ABSTRACT

In 2003, nine of the ten countries expecting to join the European Union (EU) in the following year held referendums on the question of accession, all resulting in a clear, strong popular endorsement of joining the Union – albeit in many cases with very low participation. The outcome of these referendums had never been seriously in question as, at least in the post-communist entrants, European integration had enjoyed high degrees of elite and mass support. At the time, the European project was widely seen as a success story, with numerous benefits bestowed by integration on the more-fortunate Western part of the continent. EU membership was also seen as the chance to join the community of liberal democracies where many post-communist citizens felt their countries belonged culturally, economically and politically.