European Parliament - Spain – Amnesty law
18/04/2024
Ms Marta Cartabia, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, will take part in an exchange of views on the Spanish amnesty law with the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament.
This exchange of views is a follow-up to the Opinion on the rule of law requirements of amnesties, with particular reference to the parliamentary bill of Spain “on the organic law on amnesty for the institutional, political and social normalisation of Catalonia”, adopted by the Venice Commission in March 2024.
15/04/2024 - 15/04/2024
Strasbourg - the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Mihail Popșoi, to discuss recent developments in the country.
16/03/2024
"Pursuant to Article 1(1) of the Revised Statute of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice,’ “The World Conference on Constitutional Justice ... promotes constitutional justice, as a key element of democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law”. Pursuant to Article 4(b)(7) of the Revised Statute, the Bureau of the Conference may, inter alia, adopt resolutions in accordance with the World Conference’s objectives listed in Article 1. The communiqué adopted at the 5th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice acknowledged the role of constitutional courts... read more
16/03/2024
Venice - The 21st Bureau meeting of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) convened on 16 March 2024, in Venice, alongside the 138th plenary session of the Venice Commission.
The WCCJ Bureau consists of ten regional and linguistic groups of constitutional courts and courts of equivalent jurisdiction, four courts representing the continents of Africa, the Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe, as well as the host courts of the previous and the next WCCJ Congresses (Article 4(b)(1) of the WCCJ Statute).
The members of the WCCJ Bureau held an exchange of views ... read more
16/03/2024
At its 138th Plenary Session, following an exchange of views with Mr Pedro Rollán Ojeda, President of the Senate of Spain, and with Ms Isaura Leal Fernández, Second Secretary of the Bureau of the Congress of Deputies, the Venice Commission adopted the Opinion on the rule of law requirements of amnesties, with particular reference to the parliamentary bill of Spain “on the organic law on amnesty for the institutional, political and social normalisation of Catalonia”.
15/03/2024 - 16/03/2024
At its 138th Plenary Session, the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with Mr Adam Bodnar, Minister of Justice of Poland, about the restoration of the rule of law in Poland and the future cooperation with the Venice Commission. On the other hand, at the request of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission will prepare an opinion on the draft law amending the Act on the National Council of the Judiciary.
05/03/2024 - 06/03/2024
Rabat - The Venice Commission organised a training seminar on the evaluation of laws by the parliamentary institution in Rabat on 5-6 March 2024 in collaboration with the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
By developing the capacities of parliamentarians and civil servants of the two Houses of Parliament in law evaluation, the seminar aimed to contribute to the development of quality legislation. The event brought together members of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco, academics, national and international experts and... read more
26/02/2024 - 27/02/2024
Warsaw - On 26 and 27 February, the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Mr Christos Giakoumopoulos and the Secretary to the Venice Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini met with the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland, Mr Adam Bodnar, and with Ms Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the rule of law reforms in preparation in Poland, notably in the context of the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Justice Minister Bodnar will participate in the 138th Plenary Session of the ... read more
23/02/2024
Brussels/online - On 23 February 2024, a Venice Commission representative participated in a Hearing with the Belgium Senate Institutional Affairs Committee on legislative evaluation, focusing on the Commission’s work on the evaluation of legislation and the Venice Commission’s Rule of Law Checklist.
16/02/2024
Strasbourg, France – The upgraded CODICES database of the Venice Commission is now online. This comprehensive resource for constitutional case law boasts a user-friendly design, improved search functionalities, and streamlined features for academics, legal professionals, and the public alike.
While retaining its extensive repository of over 12,000 summaries (précis) of judgments submitted by courts worldwide, the upgraded CODICES introduces several key improvements:
• Intuitive interface: users can now explore the database with ease thanks to a modern and streamlined de... read more
22/01/2024
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of its former observer in respect of Israel Mr Amnon Rubinstein which occurred on 18 January 2024.
Mr Rubinstein was a lawmaker and a politician who played a key role in shaping Israel’s constitutional law.
Israel acceded to the Venice Commission in 2008. Prior to that it had an observer status.
12/12/2023
Strasbourg – Bulgaria made a voluntary contribution of €10 000 in support of the Venice Commission to promote the development of democratic institutions based on the respect of the rule of law and human rights.
07/12/2023 - 08/12/2023
Cologne, Germany – The Venice Commission and the Academy for European Human Rights Protection held an international conference entitled “Money and democracy – an uneasy relationship”.
The event brought together Venice Commission members, politicians, academics, representatives of international organisations and journalists from various countries. The conference explored ways in which undue influence of big money on democratic decision-making may be exposed, monitored, contained or even prevented.
The following topics were on the programme:
• The... read more
24/11/2023
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of its former longstanding member Mr Aivars Endziņš in respect of Latvia which occurred on 21 November 2023.
Mr Endziņš was a Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1995 to 1996 and as the Head of the Latvian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.
Mr Endziņš was the 1st President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia where he served from 1996 to 2007. He became the 1st member of the Venice Commission in respect of Latvia in 1995 and worked in the Commission t... read more
12/11/2023
Lviv, Ukraine, 12 November 2023 - The Advisory Group of Experts (AGE), set up to assist the Ukrainian authorities in evaluating the moral qualities and professional competences of candidate judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, held its first official meeting on 12 November 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine.
At its first meeting, the AGE elected its Chair and Secretary and adopted its Regulations. It also discussed the draft Assessment Methodology, which will be adopted at the next meeting, enabling the AGE to start fulfilling its main task of assessing the moral qualities and profess... read more
09/11/2023
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of Professor Ergun Özbudun, former and long-lasting member of the Venice Commission (1990-2014).
Mr Özbudun was a renowned expert of constitutional law and has a significant record in teaching and publishing. He held teaching and researching chairs of constitutional law at Ankara University (1959-1994), Bilkent University (1994-2012) and Istanbul Şehir University (2011-2014). Apart from his work in Türkiye , he was a researcher at Harvard University (1963-1966, 1971-1973), and taught at Chicago University (1973),... read more
08/11/2023
Strasbourg, 08/11/2023 - On 8 November, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, held the first exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers, specifically devoted to the impact of the Commission's work.
President Bazy Malaurie provided an overview of the follow-up opinions and follow-up activities of the Venice Commission which have increased in 2023, accompanied by a substantial increase of media interest and references to the Commission in the press in Council of Europe member states. She also recalled that at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reyk... read more
26/10/2023
Strasbourg - the Government of Japan made a voluntary contribution of €25 000 in support of Venice Commission to promote the development of democratic institutions based on the respect of the rule of law and human rights.
25/10/2023
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of a renowned electoral expert from the United Kingdom, Mr Owen Masters, on 6 October 2023. Mr Masters contributed personally to advancing the work of the Council of Europe in the field of elections and election observation in particular.
Mr Masters served as the Head of the Council of Europe Election Observation Mission in Kosovo in 2001. From the beginning of the 2000s for almost a decade, he was one of the major experts contributing to the Venice Commission opinions relating to electoral legislation on such ... read more
20/10/2023
Bishkek - The Venice Commission organised, in co-operation with the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, an international conference entitled “Criminal Justice and Human Rights - Emerging Trends and Challenges”. The conference, which took place on 20 October 2023 in Bishkek, gathered senior representatives of the Supreme and lower instance courts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office, other relevant authorities and academia of Kyrgyzstan as well as Venice Commission experts.
The conference aimed to analyse the perspective of the tra... read more
08/10/2023
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of Professor László Sólyom, former President of the Republic of Hungary (2005-2010) and former member of the Venice Commission (1997-2005).
Mr. Sólyom was a member (starting in 1989) and then President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary between 1990 and 1998 and, in this capacity, participated in the work of the Venice Commission on constitutional revision in his country. Under his presidency, the Constitutional Court established itself as an institution with a determining role in the establishment of parliam... read more
26/09/2023
Spain has made a voluntary contribution of €20 000 to the Venice Commission concerning its action to support rule of law-compliant and human rights-respectful democratic institutions (2024-2028).
21/09/2023 - 28/09/2023
Rome - The Venice Commission contributed to the organisation of the International Ombudsman Conference on "The role of Ombudsman institutions in the world: between realities and possibilities", held in Rome, on 21-22 September 2023.
This conference with more than 250 registered participants, organised by the President of the National Coordination of Ombudsmen, the Ombudsman of Lazio, brought together more than 60 Ombudsmen from all continents.
The Conference provided an opportunity to present the Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman... read more
14/09/2023 - 15/09/2023
Madrid - Under the auspices of the Latvian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission in cooperation with the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies (CEPC) held an international seminar entitled “Constitutions and War”.
The relationship between constitutions and wars encompasses various dimensions, including:
• the prevention of wars,
• the protection of democratic governance and human rights during times of conflict, and
• the promotion of post-war reconciliation and rebuilding.
The round table d... read more
07/09/2023
In September 2023 the Government of the Netherlands made a voluntary contribution of €30 000 in support of the Venice Commission to promote the development of democratic institutions based on the respect of the rule of law and human rights.
07/09/2023 - 08/09/2023
Astana - The Council of Europe and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan held on 7-8 September 2023 an international conference in Astana entitled “Constitutional Justice: Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all”. The event was dedicated to the Constitution Day of Kazakhstan and to the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
High-level representatives from Constitutional Courts from more than 20 countries across the world attended this conference along with the participants from international bodies such as UNDP, UN High Commissioner for Human ... read more
26/07/2023 - 26/07/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the Law on the State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence on Internal Security in the Republic of Poland between 2007 and 2022.
The request for urgent opinion was made on 21 June 2023 by the President of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the October plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 6-7 October 2023).
Between 7 and 19 July 2023, the rapporteurs had had online meetings with repre... read more
05/07/2023
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2022/3 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law with 247 new precis of key judgments from some 31 national and two international courts.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail thr... read more
30/06/2023
The Venice Commission will hold its plenary sessions in 2024 in Venice, at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, on the following dates:
• 138th plenary session: 14-16 March 2024;
• 139th plenary session: 20-22 June 2024;
• 140th plenary session: 10-12 October 2024;
• 141stplenary session: 5-7 December 2024.
21/06/2023 - 22/06/2023
Issyk-Kul - The Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Venice Commission held an international conference entitled “The Constitution as a foundation for building a democratic state under the rule of law”. The conference took place on 21-22 June 2023 in the Issyk-Kul region and was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The participants discussed different topics related to the constitutional legacy and the significance of constitutional justice in establishing a democratic and lawful state. They also explored the responsibilities ... read more
16/06/2023
The Venice Commission is seriously concerned about a call for resignation issued by the Assembly of Republika Srpska to the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia, Mr Zlatko Knežević, who is one of the two judges elected by the National Assembly of RS - and also a member of the Venice Commission in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is a fundamental guarantee of independence of a constitutional court that its members may not be recalled nor replaced, nor asked to resign on political grounds by those who appointed them.
In agreement with and in support ... read more
12/06/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, the President of the Venice Commission, held a constructive meeting with Mr Grigor Minasyan, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The meeting served as a platform for a comprehensive exchange of perspectives and ideas, focusing primarily on pursuing the fruitful cooperation between Armenia and the Venice Commission. The pending electoral and constitutional reforms were notably addressed in the discussions.
09/06/2023
Venice – The Director for International Relations and European Affairs of the Regione del Veneto, Ms Annalisa Bisson, and the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, informed the plenary session of the Venice Commission about the signature of a 3-year (cooperation) Agreement.
The agreement ensures structural funding of the plenary sessions of the Venice Commission for the total sum of 135 000€.
25/05/2023 - 26/05/2023
Samarkand – The Venice Commission organised in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan an international conference entitled “Models of constitutional complaints in Central Asian countries”.
The conference took place on 25-26 May 2023 in Samarkand and gathered high-level representatives from the Constitutional Courts of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Venice Commission experts from France, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia participated in the event and contributed to the exchanges on best practices with their Central As... read more
10/05/2023 - 12/05/2023
Madrid – The Venice Commission, in cooperation i.a. with the Complutense University of Madrid, the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies, the Global Electoral Justice Network, and the Central Electoral Commission of Spain, held the IIIrd international conference entitled “Cybersecurity and Elections: Guarantees against information disorders in the digital arena - Democracy, rights and elections” in Madrid.
High level civil servants, academics, electoral and cybersecurity experts and journalists from Spanish speaking countries participated in the event. Such international ... read more
19/04/2023
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, presented the 2022 Annual Report of Activities of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
11/04/2023
Strasbourg - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO, President Emeritus and Special Representative of the Venice Commission, received a decoration "the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays in Collar" from the Government of Japan "for his valuable contribution to the strengthening of relations and promoting mutual understanding between Japan and Europe”.
The decoration was presented to Mr Buquicchio by Mr UCHIDA Hiroyuki, Ambassador - Permanent Observer of Japan to the Council of Europe on Tuesday 11 April 2023 at the Consulate General of Japan in Strasbourg.
