Saying No to a European Constitution: Dutch Revolt, Enigma or Pragmatism?
Zeitschrift für Staats - und Europawissenschaften, Vol. 3, Iss. 4, pp. 594-619, June 2, 2006
26 Pages Posted: 7 Aug 2008 Last revised: 10 Nov 2009
Date Written: August 7, 2008
Abstract
On 1 June 2005, the Dutch voters said no to the ratification of the "European Constitution" with a clear majority of 62% (at a turnout rate of 63%). To many domestic as well as international observers, this result came as a surprise. After describing the run-up to the Dutch referendum and the campaign for it, this contribution reviews the various explanations that have been presented to explain the outcome and tries to put the events in a broader context. On the basis of these findings for the Dutch case, the authors formulate a perspective on how to move on from here with the European constitutionalisation process.
Keywords: Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe, European Constitution, referendum, Dutch referendum, plebiscite, ratification, European constitutionalisation process
JEL Classification: R38, K10, K30, K40
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