What can be brought to a referendum?

FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF THE SWISSCONFEDERATION

(Adopted1999; last amended 2013)

http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/c101.html

Title 4: The People and the Cantons

Chapter 2: Initiative and Referendum

Art. 140 Mandatory referendum

(1) The following must be put to the vote of thePeople and the Cantons:

1. amendments to the Federal Constitution;
2. accession to organisations for collective security or to supranational communities;
3. emergency federal acts that are not based on a provision of the Constitution and whose term of validity exceeds one year; such federal acts must be put to the vote within one year of being passed by the Federal Assembly.

(2) The following are submitted to a vote of thePeople:

1. popular initiatives for a complete revision of the Federal Constitution;
2. popular initiatives for a partial revision of the Federal Constitution in the form of a general proposal that have been rejected by the Federal Assembly;
3. the question of whether a complete revision of the Federal Constitution should be carried out, in the event that there is disagreement between the two Councils.

Art. 141 Optional referendum

(1) If within 100 days of the officialpublication of the enactment any 50,000 persons eligible to vote or any eightCantons request it, the following shall be submitted to a vote of the People:

1. federal acts;
2. emergency federal acts whose term of validity exceeds one year;
3. federal decrees, provided the Constitution or an act so requires;
4. international treaties that:

1.      are of unlimited duration and may not be terminated;

2.      provide for accession to an international organisation;

3.      contain important legislative provisions or whose implementation requiresthe enactment of federal legislation.