Referendums related to the European Union
This is a list of referendums related to the European Union, or referendums related to the European Communities, which were predecessors of the European Union. Since 1972, a total of 48 referendums have been held by EU member states, candidate states, and their territories, with several additional referendums held in countries outside of the EU. The referendums have been held most commonly on the subject of whether to become a member of European Union as part of the accession process, although the EU does not require any candidate country to hold a referendum to approve membership or as part of treaty ratification. Other EU-related referendums have been held on the adoption of the euro and on participation in other EU-related policies.
The United Kingdom is the only EU member state to have held referendums on continued membership of the European Union and its antecedent organisation, the European Communities. In the first referendum in 1975, continued membership of what was then the European Communities was approved by 67.2% of voters, while in its second referendum in 2016 voters voted by 51.9% to leave the European Union.
Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, voted to leave the EC in a referendum in 1982 by 53% of voters.
Summary
EC enlargement of 1973
In 1972, four countries held referendums on the subject of the 1973 enlargement of the European Communities.- — 1972 French European Communities enlargement referendum, 23 April 1972, 68.3% in favour, turnout 60.5%
- — a referendum to approve the Third Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 10 May 1972, 83.1% in favour, turnout 70.9%
- — 1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum, 25 September 1972, 53.5% against, turnout 79%
- — 1972 Danish European Communities membership referendum, 2 October 1972, 63.3% in favour, turnout 90.1%
United Kingdom's European Communities membership, 1975
- — 1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum, 5 June 1975, 67.2% in favour, turnout 64.0%
Greenland's European Communities membership, 1982
- — 1982 Greenlandic European Communities membership referendum, 23 February 1982, 53.0% against
Single European Act
- — 1986 Danish Single European Act referendum, 26 February 1986, 56.2% in favour, turnout 75.4%
- — a referendum to approve the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 26 May 1987, 69.9% in favour, turnout 44.1%
Maastricht Treaty
- — 1989 Italian advisory referendum, 18 May 1989, 88.1% in favour, turnout 81.0%
- — a referendum to approve the Eleventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 18 June 1992, 69.1% in favour, turnout 57.3%
- — 1992 French Maastricht Treaty referendum, 20 September 1992, 51.0% in favour, turnout 69.7%
- — The 1992 Danish Maastricht Treaty referendum, 2 June 1992, 50.7% against, turnout 83.1%
- — The 1993 Danish Maastricht Treaty referendum, 18 May 1993, 56.7% in favour, turnout 86.5%
EU enlargement of 1995
- — 1994 Austrian European Union membership referendum, 12 June 1994, 66.6% in favour, turnout 82.3%
- — 1994 Finnish European Union membership referendum, 16 October 1994, 56.9% in favour, turnout 70.8%
- — 1994 Swedish European Union membership referendum, 13 November 1994, 52.3% in favour, turnout 83.3%
- — 1994 Ålandic European Union membership referendum, 20 November 1994, 73.6% in favour, turnout 49.1%
- — 1994 Norwegian European Union membership referendum, 28 November 1994, 52.2% against, turnout 89.0%
Treaty of Amsterdam, 1998
Two countries held referendums on the ratification of the treaty of Amsterdam.- — a referendum to approve the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 22 May 1998, 61.7% in favour, turnout 56.2%
- — 1998 Danish Amsterdam Treaty referendum, 28 May 1998, 55.1% in favour, turnout 76.2%
Treaty of Nice, 2001
- — a referendum to approve the Twenty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2001, 7 June 2001, 53.9% against, turnout 34.8%
- — a referendum to approve the Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 19 October 2002, 62.9% in favour, turnout 49.5%
EU enlargement of 2004
- — 2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum, 8 March 2003, 53.6% in favour, turnout 90.9%
- — 2003 Slovenian European Union and NATO membership referendum, 23 March 2003, 89.6% in favour, turnout 60.2%
- — 2003 Hungarian European Union membership referendum, 12 April 2003, 83.8% in favour, turnout 45.6%
- — 2003 Lithuanian European Union membership referendum, 10–11 May 2003, 91.9% in favour, turnout 63.4%