Japan joined the Venice Commis... read more
07/03/2023
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2/2022 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including 15 of cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mailing reports on the... read more
07/03/2023
The Government of Portugal has made a voluntary contribution of €170 000 to support:
- the European Court of Human Rights,
- the European Centre for global interdependence and solidarity of the Council of Europe (“North-South Centre”),
- the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026,
- the Council of Europe Neighbourhood Partnership with Tunisia 2022-2025,
- the activities of the Venice Commission, as well as
- the Strasbourg European Youth Centre renovations and improvements to the accessibility and ... read more
Newsletter no. 01/2023
24/02/2023
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 01/2023, which provides information on membership, recent development, the plenary session, opinions under preparation, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
24/02/2023
Paris - Today, the President of the Venice Commission Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie made the following statement:
“On behalf of the Venice Commission, I wish to convey my continued support for the Ukrainian people who for one year has been courageously and strenuously resisting the unprovoked aggression by the Russian Federation.
The Venice Commission upholds the pursuit of peace based on justice and international cooperation, with full respect for the Council of Europe’s core values – democracy, human rights and the Rule of law - and resolutely condemns recourse to violen... read more
14/02/2023
Today, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, made the following statement:
"Israel has been a member of the Venice Commission since 1 May 2008.
The Venice Commission has consistently stated that in a democratic country governed by the rule of law and respectful of fundamental rights, meaningful judicial review of the compatibility of laws, especially those affecting individual rights, with fundamental principles should be carried out by independent courts, whose decisions must be upheld and respected by all. These courts should be shielded fro... read more
10/02/2023
On 10 February 2023 the Supreme Court of Malawi joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice which now has 121 members.
25/01/2023
On 25 January 2023, Ms Claire Bazy-Malaurie, President of the Venice Commission, sent a letter to Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, concerning follow-up to the opinion CDL-AD(2022)054 adopted by the Venice Commission at its 133rd plenary session (Venice, 16-17 December 2022).
18/01/2023
The Government of Spain has made a voluntary contribution of €150,000 to the budget of the Council of Europe. The part of the voluntary contribution earmarked for the Venice Commission activities constitutes €20,000.
Mr Manuel Montobbio, Permanent Representative of Spain to the Council of Europe, met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, on this occasion.
13/01/2023
On 09 January 2023 the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice which now has 120 members.
05/01/2023
On 27 December 2022 the Supreme Court of The Gambia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice which now has 119 members.
17/12/2022
Venice – Following the 133rd plenary session, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The participants discussed topics of common interest to both institutions.
09/12/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the Law on the amendments to the Law on the President of Montenegro.
The request for urgent opinion was made on 9 November 2022 by the President of Montenegro.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the December plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 16-17 December 2022).
08/12/2022 - 09/12/2022
Astana - The Venice Commission and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan organised on 8th and 9th December 2022 in Astana, an international conference entitled “Adversarial trial and equality of arms in criminal proceedings”.
The conference was held in a hybrid format and was opened by the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Zhakyp Asanov. This event saw the participation of high-level representatives from the Venice Commission (Estonia, Georgia, Ireland, Moldova and UK), Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and... read more
05/12/2022
Brussels - Venice Commission President Claire Bazy Malaurie and Vice-President Michael Frendo met with European Commission Vice President Věra Jurová in Brussels on 5 December 2022 to exchange views on the current rule of law challenges in Europe.
01/12/2022
The Government of Sweden has made a voluntary contribution of SEK 5 000 000 (approximately €455 000) to reduce the European Court of Human Rights backlog of well-founded cases and to support the activities of the Venice Commission. The part of the voluntary contribution earmarked for the Commission constitutes €62.500.
Ambassador Mårten Ehnberg, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe, met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, on this occasion.
28/11/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 03/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the plenary session, opinions under preparation, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
24/11/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the draft law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on improving the procedure for the selection of candidates for the position of judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on a Competitive Basis”.
The request was made on 10 October 2022 by Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the December plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 15-16 December 2022).
23/11/2022
Paris – The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, has made the following statement:
"Constitutional courts are the guardians of constitutions.
It is essential and urgent that the Constitutional Court of Montenegro be allowed to exercise its role at this time of deep institutional crisis in the country.
I therefore call on all the political forces sitting on the parliament of Montenegro to show their commitment to the democratic functioning of the institutions of the state and to elect without any further delay the four missing judges ... read more
18/11/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on three Laws concerning the justice system of Romania: the Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Law on the Judicial Organisation, and the Law on the Status of Judges and Prosecutors.
The request was made on 15 September 2022 by the Chair of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Members States of the Council of Europe. On 25 October 2022, the Minister of Justice of Romania asked for this opinion to be dealt with under the urgent procedure. The Bureau of the Ven... read more
10/10/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 02/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the June 2022 plenary session, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the Newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
09/10/2022
Bali, Indonesia - The Venice Commission has been selected as the winner in the general category "Specific progress towards the main objectives of the GNEJ" of the 2021 edition of the Global Network of Electoral Justice (GNEJ) Awards.
The Jury, presided by the Scientific Committee of the GNEJ, evaluated numerous nominations, projects and articles from all over the world, and concluded that the Venice Commission and its key documents on electoral reform and justice stand out in this field.
Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commi... read more
07/10/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Joint Opinion on the draft amendments to the Penal Code of Türkiye regarding the provision on “false or misleading information”. This Urgent Opinion was prepared jointly with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI).
The Commission concluded that the draft criminal provision on “false or misleading information” interferes with freedom of expression (Article 10 ECHR).
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the forthcoming plenary session of the Commission (... read more
28/09/2022
The Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (Madrid) has published online a book “Rule of law, democracy and globalization. An approach to the Venice Commission on its XXX anniversary”.
The preparation of this volume was a joint initiative of the Venice Commission, the Permanent Representation of Spain to the Council of Europe and the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies to promote in the Spanish speaking world the knowledge of the Venice Commission and its approach to the challenges of the rule of law, democracy and globalisation.
The book focusses o... read more
21/09/2022
As the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has reminded in her statement of 15 September 2022, in 2014 the Venice Commission adopted an opinion on the organisation by the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine of a referendum on becoming a constituent territory of the Russian Federation.
The Venice Commission found that the circumstances prevailing in Crimea had not allowed for the holding of a referendum in line with European democratic standards. The Commission also warned that any referendum on the status of a territory should be preceded by serious negotiations among ... read more
16/09/2022
Bishkek - The Venice Commission and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan organised on 16 September 2022 an international conference entitled “Judicial independence in the context of constitutional reforms”.
This event was attended by high-level representatives from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Participants discussed such issues as judicial independence and the interaction of the judiciary with other branches of state power in the context of the recent constitutional reforms.
Venice Commission experts from Georgia, North Macedonia, the Re... read more
13/09/2022
Palais de l'Europe, Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Under the auspices of the Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR co-organised an International Round Table entitled “CIVIL SOCIETY: EMPOWERMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY”. This event was held all day on 13 September 2022, in Strasbourg (Palais de l'Europe, Room 9) and online, and was an opportunity for the participants to discuss the challenges of inclusive decision-making processes.
A special attention was devoted to the regulations concerning foreign-funded NGOs. T... read more
07/09/2022
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, presented the 2021 Annual Report of Activities of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
26/08/2022
Almaty - On 26th August 2022, representatives of the Venice Commission participated in an international round table, dedicated to the Constitution Day organised by the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The round table was organised in a hybrid format and is entitled “The evolution of constitutional control in the context of societal and state transformation". High level experts participated in the round table, including the Presidents of the Constitutional Courts and Councils of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Venice Commission’s experts from Armenia, C... read more
26/08/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on Georgia’s the draft law amending procedure for the use of covert investigative measures.
The draft law was adopted by the Parliament on 7 June 2022 and subsequently vetoed by the President of Georgia, whose administration requested an urgent opinion from the Venice Commission on 1 July 2022.
The Commission concluded that the draft surveillance law was adopted hastily and needs further elaboration.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the forthcoming ple... read more
22/08/2022 - 24/08/2022
Amman, Jordan – The Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) of Arab countries, assisted by the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP), the Arab network for Youth in elections and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of the UN (DPPA) organised the 5th General Assembly of Arab EMBs which was followed by an international conference on “Youth participation in political life in the Arab region”.
These events took place in Amman, Jordan, on 22-24 August 2022. The main objective of the conference was to facilitate the exchange of ... read more
26/07/2022
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission is saddened by the sudden death of its former Lithuanian Member and former Judge of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania Prof. Gediminas Mesonis.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated member of the Venice Commission.
Gediminas Mesonis was a member of the Venice Commission between 2014 and 2022. He represented the Venice Commission at numerous conferences and other events. Mr Mesonis worked for the Venice Commission on the freedom of association, notably in Romania and ... read more
04/07/2022 - 05/07/2022
Madrid – the Centre for political and constitutional studies (Madrid, Spain) and the Venice Commission held an international seminar entitled « Bicameralism: Models, evolution and current challenges of a “controversial institution” » .
Members of the Venice Commission and eminent Spanish academia participated in the event.
“RIGHT TO LIFE” - 3rd Research Conference of the AACC Secretariat for Research and Development
15/06/2022 - 16/06/2022
The Secretariat for Research and Development of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts, based at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea, will hold online the 3rd Research Conference devoted to the right to life.
The conference will consist of the following three sessions:
• Right to life and state power;
• Right to life and personal self-determination;
• Expansive dimensions of the right to life.
27/05/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The Venice Commission published today its urgent opinion for Tunisia on the constitutional and legislative framework concerning the referendum and the elections announced by the President of the Republic, and in particular on the Decree-law No. 22 of 21 April 2022, amending and supplementing the Organic Law on the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE).
The opinion was requested by the European External Action Service, introduced through the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia.
16/05/2022
The government of France has made a voluntary contribution designated for several Council of Europe's projects, including 50.000€ to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
On this occasion Ambassador Marie Fontanel, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe, met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and both dignitaries signed the relevant agreement.
12/05/2022
The Government of Bulgaria has made a voluntary contribution of €10 000 to support the Venice Commission action to promote the development of democratic institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights.
The agreement was signed on 12 May 2022 by Ms Nadejda Iordanova, Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, and Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General.
12/05/2022 - 13/05/2022
Mexico City - the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation of Mexico (TEPJF) organised an international conference entitled “International Standards of the Venice Commission: a comparative analysis of the Mexican electoral justice system”.
The event brought together members of the Venice Commission from Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Spain, members of TEPJF, national academia as well as international experts in the field of electoral justice from Argentina, France, Italy, Spain and USA.
The participants focused on such issues as electo... read more
12/05/2022 - 13/05/2022
Tashkent / online - The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan an international conference entitled “Modernisation of the Public Administration in Central Asia and respect of the Rule of Law Principles”. The conference took place on 12-13 May 2022 in Tashkent as a hybrid event and brought together senior civil servants from the following Central Asia countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as Venice Commission experts from France, Germany, Georgia, Italy and Portugal.
The event was opened by... read more
10/05/2022
The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Tajikistan an international round table on Constitutional Justice and the Rule of Law. The round table was held in Dushanbe on 10th May 2022.
The event brought together representatives from Constitutional Courts and Councils of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan as well as Venice Commission experts from Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
The participants discussed such issues as:
• the rule of law as a fundamental constitutional principle,
• the impact of constitutional j... read more
05/05/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 01/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the March 2022 plenary session, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the Newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
29/04/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The report on the Evaluation of the Venice Commission, as well as the management response and action plan, conducted by the Centre for Strategy and Evaluation Services (CSES) and the Evaluation Division of the Directorate of Internal Oversight are now available.
The aims of the evaluation were to assess the Venice Commission’s relevance, effectiveness and efficiency for the period 2016-2020 and evaluate its impact since its establishment in 1990. The report’s findings contribute to decision-making needs and provide recommendations to support learnin... read more
28/04/2022
Luxembourg has made a voluntary contribution designated for several Council of Europe's projects, including 20.000€ to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
On this occasion Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, and representatives of the relevant departments.
22/04/2022
Almaty - The Venice Commission organised on 22nd April 2022 an international conference in cooperation with the Constitutional Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Nursultan Nazarbayev Foundation, the Sorbonne Institute-Kazakhstan and the United Nations Office in Kazakhstan.
The conference, entitled “Constitutional and international aspects of the upholding of the rule of law”, was organised in a hybrid format. The event coincided with the 10th anniversary of the ac... read more
01/04/2022
TUNIS - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, met today, Friday 1 April, the Tunisian President, H.E. Kaïs Saïed.
After the last months of the exercise of power by the Tunisian President in the absence of a clear constitutional framework, having led on 30 March to the dissolution of parliament until that date "frozen", and the opening of a judicial investigation against certain deputies who took part in a virtual session of parliament on the same day, the President of the Venice Commission wished to discuss with the President the modalities for the return... read more
29/03/2022
Santiago - The Centre for Public Studies (CEP) of Chile held a seminar on the implications of the Venice Commission “Opinion on the drafting and adoption of a new Constitution” (CDL-AD(2022)004) for the current constitutional process in the country.
