Referendums and direct democracy

In this section

• Citizens' Assemblies: How They Work, With Examples

  How citizens' assemblies work: random selection by lot, learning, deliberation and recommendations, with examples from Ireland, France, Germany and the EU.

• EU Treaty Referendums: A Timeline from 1972 to Today

  Every major national referendum on joining the EU or ratifying its treaties since 1972, in one neutral timeline: country, year, subject and outcome.

• Referendum vs Initiative vs Plebiscite: The Differences

  Referendum, citizens' initiative, plebiscite, recall and petition compared: who starts each one, what the vote decides and how binding it is, in one clear table.

• Referendums in Europe: Country Overview and Rules

  Which European countries hold national referendums, who can call them, whether results bind and which turnout rules apply. A neutral country-by-country table.

• The EU Constitutional Treaty of 2004: What It Was

  What the EU Constitutional Treaty of 2004 contained, how ratification stopped after the French and Dutch No votes in 2005 and what the Treaty of Lisbon took over.

• The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Explained

  How the European Citizens' Initiative works: one million signatures from at least seven EU countries, the steps and deadlines, and what the Commission must do.

• What Is a Referendum? Types, Rules and Examples

  A referendum is a direct vote by the electorate on a specific question. The main types, binding or advisory, mandatory or optional, and the rules that shape them.

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