Swiss Senate Wants People And Cantons To Vote On EU Deal
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Deutsch
de
EU-Paket soll laut Ständerat Volk und Ständen vorgelegt werden
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Read more: EU-Paket soll laut Ständerat Volk und Ständen vorgelegt w
The federal government's proposal for an optional referendum was rejected in the Senate by 23 votes to 17, with 3 abstentions. This would have required only a simple majority of the people.
By an almost identical margin, the Senate subsequently voted in favour of the concept of a“sui generis” referendum. This means that a majority of the cantons would be needed but without a constitutional amendment.
Even though the Swiss constitution does not require it, in practice an international treaty may be subject to a mandatory referendum if it has a“constitutional character”. This is referred to as a mandatory“sui generis” referendum on international treaties.
In addition, the Senate approved a proposal from its Commission on Political Institutions that provides for a double majority, as it aims to secure approval of the EU treaties through a constitutional amendment.
The decision in the Senate follows a political and legal dispute about whether the EU treaties should be subject to an optional or mandatory referendum. Depending on the situation, a vote requires a majority of the people and the cantons or only the majority of the people.
+ Cantonal majority: an obstacle that could scupper the Swiss-EU deal
The House of Representatives will have to consider both proposals. Furthermore, the Federal Council's proposal for a simple majority will once again be up for discussion there.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
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