Accession referenda in the fifth EU enlargement

Streszczenie w języku polskim

The aim of the article is to analyze accession referenda in the fifth EU enlargement. The article consists of four parts: the European enlargements; legal grounds for referenda in the candidate countries for EU membership in 2003; information and pre-referendum campaigns; the character, voter turnout and results of accession referenda. During the process of accession of individual countries to the European Communities/European Union accession referenda were held only in some of the states. The referendum was used in the first enlargement. The accession referendum was not invoked in the second enlargement. The institution of the referendum was not employed in the third enlargement. The fourth enlargement invoked the institution of the referendum. The fifth enlargement took place in 2004. Accession negotiations concerned two groups of states: the Luxembourg and the Helsinki group. In the fifth enlargement, the referenda for accession to the EU were held in nine countries: Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia. The political elites in the candidate countries were in favor of accession. Euroskeptical movements were essentially marginal. In some countries which used the referendum in the process of accession there were requirements concerning a minimum voter turnout necessary for referendum results to be valid and binding. Some of the countries arranged a two-day voting.