The participants discussed the recommendations of the opinion, adopted during the Commission’s plenary session (18-19 March 2022), and their possible impact on the discussions within the Constitutional Convention of Chile. Representatives of the Venice Commission took part in the seminar.
24/03/2022 - 28/03/2022
Tunis - A training to become trainers for the benefit of judges of the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies (CLJS) and the Ministry of Justice was held from 24 to 28 March 2022. Fourteen (14) participants attended this event at the National Centre for Training of Trainers and Training Engineering (CENAFFIF), which has extensive expertise in this area.
This activity was organised by the Venice Commission, which supports the CLJS within the framework of the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe "Improving the functioning, performance and access to just... read more
19/03/2022
During its 130th plenary session, the Venice Commission made the following statement:
"The Venice Commission fully supports the public statement on “the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” made by its President on 1 March 2022.
The Commission expresses its firm condemnation of this act of aggression by the Russian Federation and deplores the loss of lives and the destruction in Ukraine.
The Commission, the full name of which is “European Commission for Democracy through Law”, is fully committed, as the preamble of the Council of Europe statu... read more
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
23/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the enlarged agreement European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).
21/03/2022 - 22/03/2022
Rome, 21-22.03.2022 - The Venice Commission in co-operation with the university La Sapienza, Rome and the University of Barcelona, held an international round table entitled "SHAPING JUDICIAL COUNCILS TO MEET CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES" in hybrid format: online and in Rome, at the Rectoral Palace of the the University La Sapienza.
This round table examined national examples of composition of judicial councils, and, building upon recent experiences, formulate further recommendations as to how its members - judicial, lay and any ex officio, should be selected and appointed. It also dea... read more
18/03/2022
At the 130th plenary session of the Venice Commission, Mr Cristiano Corazzari, Minister for Culture of the Veneto Region, underlined the importance of the Venice Commission’s work and recalled the history of its formation at a crucial time for Europe. The Veneto Region immediately and enthusiastically accepted the idea of setting up the Commission and it is proud of being able to host such a noble initiative for such a long time. Mr. Corazzari stressed the hard work by the Venice Commission over the decades to strengthen constitutional democracy in many countries and to consolidate an effecti... read more
BELARUS
17/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided to suspend the participation of Belarus as associate member in the work of the Venice Commission.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
16/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided, in the context of the procedure launched under Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe.
16/03/2022 - 23/03/2022
Tunis - A training course to become trainers for the members and staff of the High Independent Instance for Elections of Tunisia (ISIE) was held from 16 to 23 March 2022.
Forty-seven (47) participants from Tunis and the regions attended this event at the National Centre for Training of Trainers and Training Engineering (CENAFFIF), which has extensive expertise in this field and whose training programme has been approved by the ISIE.
This activity was organised by the Venice Commission, which supports the ISIE within the framework of the joint programme between the Europe... read more
01/03/2022
The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, made the following statement:
“Following consultation with the Bureau of the Venice Commission, I express the deep shock and dismay generated by the aggression against Ukraine.
Using violence instead of dialogue goes against everything that the Venice Commission stands for; it goes against the core values of the Council of Europe: democracy, the rule of law and, of course, the protection of human rights.
Through its work, the Venice Commission supported Ukraine in the promotion of European principles ... read more
07/03/2022
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2/2021 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mailing reports... read more
24/02/2022
Ulaanbaatar - The Venice Commission organised a training seminar in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Mongolia entitled “Transnational constitutional activity in the modern international relations”. The seminar took place online and gathered representatives from Mongolia as well from the Association of the Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC). Mongolia is holding the Presidency of the AACC until 2023.
The event was opened by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia, Mr Chinbat Namjil, and by the European Union A... read more
21/02/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today, the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Interim Opinion on constitutional reform in Belarus.
The opinion was prepared upon the request by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
It will be endorsed during the March 2022 plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
21/02/2022
Paris – on the side-lines of the Conference of the Heads of the Supreme Courts of the EU member States, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, met with the EU Commissioner for Justice, Mr Didier Reynders. The discussions mainly concerned the cooperation between the Venice Commission and the European Union.
10/02/2022
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission, jointly with the OSCE/ODHIR, has issued an Urgent Joint Opinion on the draft law on local referendum in Ukraine. The opinion was requested by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The opinion was prepared under the Action Plan for Ukraine. It will be endorsed at the March 2022 plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
08/02/2022
The Government of Italy has made a voluntary contribution of €22,500 to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
04/02/2022
By letter dated 2 February 2022, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Piero Fassino, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on Media of Azerbaijan.
26/01/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today, the President of the Venice Commission Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie met with the newly elected president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr Tiny Kox. The two presidents exchanged their views on the cooperation between the two entities.
18/01/2022
The Bureau of the Venice Commission has decided that the draft opinion on the Law on the prevention of threats to national security, associated with excessive influence of persons having significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs) will be submitted for discussion and adoption at its 130th Plenary Session (18-19 March 2022).
12/01/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The newly elected President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, paid a working visit to the Council of Europe on 12 January 2022.
In the course of the visit the President met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić. The dignitaries exchanged views on current democratic challenges faced by the Council of Europe’s member States and the assistance the Commission is providing to them.
03/01/2022
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of Mr Bernard Owen, a renown electoral expert.
From the beginning of the 1990s, Mr Owen was the first expert to work regularly with the Venice Commission on elections, and in particular on opinions relating to electoral legislation. He greatly contributed to the work of the Parliamentary Assembly, and then of the Venice Commission, which led to the drafting of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, the Council of Europe's reference document in the field of elections, adopted by the Venice Commission, app... read more
30/12/2021
On 28 December 2021, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ordered the closure of Memorial International.
Memorial International is an non-commercial organisation which has operated in the Russian Federation since 1992 with a view to “studying political repressions in the USSR and in present-day Russia and promoting moral and legal rehabilitation of persons subjected to political repressions”.
It is one of the most prominent civil society organisations active in the field of human rights protection in the Russian Federation. The closure of Memorial International... read more
10/12/2021
Venice – Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, member of the Constitutional Council of France since 2010, today was elected President of the Venice Commission, succeeding Gianni Buquicchio, who has been President since 2009. Her two-year term begins today, and she would be eligible for re-election in 2023. She has been a member of the Venice Commission since 2014.
A graduate of the National School of Administration in France (1978-1980), Madame Bazy Malaurie has held many varied positions in the French government, from Senior Public Auditor of the French Court of Audit (1990-1994) to Director o... read more
02/12/2021
Tunis – In the framework of the “Project for the Improvement, Functioning, Performance and Access to Justice in Tunisia” (AP-JUST), which is a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe (2019-2021), the Venice Commission and the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies (CEJJ) under the aegis of the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, organised a general training workshop on the quality of regulation and legislation in Tunisia for the benefit of members of the CEJJ and executives of the Ministry of Justice.
The development of high-quality legislation, in line with... read more
24/11/2021
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission has issued an Urgent Opinion on on revised draft constitutional amendments on the judiciary of Serbia.
The opinion was prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. It will be endorsed at the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
24/11/2021
Nur-Sultan - The Venice Commission organised, in co-operation with the High Judicial Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an international hybrid round table in Nur-Sultan entitled “The role and place of judicial councils in the judiciary and their current models”. The event was held to support the efforts of the High Judicial Council of Kazakhstan aimed at transforming the Council from an autonomous state institution to a judicial self-government body.
Participants from Kazakhstan as well as from Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shared their experiences with the Euro... read more
18/11/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr Zdravko Krivokapic, met to discuss the latest developments in the country and future co-operation between the Commission and Montenegro.
Prime Minister Krivokapic is paying an official visit to the Council of Europe.
09/11/2021
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission has issued an Urgent Opinion on the revised draft law on the referendum and the people’s Initiative of Serbia.
The opinion was prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. It will be endorsed at the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
05/11/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, participated in the meeting of the Committee of Minsters’ Rapporteurs Group on the External Relations (GR-EXT).
President Buquicchio presented an overview of the co-operation between the Venice Commission and non-European countries and exchanged views with the members of the GR-EXT on the Council of Europe contribution to the international order and global governance, as well as to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
19/10/2021 - 21/10/2021
Chisinau - The President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission are participating in the visit of the Council of Europe High Level Working Group on Justice Reform.
The Working group is meeting the following representatives of the Moldovan authorities:
• The President of the Republic of Moldova,
• the Constitutional Court,
• the Deputy Chairman of the Parliament and the Legal Committee for appointments and immunities of the Parliament,
• the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration,
• the Minister of Justi... read more
04/10/2021
The Supreme Court of Sweden joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 118 members.
04/10/2021
Tonight, the debates moderated by Patrick Cohen "The rule of law in the face of crises" took place at the French Constitutional Council. The event brought together French and international personalities:
• Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 2020 Sakharov Human Rights Prize;
• Dr. Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize;
• Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice;
• Cynthia Fleury, philosopher and psychoanalyst;
• Denis Podalydès, Member of the Comédie-Française accompanied by Sébastien Boudria, musician and composer.
The President of the Venice Commissio... read more
29/09/2021
Today, the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, made the following statement:
"Judicial reform was at the centre of my recent fruitful exchange with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That reform is crucial for the future of the country, it raises very high expectations in Ukrainian society.
I welcome the adoption of the Law "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges and some laws of Ukraine regarding the resumption of the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine" (No. 1629... read more
24/09/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the urgent opinion on the draft law on the referendum and the people's initiative of Serbia.
This urgent opinion was requested by Ms Marija Obradović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia, on 2 August 2021.
The urgent opinion was prepared under the Expert Coordination Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Horizontal Facility II, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
21/09/2021
The Venice Commission is saddened by the death of its former substitute member in respect of Peru, Mr Carlos RAMOS NÚÑEZ.
Carlos Augusto Ramos Núñez was a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Peru.
He specialised in the history of Peruvian law of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
He was Director General of the Center for Constitutional Studies of the Constitutional Court from Peru, Director of the Judicial Academy of Peru, and Director of the Peruvian Journal of Constitutional Law.
Our sincere condolences to the family and friends. The Venice Commis... read more
08/09/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Vice President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, presented the 2020 Annual Report of Activities of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
26/08/2021
Today the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, made the following statement:
"Since the declaration of the state of emergency on 25 July 2021, the President of Tunisia has concentrated in his hands the legislative, executive and, partially, judicial powers. Tunisia does not have a constitutional court.
Tunisia is facing a very deep crisis, caused on the one hand by the difficulties of managing the pandemic and on the other hand by the difficulties of functioning of the state institutions and by the very high level of corruption. A large part of the ... read more
15/07/2021
Tunis - The Venice Commission and the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) organised an online workshop on referendums.
This event allowed for an exchange on the legal framework relating to referendums in Tunisia, both nationally and locally, in order to contribute to the process of the preparation of possible legislative changes. International standards as well as best practices were presented by international experts.
23/06/2021
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death of Zambia’s first female Chief Justice, Ms Irene Mambilima, who passed away on 20 June 2021 during an official visit to Egypt.
The Supreme Court of Zambia is a member of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) since 2013. At the 4th Congress of the World Conference in 2017 in Lithuania, Chief Justice Mambilima co-chaired the joint meeting of the Southern African Chief Justices Forum and Commonwealth Courts.
We express our sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of the late Ms Mambilima.
18/06/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Today the Venice Commission jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR issued the Urgent opinion on the revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia.
The revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia have been prepared in close cooperation between the ruling party and several opposition parties, which is particularly noteworthy against the background of the parliamentary boycott by all elected opposition parties after the October 2020 parliamentary elections and of the fact that most of the opposition parties had therefore not participated in... read more
07/06/2021
Kyiv - The Venice Commission President, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, held an exchange of views with the President of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Zelensky, and with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Dmytro Razumkov, on the pending judicial reforms in Ukraine.
04/06/2021
The first Steering Committee meeting of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 took place online on 4 June 2021.
High level officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as representatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe took part in the meeting. Representatives of the Venice Commission in charge of the implementation of the Programme’s component entitled “Promote efficient functioning of state institutions and public administration in Central Asia” also participated in the event.
The participants o... read more
01/06/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the urgent opinion on the Reform of Fair Trial Requirements relating to Substantial Administrative Fines in Malta.
This urgent opinion was requested by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Governance of Malta, Mr Edward Zammit Lewis.
25/05/2021
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 3/2020 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mailing reports... read more
11/05/2021
The National Electoral Chamber of Argentina organised a two-day online training event on "Elections and risks of misinformation: Good practices in digital campaigns and social networks" held on 11 and 13 May 2021.
Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, Secretary of the Venice Commission, participated in the panel discussion of 13 May.
