Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković warned that France’s 2027 presidential election could complicate European Union enlargement, Euronews reported, highlighting how national approval rules can affect the bloc’s ability to admit new members.
Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) says the Council of the European Union must act unanimously on a membership application after consulting the European Commission and receiving the European Parliament’s consent. Any resulting accession agreement must be ratified by all contracting states, including the applicant country, under each state’s constitutional requirements. The EU describes enlargement as a process that includes candidate status and negotiations.
France’s Constitution calls for a referendum on a bill authorizing ratification of an accession treaty. The alternative requires identical motions supported by three-fifths majorities in both houses of Parliament; the president may then submit the bill to Congress. Approval in Congress requires three-fifths of votes cast. That route offers an alternative to a referendum within France; it does not change the treaty-level requirement for ratification by every contracting state.
At the Brussels summit Tuesday, Nov. 3, Euronews reported that Plenković cited opposition among French voters and parties. “Some of the electors and parties are clearly opposing the process,” he said. The outlet also reported that he invoked the 2005 referendum as a cautionary example and said political events could affect enlargement more than people might now imagine. His remarks described a possible obstacle, not a French decision to block an accession.
Official results show that 54.67% voted against the 2005 treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, 45.33% supported it and turnout was 69.37%. That ballot concerned the treaty, not the admission of a new EU member.
The Council of the European Union lists nine candidate countries. The European Commission’s next enlargement package is due Wednesday, Nov. 4; EconoTimes previously reported that it was expected to include accession road maps for four candidate countries.
