2016 Italian oil drilling referendum

2016 Italian oil drilling referendum

17 April 2016

Do you want to repeal the Article 6, Paragraph 17, Third Sentence, of the legislative decree 3 April 2006, no. 152, "Environmental regulations", as replaced by paragraph 239 of Article 1 of the law of 28 December 2015, no. 208, "Provisions for the formation of the annual and long-term state budget (stability law 2016)", limited to the following words: "for the useful life of the reservoir, in compliance with safety and environmental protection standards"?
Ballot paper for postal voting by overseas voters.
OutcomeProposal failed as voter turnout was below 50%
Results
Choice
Votes %
Yes 13,334,607 85.85%
No 2,198,715 14.15%
Valid votes 15,533,322 98.27%
Invalid or blank votes 273,166 1.73%
Total votes 15,806,488 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 50,681,765 31.19%

Result by region.

An abrogative referendum on oil and natural gas drilling was held in Italy on 17 April 2016.[1] The referendum was on the proposed repealing of a law that allows gas and oil drilling concessions extracting hydrocarbon within 12 nautical miles of the Italian coast to be prolonged until the exhaustion of the useful life of the fields.

Although 86% voted in favour of repealing the law, the turnout of 31% was below the majority threshold required to validate the result.[2]

It was the first referendum requested by at least five Regional Councils in the history of the Italian Republic: all 66 previous referendum questions since 1974 were called after the collection of signatures.

  1. ^ Cabinet sets drilling referendum Apr 17 ANSA, 11 February 2016
  2. ^ Boost for Renzi as oil drilling poll fails Financial Times, 17 April 2016