The event was opened by Mr Santiago Corcuera, President of the National Electoral Chamber of Argentina, and was closed by Mr Alberto Dalla Via, Judge at the National Electoral Chamber of Argentina and representative of this country on the Venice Comm... read more
11/05/2021 - 12/05/2021
The Venice Commission is organising in cooperation with the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen (FIO) an online Conference on "The Venice Principles and Ombudsman Institutions in the protection of Human Rights in Latin America and Europe", on 11-12 May 2021.
The main objective is to raise awareness of the "Venice Principles" in Latin America and to strengthen a common tradition of democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance in Latin America as well as to compare the regional experience with the European one. The Conference is an opportunity to make the "Venice Princ... read more
10/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the Urgent opinion on the revised draft amendments to the Law on the State Prosecution Service of Montenegro.
This urgent opinion was requested on 26 April 2021 by Deputy Prime Minister Abazović and is a follow-up to the opinion adopted by the Venice Commission at its 126th Plenary Session (19-20 March 2021) on a previous version of these amendments (CDL-AD(2021)012).
06/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe issued the Urgent Opinion on the draft Law amending certain provisions of the Code of Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the liability of public officials for inaccurate asset declaration (no. 4651, of 27 January 2021).
The urgent opinion was requested by letter dated 12 March 2021 by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV.
05/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe issued the Urgent opinion on the draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the procedure for electing (appointing) members of the High Council of Justice and on the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice.
The urgent opinion was requested by letter dated 15 March 2021 by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV.
30/04/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR issued their urgent joint opinion on the draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, following an urgent request for assistance by the then Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr Archil TALAKVADZE, addressed to the OSCE/ODIHR on 9 March 2021.
Proposed amendments to the Election Code include some positive changes but raise some new concerns which add to long-standing fundamental issues that remain unaddressed. A more comprehensive and systemic reform is still needed.
This urgent opinion ... read more
29/04/2021
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has issued the urgent opinion on the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia.
The request for the urgent opinion came from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Mr Archil Talakvadze, by letter dated 8 April 2021.
The Venice Commission welcomes the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts, which are crucial for the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges, currently taking place in Georgia. Having taken several of the Venice Commission’s previous recommendations into account, th... read more
23/04/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - "I am extremely alarmed by the present situation in the Republic of Moldova.
I call on all state institutions to exercise restraint, to enter into a dialogue and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the operation of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which is what the Moldovan people deserves especially when confronted with the current health and economic crisis.
Today’s declaration of the Parliament that it does not recognise the Opinion of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova of 15 April 2... read more
22/04/2021
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR have issued an joint urgent opinion on amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation of Armenia. Having examined the conformity of the procedure of their elaboration, as well as the conformity of the amendments with international standards, the opinion concludes that the package is to be broadly welcomed, as it addresses the majority of previous recommendations. At the same time, the opinion suggests a series of key recommendations aimed at improving the draft amendments submitted.
The opinion was requested by the Spe... read more
22/04/2021 - 23/04/2021
Tashkent – Following an invitation by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Ruslanbek Davletov, the President of the Venice Commission’s President, Mr. Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the International Legal Forum “Tashkent Law Spring”.
The 2021 edition of this biennial Forum is entitled “Law 4.0. The vision of law in the age of fourth industrial revolution” and it was held as a video conference. The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. A number of high ranking officials from different countries, international organisation... read more
European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) - 13th meeting
15/04/2021 - 16/04/2021
The Venice Commission participated in the 13th meeting - via videoconference - of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG). A representative of the Commission presented the Principles for a fundamental rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes, adopted in December 2021.
13/04/2021
The Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales and the Venice Commission organised a seminar to highlight the interaction between Spain and the Commission since the Commission’s origins, in Europe and in Latin America.
07/04/2021
The Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Morocco, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, is organising an international webinar on "The UN Resolution of 16 December 2020 "The role of ombudsman institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and the rule of law" - and the Council of Europe standards".
The aim of the webinar is to present the UN Resolution that established the Venice Principles as the new global standard for ombudsmen, as well as to present the Council of Europe's standards in this field.
06/04/2021
The Venice Commission experts participated in the Donors’ Partners Coordination Council Working Group for Rule of Law and Human Rights for Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of the Kyrgyz NGOs and national legal experts also attended the event.
Following a presentation of the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and ODIHR on the Draft Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the rapporteurs of the Commission and ODIHR experts had an exchange of views with members of the Working Group and Kyrgyz participants on the constitutional reform process and up-coming referendum organized on 11 A... read more
30/03/2021
Tunis - In the framework of the Project to Support Independent Bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T), a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe (2019-2021), the Venice Commission and the Independent Superior Electoral Authority (ISIE) organised an online workshop on the issue of electoral constituencies in Tunisia*. This term refers to the division of a territory into electoral districts, intended to promote the expression of citizens through voting. The division must be reviewed regularly in order to take into account the evolution of the population and to maintain a compar... read more
02/03/2021
The Venice Commission learned with deep sadness of the death of Mr Silvano Longhin, the warden of its seat in Venice, the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista.
For more than 20 years the members of the Commission have been able to appreciate his generous availability and effective collaboration. For this reason, he had received the medal of honour from the Venice Commission.
Silvano was known by all the members of the Commission and many of them were bound by a sincere friendship.
We will miss his smile and good humor.
Silvano was a great brav’uomo!
26/02/2021
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of its founding member from Austria, Prof. Franz Matscher.
Born in South Tyrol / Alto Adige, Franz Matscher studied law in Graz and Paris and joined the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served inter alia at the Austrian Embassies in Madrid, Paris and Bonn. Following a position as assistant professor in Innsbruck, he became Professor of civil procedural law at the University of Salzburg, where he founded the Austrian Institute for Human Rights. From 1977 to 1998 he was the Austrian Judge at the Europ... read more
26/02/2021
Nur-sultan - The Venice Commission organised on 26th February 2021 in cooperation with the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan an international roundtable on the question of referral of the decisions to the Constitutional Council by ordinary courts. The roundtable brought together representatives from various national institutions of Kazakhstan (Presidential administration, Parliament, members and staff of the Constitutional Council, scientific institutions, and representatives from non-governmental bodies).
This roundtable was organised at the request of the Cons... read more
12/02/2021
On 9 February 2021 the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio and the Director, Secretary of the Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini met with the Director of the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies of the Kingdom of Spain (CEPC), Ms Yolanda Gómez Sanchez and the Permanent Representative of Spain at the Council of Europe, Ambassador Manuel Montobbio.
During the meeting the participants discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the CEPC and the Venice Commission signed on 19 December 2020 and had a fruitful exchange on t... read more
01/02/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Ms Simona Granata-Menghini is the new Director/Secretary of the Venice Commission, upon appointment by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
She has previously exercised the function of Deputy Secretary of the Commission for ten years.
29/01/2021
On 19 December 2020 the Director of the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies of the Kingdom of Spain (CEPC), Ms Yolanda Gómez Sanchez, and the Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission (a.i.), Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at establishing the terms for co-operation and technical assistance on issues related of the rule of law and the separation of powers, as well as fundamental rights, constitutional justice, political systems and representative democracy.
28/01/2021
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, the Secretary of the Commission (a.i.), Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, and the Head of the elections and political parties division, Mr Pierre Garrone, met a delegation of Georgian PACE members led by Mr Irakli Kobakhidze, President of the majority Georgian Dream party.
The discussion focused in particular on the preparation of the three opinions relating to Georgia which will be submitted to the next plenary session in March 2021, relating to legislation on elections, political parties as well as electronic communication a... read more
19/01/2021
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2/2020 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of interesting cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mai... read more
07/01/2021
On 16 December 2020 United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution A/RES/75/186 on “The role of Ombudsman and mediator institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and the rule of law”.
The resolution provides strong endorsement of the Principles developed by the Venice Commission on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution – “the Venice Principles”. It establishes these principles as the new global standard for the ombudsmen institutions.
The Venice Principles are the 25 principles that protect and promote the Om... read more
07/01/2021
The Venice Commission is saddened by the death after a long illness of its former substitute member in respect of France Mr Alain LANCELOT.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated proponent of the Venice Commission, he sat on the Commission in the capacity of substitute member in respect of France from 2002 to 2006.
The Director of the Sciences-Po (1987-1996) Mr Alain LANCELOT was a member of the French Constitutional Council (1996-2001), a member of the Board of Directors (2002-2005) and the Chairman of th... read more
10/12/2020
The Venice Commission has just issued an Urgent Opinion on the reform of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
The opinion was requested by President Zelenskyy on 25 November 2020, and will be submitted for endorsement on 11 December 2020 by the Plenary Session of the Venice Commission wherein President Zelenskyy plans to participate.
09/12/2020
The Venice Commission issued a Joint Urgent Opinion on the legislative situation regarding anti-corruption mechanisms following decision No. 13-r/2020 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
The opinion was requested by President Zelenskyy on 25 November 2020, and prepared jointly with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe following an urgent procedure.
It will be submitted to the Plenary Session of the Venice Commission for endorsement on 11 December 2020.
04/12/2020 - 05/12/2020
The Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation and the Venice Commission organised the X International Congress of Comparative Law entitled ”Constitutional evolution in Russia and in the modern world: dialectics of the universal and national”.
Two members of the Commission presented the reports on the place of national identity in a democratic state and on the creation of a democratic state based on the rule of law.
25/11/2020
The scourge of violence against women and domestic violence must be stopped!
Constitutions and legislation must provide adequate protection and the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention gives additional tools, ideas and an international monitoring mechanism.
Gender equality is not an option, it is an obligation! So is safety, inside and outside the home.
The Venice Commission is ready to assist.
18/11/2020
The Commission made public today an Urgent joint amicus curiae brief on the postponement of the parliamentary elections motivated by a constitutional reform. The Urgent brief was prepared upon the request by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan of 4 November 2020, where the Constitutional Chamber put four questions to the Venice Commission.
In its amicus curiae brief, the Venice Commission notes that although national practice in the field of postponement of elections by the outgoing parliament is lacking, there are, nevertheless, several benchmarks which ... read more
16/11/2020
The Commission made public today an Urgent joint amicus curiae brief on three legal questions concerning the mandate of members of constitutional bodies. The Urgent brief was prepared upon the request by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova of 09 October 2020.
The preparation of the Urgent Opinion was funded by the EU/CoE joint Programme Partnership for Good Governance (Quick Response Mechanism - QRM).
13/11/2020
Tunis - The Venice Commission in collaboration with the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) organised on November 13, 2020 an online workshop on the role of the ISIE in monitoring the written press and social media during election campaigns.
This workshop made it possible to initiate a reflection on the experience of media monitoring (written press and social media) by the ISIE during the last electoral campaigns of 2019, with the positive aspects and the difficulties encountered. The modalities of strengthening transparency on social networks were also examined through... read more
05/11/2020
The Venice Commission President Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in "Temps du débat" – a France Culture programme on the “Rule of Law: are Hungary and Poland threatening European solidarity?"
31/10/2020
The Presidents of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Mr Marin Mrčela, sent today a letter to the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
30/10/2020
The National Electoral Institute of Mexico and the Venice Commission organised an online conference entitled “covid-19. States of emergency and democratic values. New contribution to the debate - reports of the Venice Commission.“
The heads of the organising institutions, Mr L. Cordoba and Mr G. Buquicchio, opened the event. Representatives from several Latin American countries took part in the event.
This event was organised in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the National Electoral Insti... read more
19/10/2020
At its 124th Plenary Session in October 2020 and following the adoption of its 1000th opinion, the Venice Commission presented its jubilee volume “Thirty-year quest for democracy through law”. Some sixty authors – members and former members of the Commission, as well as experts – present in depth various aspects of the work of the Commission, covering the Commission’s wide field of expertise.
The table of contents of the book and information on orders can be consulted via the link below.
20/10/2020
Tunis - The Venice Commission organised on 20 October 2020 an online workshop dedicated to the strategic communication of the independent bodies of Tunisia and their relations with the media. This workshop is a continuation of a first event held in Tunis in October 2019 which focused on the various challenges encountered by the authorities in their strategic communication.
The meeting aimed to deepen this theme by addressing the modalities of implementing an effective communication strategy, in line with the mandates and budgets of the bodies. The link between the communication st... read more
12/10/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe issued the following statement:
“The term of office of the current Polish Human Rights Commissioner expired on 9 September 2020. While the successor has not yet been elected, on 17 September 2020 some MPs requested the Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional the provision of the Human Rights Commissioner Law stating that the outgoing Commissioner performs his duties until the incumbent assumes the position.
The Ombudsman is an important element in a State based on democracy, t... read more
19/08/2020
Strasbourg/Warsaw - Today, the Venice Commission, jointly with OSCE/ODIHR, has issued an urgent opinion on the draft Law no. 263 amending the Electoral Code, the Contravention Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services.
The Commission and the ODIHR positively assessed inter alia the following provisions of the draft Law:
• clearer definitions of “electoral campaign” and clarifications regarding the timeline for campaigning in the second round,
• additional provisions aimed at preventing the misuse of administrative resources;
• expanding the range of sa... read more
12/08/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Democratic elections are an expression of the sovereignty belonging to the people of a country. It is the free expression of the will of the people that provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government. The rights of citizens to vote and to be elected at periodic, democratic elections are internationally recognised human rights.
