Member-State Referendums and Constitutional Change: The Wider Implications for the EU Brigid Laffan...
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Transcript of Member-State Referendums and Constitutional Change: The Wider Implications for the EU Brigid Laffan...
Member-State Referendums and Constitutional
Change: The Wider Implications for the EU
Brigid LaffanDirector
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Date Treaty Yes No Turnout
10.05.72 Accession 83.1 16.9 70.9
26.05.87 SEA 69.9 30.1 44.1
18.06.92 TEU 69.1 30.9 57.3
22.05.98 Amsterdam 61.7 38.3 56.2
07.06.01 Nice 1 46.1 53.9 34.8
20.10.02 Nice 2 62.9 37.1 48.5
12.06.08 Lisbon 1 46.6 53.4 53.1
02.10.09 Lisbon 2 67.13 32.87 53.13
31.05.12 Fiscal Compact
60.29 39.71 50.6
• 9 Referendums/ largest number of all member states
• 7 Yes/2 No
• Bunreacht na hÉireann: Article 29.4.3° enabling the laws of the then European Communities entering into the Irish legal system (Third amendment of the constitution)
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Ireland
• 1987 the Supreme Court deliberated on Crotty v. An Taoiseach.– Crotty Judgement has had major effects – Crotty renders a constitutional amendment
necessary in Ireland whenever the Government wishes the State to ratify a Treaty which in the view of the Irish courts would go beyond the ‘essential scope’ or ‘objectives’ of the existing Treaties
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Ireland: A Referendum Country
• Negotiations in the shadow of a referendum
• Impact of Outcome (Yes/No)
• A ‘No’ becomes a European Question
• Response to a ‘No’
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Implications For the Wider EU
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In the Aftermath of a No
• Outside-In Dynamic
• Domestic Dynamics
• Inside-out Dynamics
• Inside-Out Dynamics
• One Commissioner per Member State
• Declaration on Workers’ Rights
• Clarification on issues of domestic and specific interest
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The New Deal
• More Knowledge about the EU?
• Ownership of decisions-deliberaton over a short time framework but intense
• Consent of the People
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The Value of Direct Democracy
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