EUROPEAN CLAUSES AND THE ELECTORAL RIGHTS OF EUROPEAN UNION CITIZENS: MODELS OF MINIMALIST CONSTITUTIONAL REGULATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2195/2026/1.131-16Keywords:
European integration, European Union legislation, election law, constitutional law, local electionsAbstract
Background. With Ukraine acquiring candidate status for EU membership, there is a pressing need to harmonize national constitutional law with EU law on the protection of the electoral rights of EU citizens. Research into the minimalist model of constitutional reforms in European Union member states will enable the development of the best path for such adaptation without a total revision of the Basic Law of Ukraine.
Methods. The research is based on the application of the comparative legal method for analyzing the constitutional acts of 17 European Union member states, a formal-dogmatic method for interpreting the norms of the Constitution of Ukraine in order to identify obstacles to European integration, and a method of analysis and synthesis for summarizing the scientific positions of domestic constitutionalists. Additionally, the historical-legal method was utilized to trace the evolution of amendments during the accession periods of existing EU states.
Results. It has been established that 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union have adopted a minimalist model for enshrining European clauses, limited to concise norms and principles. The constitutional practice of individual countries that, in order to grant European Union citizens voting rights, either did not change their constitutions at all, adopted separate constitutional acts, or made only minor changes has been analyzed.
Conclusions. It is determined that the most optimal guideline for adapting the text of the Constitution of Ukraine is to apply a minimalist model of European clauses. This will allow for the harmonization of legislation and ensure the realization of the electoral rights of European Union citizens without the need for extensive codification of European integration norms in the body of the Basic Law.
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