Referendum in Slovakia on joining the European Union

EU enlargement to the east in 2004: Slovakia other candidate countries European Union




On May 16 and 17, 2003, a referendum took place in Slovakia on the accession of Slovakia to the European Union . 93.71 percent of the electorate voted to join. The turnout was 52 percent.

prehistory

After the break-up of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc between 1989 and 1991, signs of dissolution also became apparent in Czechoslovakia . After a short interlude as the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic from 1990 to 1992, the state was peacefully divided into the two successor states of Slovakia and the Czech Republic on December 31, 1992 . Both states aimed for closer ties to the European Union. From this they expected primarily economic benefits (economic aid), but also a political stabilization in a phase of disorientation after the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe. In October 1993 the Slovak government signed an association agreement with the EU and in 1995 the government under the then Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar applied for full membership of the country in the EU. However, the EU Commission initially acted on hold because it was of the opinion that Slovakia did not yet meet the minimum conditions for membership. In particular, deficits in democracy and a lack of stability in political institutions in Slovakia were criticized. Since the National Council election in 1994 , Mečiars HZDS ruled in a coalition government with the left-wing populist ZRS and the right-wing extremist Slovak National Party (SNS). The government’s authoritarian behavior towards the opposition cast doubt on the EU about Mečiar’s democratic sentiments. In July 1997 the EU Commission therefore decided that Slovakia did not meet the democratic requirements for membership.

Mikuláš Dzurinda - Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator on the Slovak side

The situation changed significantly, however, when Mečiar's government was voted out of office in the 1998 National Council election. The new government under Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda made rapid progress in negotiations with the EU. At the EU summit in Helsinki in 1999, Slovakia was invited to accession negotiations and it became clear that Slovakia would be able to join the EU in the same time frame as the other three countries of the Visegrád group . Domestically, the goal of EU membership was undisputed. All major parties were in favor. The fact that Slovakia was not the only one of the four Visegrád states outside the EU to want to remain isolated played a major role in this. Political analysis showed that supporters of the centrist parties in particular favored membership, while the post-communists and nationalists were more skeptical. Younger people tended to be more EU-friendly than older people, and support for the EU rose with the higher education level of the voters. However, older, conservative and anti-communist voters also supported joining the EU. The communists also spoke out in favor of accession, arguing that Slovakia's economy had no chance outside of the EU after its decline in the 1990s.

According to Articles 7 and 93 of the Slovak Constitution, a law that entailed joining or leaving a state union had to be ratified by a referendum. The condition for the validity of a referendum was that at least 50% of the eligible voters took part. This was seen as the main problem by all political actors. The approval of the majority of voters was largely beyond question, but all four referendums that had taken place in Slovakia since 1992 had failed because the turnout was too low. As none of the political parties represented in parliament supported a “no” vote, the whole campaign focused on educating voters about the EU and motivating them to go to the ballot box.

Question of the referendum

The question asked in the referendum was:

"Súhlasíte s tým, aby sa Slovenská republika stala členským štátom Európskej únie?"

"Do you agree that the Slovak Republic should become a member of the European Union?"

- Question of the referendum of May 16-17, 2003

The question could be answered with 'ÁNO' (“Yes”) or “NEVER” (“No”).

Results

Share of yes votes according to Krajs

Turnout according to Krajs: over 50% under 50%



The following table shows the results according to Krajs (regional associations).

Kraj	Yes votes		Vote no		Invalid votes		Voter turnout (in%)
	number	in %	number	in %	number	in %
Bratislavský kraj	289.420	96.09	11,769	3.91	2.983	0.58	59.45
Trnavský kraj	208,670	94.43	12,316	5.57	2,917	0.67	51.60
Trenčiansky kraj	205,798	91.92	18,100	8.08	3,100	0.66	48.00
Nitriansky kraj	266.166	94.17	16,486	5.83	3,868	0.69	51.01
Žilinský kraj	228.220	92.58	18,285	7.42	3,340	0.64	47.65
Banskobystrický kraj	245.209	92.42	20.123	7.58	3,583	0.70	52.32
Prešovský kraj	277.245	92.78	21,572	7.22	5,288	0.92	53.11
Košický kraj	292,142	94.69	16,380	5.31	4.010	0.69	53.59
Slovakia as a whole	2,012,870	93.71	135.031	6.29	29,089	0.70	52.15
Source: Statistical Office of Slovakia

After the referendum

Approval for joining the EU was consistently very high and the national mean was 93.7%. The highest approval rate and also the highest voter turnout was achieved in the capital region of Bratislava . The Slovak referendum thus achieved the highest approval rating of all nine referendums held in the candidate countries. However, voter turnout was one of the lowest at 52.15%. Only in the Hungarian referendum was the turnout even lower. The quorum of 50% of the electorate had literally only been exceeded in the last hour of election day.

On May 1, 2004, Slovakia joined the European Union as part of the 2004 EU expansion .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Slovakia and the EU: The History of Slovak EU Membership. (No longer available online.) Eu2016.sk, archived from the original on July 21, 2016 ; Retrieved June 4, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Karen Hendersen: Referendum briefing No 7: The Slovak EU accession referendum 16-17 May 2003. EPERN - European Parties and Referendums Network (University of Leicester), accessed on June 4, 2017 (English). 
3. ↑ Referendum. http://volby.statistics.sk/ , accessed June 5, 2017 (in Slovak).