THE 2004 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Abstract

After the two Nice treaty referenda and the surge of European scepticism on the eve of the largest European Union (EU) enlargement to relatively poor central and eastern European countries, Ireland's electoral behaviour was eagerly awaited. On 11 June 2004, 58.8 per cent of the Irish electorate turned out to elect 13 representatives for a five‐year mandate to the European Parliament. The loss of two seats in the European Parliament as a result of the Nice Treaty made the election in the Republic of Ireland more competitive in 2004 than in 1999. It resulted in tighter elections and a few surprises. Even though European elections across the 25 member states were run on domestic issues and failed to define European‐wide questions, some pan‐European trends can clearly be identified and highlight a relatively homogeneous concern for future European integration if not plain European scepticism. In many ways, the 2004 European election reveals that Ireland is more and more synchronised with its EU partners.