15/04/2024 Session
PACE stressed today the need to update guidelines to ensure fair referendums. Recognising that recent national referendums have faced scrutiny over process and fairness, PACE proactively engaged with the Venice Commission to address these concerns.
Adopting the resolution based on the report by Isabel Meirelles (Portugal, EPP/CD), the Assembly endorsed the Revised Code of Good Practice on Referendums and recommended it to the parliaments of the Council of Europe member and observer States, as well as to the parliaments enjoying observer or partner for democracy status with the Assembly.
PACE underscored that the Revised Code neither imposes referendums as a universal solution nor dictates their frequency or scope. Instead, it provides essential guidelines to ensure that referendums genuinely reflect the electorate's desires while upholding international standards. While primarily focused on national referendums, the Revised Code is “adapted to the reality of local and regional referendums, in conformity with national constitutional traditions”.
The Assembly called on member states to disseminate and incorporate the guidelines into their national frameworks, fostering “dialogue on how to improve the existing national rules on referendums”. Parliamentarians urged Council of Europe member States' parliaments to revise their referendum rules according to the Revised Code to improve the legal and institutional environment for referendum.
The Assembly is also committed to playing a more active role in promoting the Code, for instance, by encouraging discussions within political groups to enhance the legal framework for referendums. It is also proposed that debates be held on developing best practices, stepping up interparliamentary co-operation activities, and collaborating with the Venice Commission to review and potentially enhance the Revised Code as needed.