understand the European debate in the new member States, as this Is too often ignored or misinterpreted. The reactions after the first European Parliament elections prove this point. This book is a reminder and an analysis of the results of these ballots. The wave of referenda on the EU accession in eight States allows us to better understand the way in which the social and political actors, but also the citizens of Central Europe, understand the European construction. Moreover, it allows a comparison not only of their attitudes in the framework of the region, but also with elder member States of the European Union.