In Vielfalt verneint: Referenden in und iiber Europa von Maastricht bis Brexit

摘要

To appreciate the meaning of the first part of the title of this volume, it is necessary to go beyond translation and realise that it is the German version of the EU motto' United in diversity' with the addition of one letter. For the original'vereint'(united), Schunemann has substituted 'verneint', which usually means'denied' but, more importantly in this context, contains the word 'nein'to allude to the'no'votes in a number of the post-Maastricht referenda referred to in the second part of his title, along with the Brexit vote. In that all these did not end a 'no'vote, the play on words is not entirely successful; however, it cannot be denied that negative votes in referenda on the proposed constitution and the - for EU supporters - Brexit debacle have markedly affected the development of the Union. In addition, it should be noted that Schunemann only considers referenda in existing EU countries, not those that may have taken place after Maastricht in candidate countries, as, for example, in Malta. He also draws attention to the different status of the various referenda, whether they were required in certain circumstances by a country's constitution or came about through political decisions on the part of various actors and also whether they were binding or consultative.