Constitutional Act of Law No. 515/2002 Coll. of November 14th, 2002, on the referendum on accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union and the change of Constitutional Act of Law No. 1/1993 Coll., the Constitution of the Czech Republic, as amended
The Parliament has resolved on the following constitutional act of law of the Czech Republic:
Part One
Referendum on Accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union
Article 1
General Provisions
(1) The accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union may only be decided on in a referendum.
(2) The following question shall be asked in the referendum: “Do you agree that the Czech Republic should become a member of the European Union pursuant to the Agreement on the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union?”
(3) Each citizen of the Czech Republic older than 18 years of age shall have the right to vote in the referendum.
(4) The referendum and its result shall be declared by the president of the republic in the same way acts of law are promulgated.
(5) If the referendum is to take place within the last six months of the electoral term of the Chamber of Deputies or the term of office of self-governing territorial units, it shall be proclaimed by the president of the republic in a way ensuring that it can be held together with the elections to the Chamber of Deputies or the elections to the councils of self-governing territorial units.
Article 2
The president of the republic shall proclaim the referendum no later than 30 days after the conclusion of an agreement on accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union in a way ensuring that it is held no earlier than thirty and no later than sixty days after its proclamation.
Repeated Referendum
Article 3
(1) If the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union is not approved in a referendum held in compliance with Article 2 herein, a new referendum on the same issue may be proposed by the government or jointly by at least two-fifths of the Chamber of Deputies or two-fifths of the Senate.
(2) The proposal is to be presented to the president of the republic.
(3) A new referendum may take place two years after the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union has been rejected in the previous referendum at the earliest.
Article 4
If all proclamation conditions are duly met, the president of the republic shall proclaim the referendum within 30 days after it has been proposed. The referendum must be held no later than 90 days after it has been proposed; otherwise the president of the republic shall decide within the same time limit that no referendum will be held.
Article 5
Referendum Result
(1) If a majority of the citizens taking part in the referendum say yes to the question indicated in Article 1, Section 2 herein, the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union shall be considered approved.
(2) The promulgation of referendum result approving the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union replaces ratification approval of the Agreement on Accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union by the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 6
Other conditions addressing the exercise of voting rights and more detailed information on the process of proposition, proclamation and execution of the referendum and on the publication of its result shall be specified in a separate act of law. In order to be passed, such an act of law must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Part Two
(not translated)
Part Three
Effective Date
Article 8
This constitutional act of law shall become effective on March 1st, 2003.