 | ||
| ||
 Referendum questions in French and German | ||
| Head of State | ||
|---|---|---|
| Economic union with Belgium or France | ||
 |
|---|
A double referendum took place in Luxembourg on 28 September 1919. [1] Voters were asked questions on their preferred head of state and whether there should be an economic union with either France or Belgium. The majority voted to retain Grand Duchess Charlotte as head of state, and for economic union with France. [2]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Duchess Charlotte | 66,811 | 77.80 | |
| Republic | 16,885 | 19.66 | |
| Retain the dynasty, but replace Charlotte | 1,286 | 1.50 | |
| Retain the monarchy, but replace the dynasty | 889 | 1.04 | |
| Total | 85,871 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 85,871 | 94.38 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 5,113 | 5.62 | |
| Total votes | 90,984 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 126,193 | 72.10 | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 60,133 | 73.00 | |
| Belgium | 22,242 | 27.00 | |
| Total | 82,375 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 82,375 | 90.54 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 8,609 | 9.46 | |
| Total votes | 90,984 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 126,193 | 72.10 | |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||
Both results were seen as being highly indicative of the country's will, and were acted upon. The result in favour of the monarchy was seen to be a Wilsonian act of self-determination, in opposition to the 'French' republic or the imposition of the Belgian dynasty. By defeating both of these prospects, the referendum result put a clear end to the Allied Powers' discussion of Luxembourg's destiny. [3] The political result was to have settled the national question, left the Grand Duchess as the incarnation of the nation itself, and settled the republican issue once and for all, as although the monarchy still had its detractors, particularly amongst socialists, its importance as a political issue waned considerably. [4] An exception was the city of Esch-sur-Alzette, in which the majority (55%) voted for becoming a republic. [5] In Luxembourg City only 33% voted for a republic. [5]
The economic question was more difficult for the government to implement. Indeed, since 1917, France had promised Belgium free rein (economically) in Luxembourg, and had informally precluded a customs union, but negotiations with the French government proceeded nonetheless, before collapsing in May 1920. [6] This prompted the government to turn to Belgium, and within a year, negotiations had been settled, and a treaty signed on 25 July 1921 to create the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (UEBL). [3] Due to the referendum result, and a lingering distrust of Belgium's political motives, the public in Luxembourg greatly resented the treaty. [4] However, the treaty was still successfully ratified by the Chamber of Deputies on 22 December 1922, with 27 votes for, 13 against, and 8 in abstention. [7]
The history of Luxembourg consists of the history of the country of Luxembourg and its geographical area.
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the process of European integration" chiefly in provisions for a shared European citizenship, for the eventual introduction of a single currency, and for common foreign and security policies, and a number of changes to the European institutions and their decision taking procedures, not least a strengthening of the powers of the European Parliament and more majority voting on the Council of Ministers. Although these were seen by many to presage a "federal Europe", key areas remained inter-governmental with national governments collectively taking key decisions. This constitutional debate continued through the negotiation of subsequent treaties, culminating in the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon.
A confederation is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defence, foreign relations, internal trade or currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all its members. Confederalism represents a main form of intergovernmentalism, defined as any form of interaction around states that takes place on the basis of sovereign independence or government.
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded qualified majority voting into policy areas which had previously been decided by unanimity among member states.
Marie-Adélaïde, was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1912 until her abdication in 1919. She was the first Grand Duchess regnant of Luxembourg, its first female monarch since Duchess Maria Theresa and the first Luxembourgish monarch to be born within the territory since Count John the Blind (1296–1346).
The Single European Act (SEA) was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a single market by 31 December 1992, and a forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) it helped codify European Political Co-operation. The amending treaty was signed at Luxembourg City on 17 February 1986 and at The Hague on 28 February 1986. It came into effect on 1 July 1987, under the Delors Commission.
Bulgaria elects on the national level a head of state—the president—and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term directly by the people. The National Assembly has 240 members elected for a four-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies with a 4% threshold. Bulgaria has a multi-party system in which often no party receives a required majority and parties must collaborate to form governments, generally via confidence and supply or coalition agreements.