- — 2003 Slovak European Union membership referendum, 16–17 May 2003, 93.7% in favour, turnout 52.1%
- — 2003 Polish European Union membership referendum, 7–8 June 2003, 77.5% in favour, turnout 58.9%
- — 2003 Czech European Union membership referendum, 13–14 June 2003, 77.3% in favour, turnout 55.2%
- — 2003 Estonian European Union membership referendum, 14 September 2003, 66.8% in favour, turnout 64.1%
- — 2003 Latvian European Union membership referendum, 20 September 2003, 67.5% in favour, turnout 71.5%
Euro
Denmark and the United Kingdom received opt-outs from the Maastricht Treaty and do not have to join the euro unless they choose to do so; Sweden has not received an opt-out, yet deliberately does not live up to the requirements for joining for now. Two referendums have been held on the issue up to now, both of which rejected accession.- — 2000 Danish euro referendum, 28 September 2000, 53.2% against, turnout 87.6%
- — 2003 Swedish euro referendum, 14 September 2003, 55.9% against, turnout 82.6%
European Constitution, 2005
- — 2005 Spanish European Constitution referendum, 20 February 2005, 81.8% in favour, turnout 41.8%
- — 2005 French European Constitution referendum, 29 May 2005, 54.7% against, turnout 69.4%
- — 2005 Dutch European Constitution referendum, 1 June 2005, 61.5% against, turnout 63.3%
- — 2005 Luxembourgian European Constitution referendum, 10 July 2005, 56.5% in favour, turnout 90.4%
- — Czech European Constitution referendum
- — Danish European Constitution referendum
- — Irish European Constitution referendum
- — Polish European Constitution referendum
- — Portuguese European Constitution referendum
- — United Kingdom European Constitution referendum
Treaty of Lisbon
- — a referendum to approve the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2008, 12 June 2008, 53.2% against, turnout 53.1%
- — a referendum to approve the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 2 October 2009, 67.1% in favour, turnout 59.0%
EU enlargement of 2013
- — 2012 Croatian European Union membership referendum, 22 January 2012, 66.7% in favour, turnout 43.5%
European Fiscal Compact, 2012
- — a referendum to approve the Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, 31 May 2012, 60.4% in favour, turnout 50.5%
San Marino membership application
- - 2013 Sammarinese referendum, 20 October 2013, 50.28% in favour, turnout 43.38%
Unified Patent Court
- — 2014 Danish Unified Patent Court membership referendum, 25 May 2014, 62.5% in favour, turnout 55.9%
- — The ratification of Ireland requires a referendum. Such a referendum has not been announced.
Greek bailout referendum, 2015
- — 2015 Greek bailout referendum, 5 July 2015, 61.3% against, turnout 62.5%
Danish EU opt-out referendum, 2015
- The 2015 Danish European Union opt-out referendum, 53.1% against, turnout 72.0%
Dutch Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum, 2016
- — 2016 Dutch Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum, 6 April 2016, 61.0% against, turnout 32.2%
United Kingdom's European Union membership, 2016
- — 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 23 June 2016, 51.9% to leave, turnout 72.2%
Hungarian migrant quota referendum, 2016
- — 2016 Hungarian migrant quota referendum, 2 October 2016, 98.4% against, turnout 44.0%
Future EU enlargements
There is discussion amongst eurosceptic parties and movements across the EU to hold their own referendums on EU membership since the referendum in the UK.
Agreements between Switzerland and the EU
- — 1972: Free trade agreement with the EC, 72.5% in favour
- — 1992: EEA Agreement with all EU member states and all EFTA member states as well as the European Communities, 50.3% against
- — 1997: Requiring the approval of a referendum and the Cantons to launch accession negotiations with the EU, 74.1% against
- — 2000: Bilateral I agreements with the EU, 67.2% in favour
- — 2001: Opening negotiations for EU membership, 76.8% against
- — 2005: Schengen Agreement and the Dublin Regulation, 54.6% in favour
- — 2005: Freedom of movement for workers, to include 10 new EU members, 56.0% in favour
- — 2006: Cohesion contribution of one billion for the ten new member states of the EU, 53.4% in favour
- — 2009: Freedom of movement for workers, to include two new EU members, 59.6% in favour
- — 2009: Introduction of biometric passports, as required by the Schengen acquis, 50.1% in favour
- — 2014: Freedom of movement for workers to be reduced, 50.3% in favour