It also has some peculiar modern features, such as reference to "biodiversity" and to "the minimum vital daily quantity of water, as a right to life".
However, it prevents the people from having an advisory referendum on important matters,[7] such as international treaties and laws deriving from European agreements and directives.
During the period of the Venetian Republic, the Veneto did not have an organic constitution approved by a constituent assembly as happens, instead, in most present-day states.
He had to act within the limits of the promissione ducale, a pledge which restricted his powers and was constantly updated, and he also had to cooperate with the Major Council, which in turn could undertake no action without the Doge's consent.
The corpus of laws and customs also constituted the base of the judiciary, providing limits to the judges' powers[8] After Napoleon's invasion of the Venetian Republic, the territory of present-day Veneto was merged with Lombardy and annexed to the Austrian Empire, with the name of Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia.
After the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, later transformed into the Italian Republic, no local authority existed for Veneto as such, until ordinary-statute regions (formally established in 1948) were practically put into effect in 1970.
The Statute of 1971, was passed with an overwhelming cross-party majority (49 votes of 50) by the Regional Council and then received the assent of the Italian Parliament as ordinary law no.
Article 2 stated that "the self-government of the Venetian people is realized in forms corresponding to the characters and the traditions of its history", although this it has not produced any effective powers different from those of any other region with ordinary statute.
Articles 35–63 established the functions of the Region and the procedures to pass laws, budgets and to devolve powers to other local institutions (such as provinces and municipalities).