ABSTRACT
In Austria, ‘total revisions’ of the constitution must be put before the population in a referendum according to Article 44. The outcome is binding for the decision-makers. ‘Austria’s accession to the EU in 1995 implied a “total revision” of the constitution and thus required a referendum’ (Müller 1996a:25). By the end of 1990, it was decided in Sweden to put the final decision on membership before the population. ‘Although referend[a] in Sweden are technically only advisory, the political parties agreed in advance to honor the outcome of the [EU] vote, regardless of their own views’ (Berg 1994:2). Consequently, the social forces against the EU were offered another chance to prevent membership in both countries.
