THE INSTITUTE OF REFERENDUM IN THE CONTEXT OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The article discusses the main issues of holding referen-dums in particular European Union member-states in relation to issues related to the functioning and development of the EU. The author gives a description of the current importance of the institute of the referendum in connection with ongoing processes of regional integration and the participation of states in them on the basis of delegation of sovereign powers. Membership in the European Union, as an international organization sui generis, provides for the states' transfer of part of their key sovereign powers to EU institutions and bodies. This institution is inextricably connected with the concept of «sovereignty», namely with the concept of «pop-ular sovereignty)), which implies the participation of citizens in the execution of functions of the state, including with regard to participation in interstate entities. An expression of this, among other things, is the institution of a referendum. Many member-states of the European Union use referenda to resolve issues related to European regional integration processes. The author of the paper identiies three catego- ries of referenda related to EU membership. Firstly, these are referenda regarding accession to the European Union. The second category includes referenda regarding the approval of international treaties of the Union, which amend the EU constituent treaties. The third category includes referenda on secession from the European Union. Exit referenda held in the UK in 1975 and 2016 fall into this category. If a negative result was obtained at the irst, the second referendum became the reason for initiating the process of Great Britain's exit from the European Union - Brexit. In general, referenda as a priority form of direct democracy continue their genesis at a qualitatively new level: the circle of countries practicing referenda is expanding with the goal of making socially significant decisions; the range of issues submitted to a popular vote is increasing, and the referenda held in individual states are acquiring not only national but also international signiicance, which is conirmed by the practice of the European Union.

referendum, EU member states, European Union, sovereignty, United Kingdom, Brexit

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