The Venice Commission reiterates that:

- The initiative of the Serbian authorities to adopt a new Law on the Referendum and the People’s Initiative in order to bring the legislation in line with international standards is to be welcomed.

- It regrets that the revision of the law on referendums started only when a constitutional referendum was imminent. For the sake of stability of the electoral law, amendments to the fundamental provisions on referendums should be applied less than one year after their adoption only if they ensure conformity with the standards of the European electoral heritage or implement recommendations by international organisations. Moreover, changes need to be really implementable before the actual referendum takes place. The Venice Commission therefore recommends holding the next referendum only when the revised law will be “really applicable” to it. Furthermore, the amendments should be adopted by broad consensus and by taking account of the public consultations with all relevant stakeholders.