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National Autonomy and Democratic Standardisation: Should Popular Votes on European Integration be Regulated by the European Union?

Constitutions
Contentious Politics
Democracy
Institutions
Normative Theory
Brexit
Demoicracy
Member States
Joseph Lacey
University College Dublin
Joseph Lacey
University College Dublin

Abstract

Given the increasing use of direct democratic votes on questions of European integration, this paper explores whether or not Member States may have good reason to agree on common regulations for popular votes of this nature. Conceiving of the European Union as a political system designed to serve the interests of states and citizens, it is argued that where direct votes have the potential to undermine the territorial, functional, normative or existential integrity of the EU, then states may have good reason to sacrifice a degree of national autonomy to adopt common regulations for certain uses of direct democracy. This leads to a case for democratic standardisation across Member States when it comes to withdrawal, accession, Treaty ratification and opt-in decisions.