Democratic elections cannot be achieved without respect for human rights, in particular freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of circulation inside the country, freedom of assembly and freedom of... read more
22/07/2020
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission adopted an “urgent joint opinion” with ODIHR on Ukraine’s Draft Law 3612 concerning Democracy Through All-Ukraine Referendum.
The opinion, requested in May by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, was published already on 21 July 2020 before the next Venice Commission plenary session, given the need for legal expertise before possible passage in the Ukrainian parliament.
The joint opinion welcomes Ukraine’s efforts to amend its legal and institutional framework relating to national referendums and to bring it into compliance with relevan... read more
16/07/2020
The Venice Commission organised a videoconference on 16 July 2020 in cooperation with Tunisia’s Independent Higher Election Authority (ISIE) on improving the country's electoral legal framework.
This event, where national and international experts, representatives of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Union participated, was aimed at discussing the current legal framework in the light of the questions raised in the report of the European Union Election Observation Mission during the 2019 Tunisian presidential and legislative elections.
The even... read more
13/07/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - On the occasion of the online celebration of the 25th anniversary of Moldova's accession to the Council of Europe, the President of the Venice Commission Mr. Gianni Buquicchio delivered a message.
10/07/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission has published its Observatory on the emergency situations in Venice Commission member States.
The aim of this Observatory on the situations of emergency, created by the Scientific Council, is to collect country-specific information on constitutional and extra-constitutional emergency powers, on relevant mechanisms of parliamentary and judicial oversight and on electoral experiences. The Observatory will thus provide systematised comparative information which may be used by lawyers, scholars, State officials, international... read more
25/06/2020
More than 500 political, civil leaders, Nobel Laureates and pro-democracy institutions, including the President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, have signed an open letter to defend democracy.
This open letter was initiated by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Washington-DC-based National Endowment for Democracy.
25/06/2020
Tunis - In the framework of the Support Project for Independent Bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T), a joint European Union - Council of Europe project (2019-2021), representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a meeting with representatives of the Ligue of the Tunisian independent public bodies (LIPI). Discussions focused on the overall mission of the Coordinator of the LIPI as well as on cooperation between the Commission and the independent bodies in 2020.
25/06/2020
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine in cooperation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and with the support of OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, organised an international online conference on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine and the 30th anniversary of Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The conference title is „Mutual Achievements of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and Bodies of Constitutional Justice; the problems of interpretation in constitutional adjudication“. The Commissio... read more
23/06/2020
The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Mr Luis Almagro and the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio signed a cooperation agreement in Washington DC, on 6 June 2020, and in Strasbourg on 9 June 2020, respectively.
17/06/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission accomplished in 2019.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
26/05/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Today five Venice Commission members have published a new report on the respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law during states of emergency.
The Commission has previously produced general reports and country-specific opinions on both constitutional provisions and emergency legislation in its member States; a recent compilation of the Commission’s work in this area provided guidance into its specific findings. The Commission has also launched an Observatory of the implementation of declarations of states of emergency and of emergency le... read more
123rd Plenary Session of the Venice Commission
14/05/2020
The Bureau of the Commission decided to hold the 123rd Session of the Commission on 18-19 June 2020 by means of a written procedure.
10/05/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, President Gianni Buquicchio made the following statement:
"On 10 May 1990, eighteen ambassadors of Council of Europe member states took the decision to establish the European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission. What looked at the time like the creation of just another technical advisory body proved to be an event of major significance for the development of the rule of law and democracy in Europe an... read more
04/05/2020
The Venice Commission held a videoconference on 4 May 2020 on the theme "Legislative and regulatory framework of Tunisian independent bodies: state of play and challenges".
This meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the legislative and regulatory provisions governing independent bodies and brought together the presidents of the bodies, Tunisian and European experts as well as representatives of the Council of Europe and the European Union.
The event is part of the project to support independent bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T) which is a joint project between the Coun... read more
30/04/2020
Mr José Luis VARGAS VALDEZ, Venice Commission substitute member in respect of Mexico, Mr Josep Maria CASTELLA ANDREU, Venice Commission member in respect of Spain, Mr Rafael RUBIO NUÑEZ, substitute member in respect of Spain and the Deputy Secretary of the Commission participated on 30 April 2020 in the (virtual) Fifth Scientific Committee Meeting of the Global Network on Electoral Justice.
The participation of the Venice Commission was funded through the joint EU-Council of Europe project “Support to reforms of electoral legislation and practice and regional Human Rights instrumen... read more
16/04/2020
The Scientific Council of the Venice Commission has prepared a compilation of the Commission’s general reports and country-specific opinions on constitutional provisions and legislation on emergency situations. This document facilitates access to the Commission’s analysis of the compatibility of emergency powers with the fundamental principles of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
12/03/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe Mr Gianni Buquicchio made the following statement:
“I welcome that the judgment of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of 11 March declares unconstitutional the amendment to the Law on the Judiciary and the Status of Judges which reduced the maximum number of judges in the Supreme Court from 200 to 100. In its Opinion of December 2019 the Venice Commission asked for this provision to be removed.
The Commission was deeply worried that this amendment would have led to ma... read more
04/03/2020 - 06/03/2020
Nouakchott, Mauritania - the Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) of Arab countries, assisted by the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP), the National Independent Election Commission of Mauritania and the Venice Commission, organised the 4th General Assembly of Arab EMBs and the international conference on the role of media in elections.
The conference gave the EMBs from Arab counties an opportunity to exchange views on international principles and standards in the field of media coverage of elections and identify key challenges facin... read more
122nd Plenary session of the Venice Commission cancelled
03/03/2020
Strasbourg - Following the spread of the COVID-19 in the north of Italy, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission decided not to hold the plenary session or the other usual meetings in Venice but instead, the most urgent opinions requested by states and uncontroversial texts will be adopted by a written procedure to be established by the Bureau.
25/02/2020 - 26/02/2020
Cairo - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the National Human Rights Council of Egypt, organised a conference on “Open government”; The general principles of open government, civic participation and the role of the judiciary, the administration and the Ombudsman were on the agenda.
This is the first time that the Venice Commission and the National Human Rights Council of Egypt have co-organised an event.
07/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Venice Commission published Issue 2019/2 of its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, sharing the summaries of key judgments delivered by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction with the world-wide legal community.
06/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – On 22 January 2020 the government of the Kingdom of Belgium has generously allocated 1.000.000 Euros to the Venice Commission’s budget for the period of four years (2020-2023).
The funds are destined for the modernisation of the Commission’s database on the constitutional case law CODICES and the website as well as the preparation of opinions.
05/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Committee of Ministers has endorsed the Venice Commission's checklist aimed at ensuring that election winners uphold democratic practices.
The Checklist gives governments guidelines on how to maintain the checks and balances of democracy, no matter what kind of system is used in that country.
It follows a warning by the Commission, echoed by former Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland in his 2016 report, that some governments, on gaining power in an election, are trying to dismantle democratic safeguards, rushing... read more
03/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - "Following my statement of 29 October 2019, I remain preoccupied about the open conflict involving the Constitutional Court of Armenia. I share the concerns of the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in this respect.
I would like to recall the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission adopted in October 2019 that any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary, exclude any undue political or personal pressure on the judges concerned and must be designed not to inf... read more
30/01/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Secretary of the Venice Commission, Director Thomas Markert met with the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine Ms Valentyna Danishevska.
30/01/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and the Commission’s Secretary, Director Thomas Markert met with a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine led by its President Oleksandr Tupytskyi.
29/01/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - President Buquicchio exchanged views with Mr Igor Dodon, President of the Republic of Moldova in the presence of Mr Fadei Nagacevschi, Minister of Justice, and Ambassador Ms Corina Calugaru, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the Council of Europe. The Venice Commission’s Urgent Opinion on the Superior Council of Magistracy ( prepared jointly with the Directorate of Human Rights of the DG-I), the constitutional reform, the strategy for the judicial reform and the electoral legislation were discussed.
22/01/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Minister of Justice of Moldova requested a Venice Commission urgent opinion on the draft amendments to the Law of the Republic of Moldova No. 947/196 on Superior Council of Magistracy.
The urgent opinion was made public on 22 January 2020.
19/12/2019 - 20/12/2019
Chisinau - The President of the Venice Commission, accompanied by the Deputy Secretary of the Commission, paid a visit to Chisinau following the invitation of the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.
The delegation held meetings and exchanged views with the Speaker of the Parliament, the Chair and the members of the Legal Committee on Appointments and Immunities of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice as well as the Superior Council of Magistrates, judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and other judges.
17/12/2019
Tunis – the Venice Commission organised a seminar on 17 December 2019 in Tunis entitled "The budget and financial autonomy of the Tunisian independent bodies".
This meeting brought together representatives of independent bodies and was an opportunity to discuss certain questions relating to their financial autonomy and in particular the budgetary questions, in the light of new texts related to Tunisian independent bodies such as the Organic Budget Law adopted in 2019.
The preparation and adoption of the budget of the (constitutional and other) bodies was also examined, a... read more
12/12/2019 - 13/12/2019
Gammarth - The Commission organised in cooperation with the Administrative Tribunal of Tunisia, the German IRZ Foundation and the Arab Union of Administrative Justice an international symposium on "Administrative Justice and Electoral Disputes".
The President of the Venice Commission Mr Buquicchio addressed the participants during the first day of the colloquium.
The event took place in the framework of the Joint Council of Europe-European Union project “Improving the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia (AP- JUST)”, funded by the EU and the Counci... read more
27/11/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the President of the Venice Commission made the following statement:
“Following my meeting with the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, I am very concerned about the current conflicts among the different institutions of the state.
Self-serving and divisive attitudes must be avoided. The Republic of Moldova needs to prove that it is a viable constitutional state, governed by the Rule of Law.
The Constitution must be respected. The mandate and powers of the State institutions must be observed. In this respect I ... read more
05/11/2019
Tunis - The Venice Commission organised a meeting with representatives of Tunisian independent bodies on the presentation of the independent bodies' diagnosis by independent experts Ms Neila Chaabane and Mr Chafik Sarsar.
This meeting was an opportunity to discuss some issues related to the finalisation of the normative framework of the bodies as well as their establishment and operation, analysing the achievements, lessons learned and recommendations. The question of independence and especially the budgetary issues was discussed in the light of the new texts related to independent... read more
31/10/2019
Strasbourg – The President of the Constitutional Court of Korea and the President of the Venice Commission discussed bi-lateral co-operation as well as co-operation between the Secretariat for Research and Development of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and the Venice Commission.
30/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission met with a high-level delegation of the Philippines to exchange views on possible cooperation.
29/10/2019
"I have been closely following the situation in Armenia for several months already.
I am very preoccupied about the open conflict between on the one side the Government and Parliament and on the other side the Constitutional Court.
The quick succession and mediatisation of recent events do not contribute to a serene settlement of the problems.
In a Democracy, the parliament is the depositary of popular sovereignty and thus enjoys the highest democratic legitimacy. The constitutional court is a safeguard institution, entrusted with upholding constitutional values.... read more
28/10/2019 - 29/10/2019
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) and the European Commission for the efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised the 7th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy on " The High Councils for the Judiciary and the independence of the judiciary”.
This regional event was organised under the auspices of the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and it was opened by Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission.
The 7th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy was held in... read more
24/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Commission met with the Speaker of the Moldovan parliament to discuss recent developments in the country as well as future collaboration.
24/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the President of the Commission met with the President of the Verkhovna Rada and discussed the current situation in Ukraine and some pending reforms in the country.
10/07/2019 - 12/07/2019
Strasbourg – A study visit to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights for members of two Working Groups under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on improvement of the electoral legislation and on monitoring the judiciary reform took place on 10-12 July 2019. The participants were able to follow closely the work of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, judges and lawyers of the EctHR and other bodies and services of the Council of Europe.
During the seminar organised on 11 July the participants learnt about European standards in the field of gend... read more
27/06/2019
Bratislava - The President of the Venice Commission had a meeting with the President of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, Mr Ivan Fiačan.
12/06/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission accomplished in 2018.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
Canada’s request to become a full member of the Commission was approved by the Committee of Ministers.
11/06/2019
Today the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe has joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice bringing its total membership to 115 courts from 4 continents!
“Venice Principles” - PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
29/05/2019
Paris - Mr Igli Totozani, expert and former Advocates’ People of Albania, exchanged views with the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and presented “the Venice Principles” as adopted by the Venice Commission at its March 2019 plenary session and endorsed by the Committee of Ministers on 2 May 2019.
21/05/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – the Venice Commission has published today the issue № 3/2018 of its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-law.
The Commission publishes the e-Bulletin three times a year in English and in French. Each issue contains important judgments handed down by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction. Some 100 liaison officers from around the world, specially appointed by such courts, contribute to the e-Bulletin.
