An analysis of negative referenda outcomes on EU treaty reforms

Abstract

Throughout various referenda, a number of Member States have chosen to reject further EU Treaty reform. The Irish 'No' to the Lisbon Treaty has persuaded me to study why a string of Member States have persistently voted down Treaties and whether this could be rooted to an underlying problem within the EU. Following 1992, a series of Treaty rejections have shocked the Community and put the ratification process at risk. Various electorates across Europe might be indicating that they are hesitant to further European integration. The literature for this topic was rather varied as each Member State has its own particular history and circumstances which ultimately led to the various 'No' votes. The study explores the way in which referenda campaigns have convinced the electorate to vote positively or negatively and subsequently, how elites dealt with the ratification crisis which ensued. While a deep-rooted change is essential in order to secure reforms through the approval of citizens, the research offers an analysis of the referenda which led to a negative result.