Recent and current events

Russia - Consultation meeting of the Venice Commission Rapporteurs with representatives of the authorities of the Russian Federation with regard to the Federal Law on the Federal Security Service and the Federal Law on Extremism of the Russian Federation.   27/04/2012 Paris - At the request of the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, the Venice Commission is currently finalising its legal assessment of the above-mentioned laws. The two draft opinions will be submitted for adoption to the Venice Commission’s 91st plenary meeting in June 2012.

Hungary - forthcoming opinion on the legislation on the prosecution service - country visit   04/04/2012 Budapest – A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Budapest in preparation of an opinion on the legislation on the prosecution service, requested by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The opinion is expected to be adopted at the 91st plenary session of the Venice Commission (15-16 June 2012).

Kazakhstan - Study visit for staff of the Central and Regional Electoral Commissions of Kazakhstan to the Council of Europe   03/04/2012 - 05/04/2012 Council of Europe, Strasbourg - A study visit for staff of the Central and Regional Electoral Commissions of Kazakhstan to the Council of Europe on "The Council of Europe standards in the field of elections and recent developments related to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights on elections", organised by the Venice Commission. The participants will follow closely the work of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and other bodies and services of the Council of Europe in the field of electoral standards. This activity is organised in the framework of a joint project “Support to the election process in Kazakhstan” funded by the European Union and implemented by the Venice Commission.

Tunisia – study visit by members of the NCA   29/03/2012 - 30/03/2012 Strasbourg / Karlsruhe - A delegation of 12 Tunisians from the National Constituent Assembly came to Strasbourg for discussions at the Council of Europe, followed by meetings in Karlsruhe, Germany, at the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court. This study visit took place within the framework of Tunisia’s constitutional reform.

Morocco - Intercultural Workshop on Democracy   29/03/2012 - 30/03/2012 Marrakech - 1st Intercultural Workshop on Democracy with the Moroccan Association of Constitutional Law, the International Association of Constitutional Law and the Constitutional Council of Morrocco on "Constitutional Processes and Democratic Processes, Experiences and Perspectives".

Programme and papers presented

Electoral issues – assistance to the Central Electoral Commissions – 3d Eastern Partnership Facility meeting   26/03/2012 - 27/03/2012 Kyiv - The Venice Commission co-organises with the Central Election Commission of Ukraine the third Eastern Partnership Facility meeting, financed by the European Commission. The meeting is devoted to the voters' lists and registers management.

Tunisia - Seminar on the independence of the judiciary   21/03/2012 - 22/03/2012 Tunis - The Venice Commission and the Department for the independence and efficiency of Justice of the Council of Europe organised in cooperation with the Trade union of the Tunisian judges and the Union of the administrative judges, a seminar on the independence of the judiciary. The participants had an opportunity to have in-depth discussions, in particular about • the constitutional guarantees of the independence of the judiciary, • the judiciary councils, • the judges' career and • statutory guarantees. This seminar was organised in the framework of the European Union programme « Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern Neighbourhood »

90th plenary session of the Venice Commission (Venice) 16/03/2012 - 17/03/2012 The Commission: - adopted the joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the compatibility with universal Human Rights standards of the amended law on mass events in the Republic of Belarus; - held an exchange of views with Mr Robert Repassy, Minister of State for Justice of Hungary, and adopted the opinion on the laws on the status and remuneration of judges and on the organisation and administration of Courts in Hungary, with amendments; - held an exchange of views with Mr Csaba Latorcai, Deputy State Secretary for Minority and Non-govermmental Relations of Hungary, and adopted the opinion on Act CCVI of 2011 on Freedom of Conscience and Religion and the Legal Status of Churches, Denominations and Religious Communities of Hungary, with amendments; - held a preliminary discussion on the draft Law on Free access to information and on the draft Law on amendments to the law on classified information of Montenegro; - held an exchange of views with Mr Igor Kapyrin, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Council of Europe, with Ms Natalia Ityguilova Chief Counsellor, Section of public associations and political parties, Department of non-profit organisations of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, Ms Yulia Manakhova, Chief of Section, Constitutional Legislation Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, and adopted the opinions on - o the Federal Law on Election of the Deputies of the State Duma, with amendments; o the Federal Law on Political Parties of the Russian Federation, previously adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections on 15 March 2012, with amendments; o the Federal Law of the Russian Federation on meetings, rallies, marches and pickets, with amendments; - Held an exchange of views with Mr Kapyrin, Ms Manakhova and Mr Maxim Musikhin, Chief of Section, Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and decided to postpone the examination of the draft opinions on the Federal Law of the Russian Federation on the Federal Security Service (FSB) and on the Federal Law of the Russian Federation on Combating Extremist Activity until the June 2012 session, in order to clarify certain legal issues with the Russian authorities; - Adopted the report on measures to improve the democratic character of elections in the Council of Europe member states, previously adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections on 15 March 2012; - Noted that Mr Ciril Ribicic and Ms Dragica Wedam Lukic had been appointed as member and substitute member of Slovenia respectively, for a term of four years; - Was informed on follow-up to the joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft law on amendments and additions to the organic law of Georgia on political unions of citizens (CDL-AD(2011)044rev), to the joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft election code of Georgia (CDL-AD(2011)043) and to the opinion on the concept paper on the establishment and functioning of a constitutional assembly of Ukraine (CDL-AD(2011)002); - Was informed by o Mr Hanafy Gebaly, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils, on the reform process taking place in Egypt; o Mr Malek Twal, Secretary General, Ministry of Political Development of Jordan, on the political reform process in that country and on possible co-operation with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission; - Heard an address by o Mr Issam Sleiman, President of the Constitutional Council of Lebanon, on the constitutional situation in that country; o Mr Rui Moura Ramos, President of the Constitutional Tribunal of Portugal, on recent constitutional developments in that country; - Was informed on o recent constitutional developments in Tunisia; o the Meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee (Istanbul, 24 February 2012); o the results and conclusions of the Conference on “the Rule of Law as a practical concept” (London, 2 March 2012); - Adopted the annual report of activities for 2011; - held an exchange of views with representatives of the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe; - fixed the dates of the next sessions as follows: 15-16 June 2012; 12-13 October 2012 and 14-15 December 2012.

Adopted documents