21/05/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Mr Thomas MARKERT, Secretary of the Venice Commission, met with a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, notably with Mr Chan AYE, Director General of the Department of International Organisations and Economics, and Mr Thet WIN, Head of Unit at the Political Department.
The visit was organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Ltd.
14/05/2019
Ottawa/Strasbourg - In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Th. Jagland, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada Honourable Crystia Freeland, P.C.,M.P., expressed her government’s wish to join the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe as a full member.
In accordance with the Statute of the Commission, such requests are dealt with by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Canada’s accession to the Venice Commission will be discussed by the Ministers’ Deputies on 12 June 2019.
Canada has enjoyed the status of an o... read more
30/04/2019
Budapest / Strasbourg - In an exchange of letters with President Buquicchio the Minister of Justice of Hungary, Mr Laszlo Trocsanyi, stated that according to his interpretation of the law, the procedural guarantees provided by the Act on Administrative Courts for the procedure of appointing judges, in particular the possibility for judicial review of the decisions of the Minister, were applicable also during the transitional period.
This interpretation provided also on the web-site of the Ministry, if it were followed by the courts, would remove concerns about insufficient guarant... read more
GEORGIA - Urgent opinion on the nomination of Supreme Court judges
16/04/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today, the Venice Commission, under its new Protocol on the preparation of urgent opinions, has issued an Urgent Opinion for Georgia on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges. The request for this urgent opinion was made on 11 March 2019 by the Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia.
15/04/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the Venice Commission is looking for a maximum of 10 proof-readers for the provision of consultancy services for e-Bulletin and on constitutional case-law and database CODICES to be requested on an as needed basis.
The Venice Commission publishes the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-law three times a year in English and in French. Each issue contains important judgments handed down by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction. The regular issues are supplemented by a series of special bulletins on various topics.
The... read more
11/04/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission respectively, exchanged views with Mr Nikol PASHINYAN, the Prime Minister of Armenia, on the recent cooperation between the Commission and Armenia and the latest developments in that country. The Prime Minister was attending the session of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe.
10/04/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission respectively, exchanged views with Mr Mamuka BAKHTADZE, the Prime Minister of Georgia, on the recent cooperation between his country and the Commission. The Georgian Prime Minister was attending the session of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Georgia is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its membership to the Council of Europe this year.
19/03/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission published a set of guidelines to protect ombudsman institutions, following various threats to these institutions in recent years. Ombudsman institutions are important for democracy, their services are free, and are thus accessible to individuals who cannot afford to pursue their complaints through the courts. They can take action independently against maladministration and alleged violations of human rights and hence play a crucial role with regard to the governments and parliaments which must accept criticism. As an interface betwee... read more
11/03/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - "The Venice Commission has received a request for an opinion from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament regarding the appointment of Supreme Court judges. I welcome the willingness of the Georgian authorities to cooperate with us in order to establish clear and transparent criteria and procedures for the selection and appointment of these judges.
The Venice Commission will deal with this request speedily as it is conscious that it is urgent to have a full composition of the Supreme Court to ensure its effective functioning.
As concerns... read more
06/02/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Mr Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain, and Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, signed a Multi-project Voluntary Contribution Contract.
This document foreseed a voluntary contribution of 50.000€ for the activities of the Venice Commission.
03/02/2019 - 05/02/2019
Sweimeh, Jordanie - The Venice Commission, the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP) and the Independent High Electoral Commission of Jordan, assisted the Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies of Arab countries in the preparation of the 3rd General Assembly of Arab EMBs and of the international conference on the electoral dispute resolution.
The conference gave an opportunity to the Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) from the Arab States to exchange views about the international principles and standards in the field of electoral complaints and ... read more
28/01/2019
Algiers - The Venice Commission is saddened by the sudden death of its Algerian member, Head of Algeria's Constitutional Council Mr Mourad Medelci.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated member of the Venice Commission. He led the country's highest judicial body since September 2013 and sat in the Venice Commission since 18 October 2016.
At the meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference of the Constitutional Justice in Saint Domingo on 8 February 2019 and March 2019 plenary session of the Venice Commiss... read more
e-Bulletin on Constitutional Justice and its database CODICES – call for tenders – proofreaders
23/01/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Venice Commission is looking for English/French proof-readers for its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Justice and its database CODICES.
Deadline for applications is Friday, 22 February 2019 by the end of the business day.
Details can be found in the link below.
14/12/2018 - 14/12/2018
Bishkek – In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” a round table on the case-law on electoral disputes was held on 14 December 2018.
The Round table was a continuation of the work already done in the field of electoral dispute resolution within the project. After a thorough consultation with the judges, the Venice Commission’s expert drew a comprehensive analysis of judicial case materials of election related complaints. The analysis also included the results of the interviews held with the judges earlier, ... read more
MOROCCO - High Council of the Judiciary
12/12/2018
Rabat - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the CEPEJ, organised a meeting on “The functioning of High Judicial Councils”.
This meeting was the first meeting between the Council of Europe and the newly established High Council of the Judiciary. At this event several High judicial councils presented their national experiences, including the President of the High Council of Justice of Belgium.
07/12/2018
Bishkek - In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” a round table on cybercrime and cybersecurity was held on 7 December 2018 in Bishkek.
Representatives of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic including the State Security Council, the State Registration Service (SRS), the Ministry of the Interior, the General Prosecutor’s office and other national institutions, together with civil society representatives were provided with an opportunity to gain knowledge and share experiences about existing international ... read more
05/12/2018
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the Finnish Supreme Court and the Palestinian Supreme Constitutional Court have joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice. It counts now 114 member courts worldwide!
26/11/2018 - 28/11/2018
Kyiv - the Council of Europe's Office in Ukraine together with the National School of Judges of Ukraine, organised a training for trainers (ToT) of judges on "Election Dispute Resolution".
The training was attended by 20 judges of the administrative courts of Ukraine - trainers of regional training centres of the National School of Judges of Ukraine. In his opening speech, Mr Mårten Enberg, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, underlined the urgency of this training course for Ukraine and the necessity to increase the confidence of Ukrainian citizens in the elections. O... read more
14/11/2018
Tunis – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio has made the following statement:
"Constitutional courts are the guardians of constitutions. It is essential that the Constitutional Court provided for by the Constitution of Tunisia be established and begin to exercise its functions as soon as possible. I call on all the political forces sitting in the People's Representatives Assembly to elect without further delay the parliamentary quota of the members of the Court by a qualified majority, as stipulated by the Constitution, in order to ensure a pluralist compos... read more
14/11/2018
Tunis - On the sidelines of the 6th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy, the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and the Deputy Secretary of the Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, held an exchange of views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia Mr Khemaies Jhinaoui.
They discussed the current political situation of Tunisia and agreed on continued cooperation in order to fully implement the Constitution, in particular by proceeding with the setting up of the Constitutional Court and the independent constitutional bodies.
13/11/2018 - 14/11/2018
Tunis - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, have organised the 6th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy on "The role and place of independent bodies in a democratic state".
This regional event was held in Tunis from 13 to 14 November 2018 bringing together leading European experts and senior officials from independent bodies of Tunisia and other countries of the Southern Mediterranean.
The debates focused on themes such as: relations of independent bodies with the executive, legislative and judicial powers, composition, ... read more
31/10/2018
Paris - The Working Group met with International organisations and Ombudsman Institutions for an exchange of views on the Draft Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution (“the Venice Principles”).
24/10/2018
On 28 September 2018 the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (notably the Swedish International Development Agency “Sida”) made a voluntary contribution of 100,000SEK (30,000 €) to the Venice Commission’s budget for a number of specific activities. A further contribution of 200,000 SEK (approximately 70,000€) is foreseen in 2019 under the same agreement.
24/10/2018
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - In the framework of the preparation of an opinion for Malta, the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio and other representatives of the Commission, met with the Minister of justice of Malta, Mr Owen Bonnici.
23/10/2018
On 23 October 2018 the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a voluntary contribution of 50,000 € to the Venice Commission’s budget.
19/10/2018
The President of the Venice Commission:
“Following the discussions between the Venice Commission and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia at the 116th session of the Venice Commission
- Acknowledges and supports the peaceful manner in which the Armenian people is carrying out change;
- Acknowledges the specific situation in Armenia, which requires the holding of early elections;
- Welcomes the commitment of the Armenian authorities to abide by international standards when revising the Electoral Code;
- Notes that the proposed amendm... read more
Ombudsman Institutions - Venice Principles – 5th Meeting of the Working Group
17/10/2018
Venice - This was the 5th meeting of the Working Group in charge of drafting a List of Constitutional and Legal Principles on Ombudsman Institutions, the so-called “Venice Principles".
The meeting aimed at analysing the latest written comments to the 1st draft of the Venice Principles sent to the Secretariat of the Venice Commission. The meeting also aimed to prepare the oral consultation of all stakeholders which took place on 31 October 2018 in Paris.
ROMANIA - Visit of the Minister of Justice
11/10/2018 - 11/10/2018
Strasbourg, 11 October 2018 – the Minister of Justice of Romania, Mr Tudorel Toader, visited the Secretariat of the Venice Commission. Mr Toader presented the possible content of a future Government Emergency Ordinance in the field of the judiciary, aiming inter alia to address some of the issues raised by the Venice Commission in its Preliminary Opinion of 13 July 2018 (CDL-PI(2018)007). The Preliminary Opinion is on the agenda of the forthcoming session of the Venice Commission on 19 October 2018.
09/10/2018 - 11/10/2018
Rabat - In cooperation with the Association of Mediators and Ombudsmen of the Francophonie (AOMF), a seminar on "Managing newcomers” was organised by the Ombudsman Institution of Morocco and the Venice Commission. This workshop gathered collaborators of Ombudsman institutions for an exchange of experiences and best practices.
This activity was covered by the programme “Ensuring Sustainable Democratic and Human Rights in the Southern Mediterranean” funded by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
04/10/2018
On 1 September 2018 the German Federal Foreign Office made a voluntary contribution of 65,000 € to the Venice Commission’s budget for a number of specific activities.
03/10/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Minister of Justice of Romania, Mr Tudorel Toader, met on 3 October with the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Mr Thomas Markert, and presented the envisaged Government Emergency Ordinance in the judicial field, which partly addresses issues raised in the Preliminary Opinion of the Venice Commission of 13 July 2018 (CDL-PI(2018)007).
The Secretary of the Commission welcomed the readiness of the Romanian Government to act upon some recommendations of the Preliminary Opinion and in particular the proposal to postpone sine die the entry into forc... read more
27/09/2018 - 28/09/2018
Marrakech - The Constitutional Court organised an international symposium entitled “Access to constitutional justice: new challenges to the a posteriori constitutional review”. The President of the Venice Commission Mr Buquicchio participated in the opening session.
14/09/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - A paper called « DRAFT JOINT INTERIM OPINION OF THE VENICE COMMISSION AND THE OSCE OFFICE FOR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS (OSCE/ODIHR) ON THE DRAFT LAW ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OF MONTENEGRO » dated 27 November 2015 was made available by mistake on the Commission’s website.
Such document is a very preliminary paper which was never validated by the rapporteurs, nor by the Commission itself. As such, it does not convey the views of either the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR rapporteurs or the Commission or ODIHR themselves.
Thi... read more
31/08/2018
On 20 July 2018 the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in addition to its statutory contribution, made a voluntary contribution of 20,000 € to the Venice Commission’s budget for its activities in the Southern Mediterranean region.
Obituary – Mr Erik Lukács, former Substitute Member of the Venice Commission in respect of the Netherlands
21/08/2018
Scheveningen - The Venice Commission is saddened by the death of its former Dutch Substitute Member Mr Erik Lukács passed away on 8 August 2018 at the age of 83 years. Mr. Lukács was Substitute member in respect of the Netherlands from 1999 until 2007.
He was a recognised legal expert and a valuable member of the Venice Commission.
At its next plenary session, the Venice Commission held a minute of silence in his memory.
13/07/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission has released its preliminary opinion on draft amendments to three Romanian laws concerning the judiciary, which had been submitted to its assessment by the President of Romania and the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council or Europe.
In accordance with the procedure for preliminary opinions in urgent cases, the Commission authorised the rapporteurs to issue the opinion and send it to the Romanian authorities, after consultation of the Bureau. The Commission is expected to endorse the Opinion wi... read more
05/07/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Secretary General of the Council of Europe made the following statement today:
“I call upon all parties concerned to wait for the Venice Commission’s Opinion, and to take it into account, before any further steps are taken to amend Romania’s Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.
This reform risks contradicting Romania’s international obligations, notably under the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption, as identified by the recent ad hoc report of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). As a member State o... read more
Exchange of views with the Minister of Legal Protection of the Netherlands
28/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, respectively, exchanged views with the Dutch Minister of Legal Protection Mr Sander DEKKER, on the recent activities of the Commission.