The Luxembourg Compromise was an agreement reached in January 1966 to resolve the "Empty Chair Crisis" which had caused a stalemate within European Economic Community (EEC).
From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The German government justified the occupation by citing the need to support their armies in neighbouring France, although many Luxembourgers, past and present, have interpreted German actions otherwise.
The year 1948 marked the beginning of the institutionalised modern European integration. With the start of the Cold War, the Treaty of Brussels was signed in 1948 establishing the Western Union (WU) as the first organisation. In the same year, the International Authority for the Ruhr and the Organization for European Economic Co-operation, the predecessor of the OECD, were also founded, followed in 1949 by the Council of Europe, and in 1951 by the European Coal and Steel Community, with the ensuing moves to create further communities leading to the Treaty of Rome (1957).
The history of the European Communities between 1958 and 1972 saw the early development of the European Communities. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) had just been joined by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC), the latter of which soon became the most important. In 1967 the EEC's institutions took over the other two with the EEC's Commission holding its first terms under Hallstein and Rey.
This is a timeline of European Union history and its previous development.
A referendum on the Maastricht Treaty for the founding of the European Union was held in Denmark on 2 June 1992. The treaty was rejected by 50.7% of voters with a turnout of 83.1%. This meant a serious hurdle on the way in the process of further European integration, which nevertheless did continue because all twelve member states did want to ratify.
The London and Paris Conferences were two related conferences held in London and Paris during September–October 1954 to determine the status of West Germany. The talks concluded with the signing of the Paris Agreements, which granted West Germany some sovereignty, ended the occupation, and allowed its admittance to NATO. Furthermore, both West Germany and Italy joined the Brussels Treaty on 23 October 1954. The Agreements went into force on 5 May 1955. The participating powers included France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, West Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, and remaining NATO members.
A referendum on political and economic reforms was held in Poland on 29 November 1987. The government's aim in holding the referendum was to obtain a mandate for difficult economic and political reforms. Around a third of eligible voters did not participate, defying the regime. Only 44% of Poland's 26 million eligible voters voted yes to the question on economic reform, and 46% voted yes to the second question on "democratisation" in Poland. Even though a majority of the votes cast supported the propositions, according to the rules of the referendum the majority of eligible voters had to vote yes in order for the referendum to pass. The resulting failure of the referendum was unprecedented, as it was the first time that Communist authorities in Eastern Europe had lost a vote.
A referendum on the new constitution or organic law was held in Spain on 14 December 1966, with all Spaniards over age 21 being allowed to participate. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Organic Law of the State Bill?". It was approved by 98% of valid votes on a turnout of 89%.
The Treaty of Accession 1972 was the international agreement which provided for the accession of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom to the European Communities. Norway did not ratify the treaty after it was rejected in a referendum held in September 1972. The treaty was ratified by Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom who became EC member states on 1 January 1973 when the treaty entered into force. The treaty remains an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union.
The Bech Ministry was the government of Luxembourg that came into office in Luxembourg on 16 July 1926 after the resignation of the Prüm Ministry, and was headed by Joseph Bech. It was reshuffled on 11 April 1932 and on 27 December 1936. It stepped down after the referendum on the so-called Maulkuerfgesetz, in which the majority of voters decided against the law.
The Reuter Ministry was the government in office in Luxembourg from 28 September 1918 until 20 March 1925, headed by Émile Reuter. It resulted from the Chamber elections of 28 July and 4 August 1918 and was reshuffled on 5 January 1920 as a result of the elections of 26 October 1919. There was a further reshuffle on 15 April 1921, when the Liberals left the government.
The United Kingdom was a member state of the European Union (EU) and of its predecessor the European Communities (EC) – principally the European Economic Community (EEC) – from 1 January 1973 until 31 January 2020. Since the foundation of the EEC, the UK had been an important neighbour and then a leading member state, until Brexit ended 47 years of membership. During the UK's time as a member state two referendums were held on the issue of its membership: the first, held on 5 June 1975, resulting in a vote to stay in the EC, and the second, held on 23 June 2016, resulting in a vote to leave the EU.
| General elections |
|
|---|---|
| Communal elections | |
| European elections | |
| Referendums | |
* Partial elections | |
