Newsletter of the Venice Commission

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1/2011

Foreword

Recent developments in the southern Mediterranean region indicate that the Venice Commission could play a useful role there and it may indeed be called upon to contribute to the establishment of democratic institutions in Tunisia, a member state of the Commission since 2010. In Central Asia the Commission is already very active through its joint programme with the European Union to strengthen the rule of law and its co-operation with Kyrgyzstan.

At the same time the Commission maintains its strong focus on Europe. At its last sessions in October and December 2010 it adopted not less than 20 opinions on legislative issues in European countries as well as 7 reports of a general character. For the first time the Commission adopted an opinion on Norway and an opinion at the request of the Turkish authorities.

Thomas Markert, Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission      

All decisions of the December plenary

Meeting room of the Venice Commission

  At its 85th plenary session on 17-18 December 2010,
  the Commission:  

• adopted opinions on:

Armenia - the draft Law on public assemblies and on the draft Law on making amendments and supplements to the Law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations (interim opinions jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR);

Belarus - the compatibility with universal human rights standards of an official warning addressed by the Ministry of Justice of Belarus to the Belarusian Association of journalists on 13.01.2010;

Bulgaria - the draft Law amending the law on judicial power and the draft Law amending the Criminal Procedure Code ;

(read more...)

• Serbia - financing political activities

In November 2010 the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia requested the OSCE/ ODIHR and the Venice Commission to review ...
(read more...)

• Norway and United Kingdom - electoral issues

Upon requests of national authorities of Norway and the United Kingdom, the Commission - jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR ...
(read more...)

• "Transnational" studies and reports

• Independence of the judiciary - part II - Prosecutors;

• Individual access to constitutional justice;

• Electoral fraud.

(read more...)

All decisions of the October plenary

At its 84th plenary session on 15-16 October 2010,
  the Commission:  

• adopted opinions on:

-     the amendments to the draft Act of Bulgaria on Forfeiture in favour of the State of Illegally acquired assets ;

-     the compatibility with international standards of certain provisions relating to local elections and the statute of the City of Mostar (Amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina);

-     the draft constitutional law on changes and amendments to the Constitution of Georgia;

-     the Law on Public Assembly of Serbia - jointly with OSCE/ODIHR;

-       the Act on State Language of the Slovak Republic;

(read more)

• Georgia - constitutional reform

At the request of the Georgian authorities in May 2010, the Venice Commission followed the process of preparation of constitutional amendments ...
(read more)

• Ukraine - laws on judiciary

On 15 June 2010, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr Prytyka, requested the Commission's opinion...
(read more)

• "Transnational" texts and reports

-       Report on the role of the opposition;

-       Guidelines on Political Parties;

-       Report on the timeline and inventory of political criteria for assessing an election;

-      Participation of people with disabilities in elections - Interpretative Declaration of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters.  

(read summaries)

Opinions 

• Armenia – electoral law;
   

• Bulgaria - final opinion on state forfeiture of illegally aquired assets; electoral law;
   

• Georgia - draft new electoral code;
   

• Hungary - new constitution;
   

• Serbia - judicial reform;
   

• "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"- reform of the electoral code;
   

• Turkey - draft Law on Judges and Prosecutors and draft Law on the Constitutional Court;
   

• Ukraine – draft Law on languages
   

Studies

Electoral issues:

• Draft Code of Good Practice on Financing of Electoral Campaigns 

• Electoral rights of people with disabilities

• Out-of-country voting

• Use of administrative resources during electoral campaign

• Extra-institutional actors in the democratic system (lobbying)

• Freedom of religion - joint OSCE - VC revised guidelines

• Good governance

• Rule of law

Calendar of forthcoming meetings