27/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The President of the Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and the Secretary of the Commission Mr Thomas MARKERT met with the Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr Kostas ATHANASIOU, and with the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Delegation of Greece to the PACE, Ms Ioanneta KAVVADIA.
27/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Commission respectively, held an exchange of views with Mr Laszlo BRENZOVICS, the President of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Alliance and Mr Zsolt NEMETH, the Head of the Hungarian PACE delegation.
27/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - the President, the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with the members of Armenian Delegation to PACE Ms Naira ZOHRABYAN, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on European Integration of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and Mr Mikayel MELKUMYAN, the Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly.
26/06/2018
Venice - An opinion adopted on Friday 22.06.2018 by the Venice Commission criticises a key provision on illegal migration of the so-called “Stop Soros” legislation that the Hungarian Parliament adopted this week.
The new provision – Article 353A of the Criminal Code – introduces the offence of “facilitating irregular migration”. EU directives from 2002 define and strengthen the penal framework to prevent facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence. The Commission acknowledges that many European countries criminalise assistance to entry, stay or transit of irregular mi... read more
26/06/2018
Strasbourg, Conseil de l’Europe – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO met with the Prime Minister of Croatia Mr Andrej PLENKOVIć, who participated in the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Croatia holds the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe since mid-May 2018.
26/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission respectively, exchanged views with Ms Etilda GJONAJ, the Minister of Justice of Albania, on recent cooperation between the Commission and Albania.
18/06/2018
Strasbourg – President Gianni Buquicchio met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to discuss the implementation of the Venice Commission’s opinion on the amendments to the Ukrainian Law on Secondary Education as well as the upcoming opinion on the new “stop Soros” legislative provisions.
In relation to the latter, President Buquicchio called on the Hungarian Parliament not to proceed with the adoption of the law prior to the publication of the Commission’s opinion this coming Friday 22 June 2018, or at least to take into account the Commission’s recommendations as they ... read more
15/06/2018 - 16/06/2018
Vinnytsia and Chernihiv - The first regional public discussions on the draft Election Code of Ukraine took place on 15 and 16 June 2018.
These regional events aimed at discussing with the interested parties in the regions the main issues concerning the draft Election Code, as well as developing and providing recommendations in preparation of the draft Code for the second reading in Verkhovna Rada.
The deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, deputies and representatives of local self-government bodies, members of territorial, district and polling station election commi... read more
07/06/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - "It is with great satisfaction - I would even say with great joy - that I learnt of today’s decision by the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court. According to the reports the law as adopted is in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission.
I would like to congratulate the members of the Verkhovna Rada on today’s vote and thank all those who contributed to the adoption of the law. This is an important step forward for Ukraine and for Europe, most of all for the citizens of Ukraine who have suffered for too long... read more
30/05/2018
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission in 2017. The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member States of the Council of Europe.
16/05/2018 - 17/05/2018
Tbilisi - the Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Georgia organised the 3d Congress of the Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Régions (BBCJ). The 1st Vice President Ms Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir represented the Commission.
This activity falls in the framework of the Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
Jordan - South Programme III - Bilateral Steering Committee Meeting
04/05/2018
Amman – The Venice Commission participated in the First Bilateral Steering Committee Meeting with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan “Ensuring Sustainable Democratic Governance and Human rights in the Southern Mediterranean”, South Programme III (2018-2020).
20/04/2018
Kyiv - The Secretary of the Venice Commission Mr Thomas Markert participated in the International Roundtable entitled “Constitutional reform: recommendations for Ukraine”.
The event was organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform (CPRL) with the support of the European Union (EU) in conjunction with USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly. The Venice Commission also contributed to the organisation of the Roundtable.
19/04/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The process of consultation and exchanges on the so-called "Venice Principles" with Ombudsman Institutions from all over the world as well as with the international stakeholders started today.
In June 2017, the Commission decided to codify, on the basis of its previous work, a set of constitutional and legal principles ("Venice Principles") specifically devoted to the Ombudsman institution. A working group composed of four members of the Commission and one expert has met several times in order to draft a text offering guidelines which should prevail... read more
05/04/2018 - 06/04/2018
Valletta, Malta - Representatives of the State Registration Service (SRS), State Security Council as well as of the civil society of the Kyrgyz Republic participated in a study visit organised in Malta by the Venice Commission and the Maltese authorities.
The participants of the study visit got an insight into the Maltese experience in developing the data protection system; they visited the Electoral office of Malta. They were also informed about the setting up and functioning of the Digital Malta Strategy. They also had an opportunity to visit the Data Centre and to receive detai... read more
03/04/2018
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” a working seminar on cybersecurity was held for representatives from the Kyrgyz Republic on 3 April 2018.
Representatives of the State Registration Service (SRS), State Security Council as well as the Civil Society of the Kyrgyz Republic learnt the founding principles of the Budapest Convention, as well as implications of cybersecurity during the electoral processes.
The project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through E... read more
28/03/2018
Strasbourg – Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission Ms Simona Granata-Menghini participated in the debate on “Regional referendum, a tool for democracy: challenges and risks” at the Chamber of Regions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. She presented the Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice in Referendums.
20/03/2018
The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs has informed the Venice Commission of the Italian government’s decision to make a voluntary contribution of 30,000 euros to the Commission’s budget, in addition to its statutory one.
17/03/2018
The Italian Regione Veneto, pursuant to its statutory commitment, has renewed in 2018 its financial support to the Venice Commission.
Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States - Cooperation Agreement with the Venice Commission
06/03/2018
St-Petersburg/Strasbourg - the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States, have signed a cooperation agreement. The common concern for the respect of pluralistic democracy, rule of law and human rights and the need to promote dialogue are the basis for the agreement.
25/01/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Thomas Markert, the Director and Secretary of the Venice Commission, met a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in order to discuss co-operation between the Constitutional Court and the Venice Commission.
25/01/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO met the head of the Moldovan PACE delegation Mr Marian LUPU to exchange views on current situation in Moldova and on the cooperation between the Venice Commission and the Republic of Moldova.
24/01/2018
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio met with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who was visiting the Council of Europe at the occasion of his address to the PACE during the January session.
Second Scientific Electoral Experts Debates: „Equal Suffrage” - Call for papers - Electoral Expert Review - Deadline for submitting proposals 25th of March 2018.
12/01/2018
Sinaia, Romania - The Electoral Expert Review, published by the Permanent Electoral Authority (PEA), invited stakeholders and those interested to contribute in publishing scientific articles that had not been or were not published in other journals, reviews or scientific symposium volumes, related to the theme of the Second Scientific Electoral Experts Debates: “Equal Suffrage”, co-organised by the PEA and the Venice Commission, which took place on 3-4 May 2018 in Sinaia.
Deadline for submitting the proposal for articles in English, French or Romanian was 25 March 2018.
Obituary – Mr Bogusław Banaszak, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Poland
09/01/2018
Warsaw - The Venice Commission is saddened by the sudden death of its Polish member, Professor Bogusław Banaszak.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law and a valuable member of the Venice Commission.
At its March 2018 plenary session, the Venice Commission held a minute of silence in his memory.
12/12/2017 - 15/12/2017
Strasbourg – A study visit for representatives of Presidential Administration, Parliament, Central Election Commission, State Registration Service, MFA, Committee on Information and Technologies and representatives from NGOs from the Kyrgyz Republic to the Council of Europe took place on 12-15 December 2017. The participants were able to follow closely the work of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, judges and lawyers of the ECtHR and other bodies and services of the Council of Europe.
During the seminar organised on 14 December the participants learnt about European... read more
10/12/2017
Venice - Following the proposals made by the Committee of Wise Persons, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on 10 December 2017 elected for a term of two years:
• Mr G. Buquicchio (Italy) as President (re-elected);
• Ms H. Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir (Iceland) as First Vice-President;
• Ms V. Bílková (Czech Republic) and Mr M. Frendo (Malta) as Vice-Presidents;
• Ms C. Bazy-Malaurie (France), Mr J. M. Castella Andreu (Spain), Mr I-W. Kang (Republic of Korea) and Ms T. Khabrieva (Russian Federation), as members of the Bureau.
23/11/2017 - 24/11/2017
Tunis – The Venice Commission co-organised and contributed to the first joint Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie and the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the Francophonie, on the subject : “Parliamentarians and Mediators, actors of good governance“. More than fifty participants exchanged their views on the relationship between Parliaments and Ombudsmen and the reinforcement of their co-operation.
This activity is financed by the Programme Towards Strengthened Democratic Governance in the Southern Mediterranean funded by the European Union and impl... read more
10/11/2017
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and Justice Hiroyuki Kanno of the Supreme Court of Japan discussed cooperation between their respective institutions.
Turkey - CHP leader to meet with the President of the Venice Commission
08/11/2017
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - During his visit to Strasbourg in the framework of the World Democracy Forum, Mr Kılıçdaroğlu, the CHP leader, is to hold a meeting with the Venice Commission’s President Mr Gianni Buquicchio.
06/11/2017 - 12/11/2017
In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” a number of activities was held for representatives of Kyrgyzstan from 6 to 12 November 2017.
Bishkek – A follow-up seminar on media monitoring of the October 2017 Presidential elections was held jointly with a local NGO “Media Development Centre” on 6-8 November 2017 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The seminar focused on enhancing the potential of journalists and media experts in a post-electoral analysis of the data collected during the monitoring process. As a result of... read more
20/10/2017
Tirana - On the sidelines of the Conference at the occassion of the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Albania, President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio held meetings with the President of the country Mr Ilir META, Speaker of the Parliament Mr Gramoz RUCI and Prime Minister Mr Edi RAMA.
13/10/2017
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - I have learned that the President of the Republic of Moldova has made very critical statements casting doubt on the judgments of the Constitutional Court and the impartiality of its judges. I would like to recall that in a democratic state, governed by the rule of law, criticisms of constitutional court decisions are permissible as long as they are respectful.
While freedom of expression is a fundamental value in a democratic state, the holders of public office must show restraint in their criticism. Disrespectful criticism, and in particular threat... read more
11/10/2017
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Assembly adopted two reports entitled " “The Rule of Law Checklist" of the Venice Commission" and "New threats against the rule of law in the member states of the Council of Europe - selected examples ". In this context the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the Rule of Law checklist to the Assembly.
The Parliamentary Assembly, after a debate with the participation of President Gianni Buquicchio, endorsed the Rule of Law checklist and decided to use it systematically in its work, particularly in the preparation of... read more
04/10/2017
Venice, Italy - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR and with the funding from the Japanese Government, organised a Round-table on « Foreign funding of non-governmental organisations » on 4 October 2017 in Venice, Italy.
The round-table gathered members of the Venice Commission, national and International experts as well as state and civil society representatives. The purpose of the round-table was to develop the international standards concerning foreign funding of associations in order to deepen the legal discussion in this field. Good practices in promoting... read more
22/09/2017
Strasbourg – the Venice Commission has just published its new draft opinion on the draft Constitution of Georgia as adopted in the second reading in June 2017, as well as on the letter submitted by the Georgian authorities to the Venice Commission on 20 September 2017, in which they committed themselves to consider new amendments.
The Venice Commission in its draft opinion reiterated its previous positive assessment of the draft Constitution, but once again underlined that any major constitutional reform must reach the widest possible consensus.
A major obstacle to reac... read more
01/09/2017
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The revision of the Constitution of Georgia is a major reform meant to transform the current political system into a genuine parliamentary democracy.
In June this year, the Venice Commission issued a positive assessment of the draft revised Constitution, including the declared move towards the fully proportional system of the election of all the members of Parliament. Moreover, we specifically welcomed active co-operation and the commitment of the Georgian parliament not to adopt any amendments negat... read more
11/08/2017
Strasbourg - In a preliminary opinion issued today, the Venice Commission notes that in general the regulations of Hungary’s higher education law are in line with usual European practice but criticises that many requirements of the law are overly stringent or even unjustified if applied to already existing universities.
The Venice Commission does acknowledge the right of a state to regulate foreign universities on its territory, especially in the absence of unified European norms or models in the field, and that it is up to Hungarian authorities to assess when and whether this fra... read more
07/08/2017
The Supreme Court of Kenya has joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 110 members.
04/08/2017 - 05/08/2017
Issyk-kul – Working Group under the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, tasked with improving the Electoral System in the Kyrgyz Republic, and in particular, with developing a new comprehensive Electoral Reform Strategy, held their first meeting in Issyk-kul, Kyrgyzstan on 4-5 August 2017.
The meeting was organized with the support of the Venice Commission within the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” funded by the European Union. A number of issues were discussed at the meeting, among them a pa... read more
30/07/2017 - 05/08/2017
Bishkek – In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” the Venice Commission organised 2 training sessions at the Issyk-Kul lake from 30 July to 5 August.
The first training session was held jointly with a local NGO “Media Development Centre”. It was aimed at journalists who did media monitoring before the Presidential elections of 15 October. They got to know media monitoring methodology, exchange views with experienced trainers and learnt about technical aspects of media monitoring and the specific role of t... read more
21/07/2017
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission has released its preliminary opinion on the legal aspects of the constitutional crisis in Venezuela.
18/07/2017
Strasbourg - I have been informed that the Polish parliament is adopting a number of laws on the judicial system affecting inter alia the National Council of the Judiciary and the Supreme Court. The Venice Commission has not examined these texts but I would like to recall that the independence of the judiciary is a basic element of the rule of law, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The fact that judges may not be dismissed before the end of their term of office, except on the basis of proper disciplinary proceedings, ... read more
05/07/2017
Strasbourg - Thomas Markert, Secretary of the Venice Commission, took part in an exchange of views on constitutional reform in Georgia with the Delegation for relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia of the European Parliament, in the presence of the President of Parliament of Georgia, Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze.
28/06/2017 - 29/08/2017
Batumi – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Buquicchio met with the President of Georgia, the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the opposition and the civil society.
The meetings were held on the sidelines of the XVIIth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts.
27/06/2017 - 30/06/2017
Bishkek – In the framework of the project “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” experts of the Venice Commission participated in several activities from 27 to 30 June 2017. The first activity for political parties dealt with campaigning and electoral dispute resolution co-organised with IFES in light of the Presidential elections on 15 October 2017.
Together with OSCE Programme office a needs assessment visit on data protection was held to meet with a wide range of stakeholders in this area and to discuss possible co-operation in the... read more
26/06/2017
Kyiv – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Buquicchio exchanged views with the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Parubiy on the recent cooperation between the Commission and Ukraine.
21/06/2017
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission in 2016. The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the Member States of the Council of Europe.
Spain, Catalonia
06/06/2017
Exchange of letters between Mr Carles Puigdemont, President of the Government of Catalonia, Spain, and Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
02/06/2017
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Venice Commission has issued its Preliminary Opinion on the draft law of Hungary on the transparency of organisations receiving support from abroad.
It will be submitted to the Venice Commission for endorsement at the next Plenary Session (Venice, 16-17 June 2017).
12/05/2017
The Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic and the Council of Constitutional Inquiry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia have joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice.
The WCCJ counts now 109 members.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) – 107 members!
04/05/2017
The Federal Court of Malaysia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) and became its 107th member.
02/05/2017
The Supreme Court of Swaziland joined the World Conference for Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) which now has 106 members.
06/04/2017
Bucharest – the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio and the Secretary of the Commission Mr Thomas Markert met with the President of the Constitutional Court of Romania Mr Valer Dorneanu. Issues on the agenda of the Court, the international conference on the interaction between the majority and the opposition as well as the cooperation between the Commission and the Court were discussed.
06/04/2017 - 07/04/2017
Bucharest - the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Th. Jagland in his 2016 report on the “State of democracy, human rights and the rule of law: a security imperative for Europe”, recommended that Council of Europe guidelines concerning the role and the responsibility of the political majority and its interaction with the opposition be developed.
In this context, the Venice Commission was invited to update its study of 2010 on the role of the opposition in a democratic parliament (CDL-AD(2010)025). The angle of the new study will be the interaction between the majority a... read more
03/04/2017 - 04/04/2017
Nicosia - The Venice Commission organised, in the framework of the Presidency of Cyprus of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, the 5th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy on the theme “Interaction between Constitutional Courts and similar jurisdictions and ordinary courts”.
The workshop took place in Nicosia (Cyprus), from Monday 3 April to Tuesday 4 April 2017. It xas attended by judges of Constitutional Courts and Councils as well as ordinary courts from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, ... read more
22/03/2017 - 23/03/2017
Washington – The President of the Venice Commission G. Buquicchio addressed the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).
In addition, Mr Buquicchio and Mr T. Markert, the Secretary of the Commission, held bilateral meetings at the US Department of State.
11/03/2017
Venice, Italy - The Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice held its 11th meeting in Venice, Italy, where it discussed the preparation of its 4th Congress on "the Rule of Law and Constitutional Justice in the Modern World" which was held in in Vilnius, on 11-14 September 2017.
The World Conference unites 105 Constitutional Courts and Councils and Supreme Courts in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia/Oceania and Europe. According to its Statute, the World Conference does not have a "President". It has three bodies, the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secreta... read more
10/03/2017
Venice – The 110th plenary of the Venice Commission has just adopted its Opinion on the constitutional amendments submitted to a national referendum on 16 April 2017. This opinion had been requested by the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.
First of all, the Commission warns against a “personal regime” in Turkey in its definitive, as discussed and adopted in plenary, text of the opinion.
The Commission notes that by removing necessary checks and balances, the amendments would not follow the model of a democratic presidential system... read more
28/02/2017
The Constitutional Court of Luxembourg joined the World Conference for Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) on 16 February 2017 which now has 105 members!
24/01/2017
Strasbourg - The President Gianni Buquicchio of the Venice Commission meets the President of Romania, who visits the Council of Europe, to exchange views on the cooperation between Romania and the Venice Commission.
16/01/2017
"I am worried about the worsening situation within the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland. Following the attempts to influence the work of the Tribunal by means of legislative amendments, which were criticised by the Venice Commission, practical steps are now taken with the apparent aim to ensure that the Tribunal act in accordance with the will of the current political majority:
• The new President of the Tribunal was elected on the basis of a questionable procedure;
• The new President delegated her powers to another judge who was elected on a legal basis that had been ... read more
15/01/2017
The Constitutional Council of Djibouti joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 104 members.
07/12/2016
Venice - The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe in co-operation with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and with the International Association of Constitutional Lawyers (IACL-AIDC) organised an international Conference entitled “Global Constitutional Discourse and Transnational Constitutional Activity”.
02/12/2016
The Supreme Tribunal of Monaco joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 103 members.
21/11/2016
The Supreme Court of Justice of Namibia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 102 members.
14/11/2016
Vilnius - The Constitutional Court of Lithuania set up a web-site for the 4th Congress on "the Rule of Law and Constitutional Justice in the Modern World" (Vilnius, Lithuania, 11-14 September 2017).
Kosovo - Information seminar on co-operation with the Venice Commission
08/11/2016
Pristina – an information seminar is organised together with the Council of Europe Office in Pristina for the Constitutional Court as well as the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo. The aim of this seminar is to explain how co-operation with the Venice Commission works and how member states can request opinions and how constitutional courts may turn to the Venice Commission for an amicus curiae brief.
07/11/2016
Bratislava - Upon invitation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Mr Miroslav Lajčák, the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, met with the President of Slovakia, Mr Andrej Kiska, the Prime Minister, Mr Robert Fico, the President of Parliament, Mr Andrej Danko and the President of the Constitutional Court, Ms Ivetta Macejková, in order to discuss the issue of appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.
23/09/2016
Strasbourg - I am alarmed by the fact that, despite a decision by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina of 17 September 2016 to suspend the referendum in Republika Srpska scheduled for 25 September 2016, the authorities of Republika Srpska intend to go ahead with the organisation of the referendum. In a state governed by the rule of law the judgments of the Constitutional Court are implemented and are not made the subject of a vote, whether in parliament or by the people.
The Constitutional Court has declared the Day of the Republika Sprska unconstitutional as being ... read more
20/09/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Constitutional modifications proposed for vote in a referendum in Azerbaijan next Sunday 26 September 2016 are assessed negatively and “at odds with European constitutional heritage” by the Venice Commission in its Preliminary Opinion made public today.
The draft modifications concern 29 provisions of the Constitution and concern:
• a number of human rights provisions;
• additional powers of the President, his term of office and introduction of the figure of (appointed) Vice-President.
The opinion criticises the procedure of ad... read more
15/09/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio met with the Speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament Mr Darko Pajovic. The current situation in the country and the cooperation between Montenegro and the Commission were the main topics of the exchange of views.
15/09/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - on the occasion of the International Democracy Day, the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio made the following statement:
"The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, throughout its existence, has strenuously worked towards achieving democracy though law in Europe and beyond. Democracy is not a label. It is not by putting the word “democracy” in a constitution or in the name of a country that they become democratic. Democracy is a continuous process and is never fully achieved, nor irreversible. Good legal texts are not sufficien... read more
06/09/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has endorsed the Rule of Law Checklist elaborated by the Venice Commission (CDL-AD(2016)007). On this occasion the Committee of Ministers invited relevant authorities in the member States to make use of the Checklist and to disseminate it widely in the relevant circles.
30/08/2016
Strasbourg - OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission published a Preliminary Joint Opinion on the Draft Law on Introduction of Changes and Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic.
22/08/2016
Appointment of the President of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice Mr Ernesto JINESTA LOBO as Member and of Judge at the Supreme Court of Justice Mr Fernando CASTILLO VIQUEZ as Substitute member in respect of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica became the 61st member of the Venice Commission on 6 July 2016.
05/08/2016
The Venice Commission learned that Constitutional amendments are being prepared currently in the Kyrgyz Republic and that a referendum for their adoption is going to be called.
The proposed amendments seem, inter alia, to affect the position of the Constitutional Chamber. In 2015, the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR prepared a Joint Opinion on draft constitutional amendments, which also affected the Constitutional Chamber (CDL-AD(2015)014). This Opinion may be relevant to the current amendments as well as to the procedure for amending the Constitution.
Such amendments d... read more
28/07/2016
Tirana – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the ceremony organised by the Ad hoc Committee on Justice System Reform of the Albanian Parliament on “Justice reform : the challenges of today, the guarantee of the future”. The ceremony was held on 28 July 2016 at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of the highest national authorities, the EU and the US Ambassadors.
27/07/2016
Tirana - In the evening of 21 July the Albanian Assembly approved the constitutional amendments related to the justice reform, with a unanimous vote. The current constitutional amendments provide for the re-organisation of the High Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court and several other supreme State institutions related to the judiciary, as well as for the creation of a temporary vetting mechanism supposed to remove corrupt and incompetent judges from the judiciary.
These amendments were the result of a long and laborious process, to which the Venice Commission contributed b... read more
18/07/2016
I strongly condemn the attempted coup d’état in Turkey; any changes in the government must follow democratic channels.
At the same time, I am alarmed by the Turkish media reports: since the failed coup, two judges of the Constitutional Court and five members of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors have been arrested. More than 2700 judges have been suspended and many have been detained. I am convinced that especially while reacting to a violent attempt to overthrow an elected government, it is essential to respect the rule of law.
Mass dismissals and arrests of j... read more
06/07/2016
Strasbourg – Following a request by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica on 6 July 2016 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invited the country to become the 61st member state of the Venice Commission.
28/06/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Mr Jan Helgesen, Former President of the Venice Commission, will introduce the Rule of Law Checklist before the Monitoring Committee of the Congress.
21/06/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Ms Herdis Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir, Vice President of the Venice Commission, introduced the Rule of Law Checklist before the Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly. The meeting was opened by Her Excellency Ms Marina Kaljurand, Chair of the Committee of Ministers. Ms Anne Brasseur, Former President of the Parliamentary Assembly and member of the Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, intervened too.
17/06/2016
Strasbourg - Statement by the President of the Venice Commission: "I am very pleased to announce that, with the accession of the Constitutional Tribunal of Cape Verde, the World Conference on Constitutional Justice has reached the 100 membership mark, with its members hailing from all five continents. These 100 Constitutional Courts, Constitutional Councils and Supreme Courts, members of the World Conference, are all committed to the common values of democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law as expressed in the Statute of the World Conference, which is essential for the pr... read more
09/06/2016
The Supreme Court of Justice of Guinea-Bissau joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 99 members.
02/06/2016
Strasbourg – The President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, welcomed today’s adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the constitutional amendments required for the reform of the judicial system of Ukraine. “I am very happy that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted this crucial reform with an overwhelming majority. All those who voted for the reform have shown their readiness to act responsibly in the interest of the country. The decision shows that, despite a difficult situation, the country is capable of carrying out major reforms. The Venice Commission has worked on this reform for m... read more
01/06/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio presented the Annual report of activities of the Commission in 2015 and its recently adopted Rule of Law Checklist. The presentation was followed by the exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member states of the Council of Europe.
01/06/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe welcomed the Venice Commission’s standard-setting document entitled “Rule of Law Checklist”, calling it an “extremely useful tool”.
The Checklist contains detailed questions which enable assessing the degree of respect for the Rule of Law in any given country. It is a tool that is available to all stakeholders, including international organisations, national authorities and civil society.
The Commission issued the Checklist as a publication.
26/05/2016
Kyiv - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Election Law Institute of Ukraine, has issued a new publication in Ukrainian on all recent electoral opinions on Ukraine and general reports in the electoral field adopted by the Venice Commission.
The publication was presented in Kyiv at the National University “Kyiv-Mohila Academy”.
26/05/2016
Kiev - A Venice Commission delegation met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, Mr A. Parubiy, to discuss the electoral reform, the constitutional amendments on the judiciary and the reform of the rules of procedure of the Verkhovna Rada.
Georgia - forthcoming opinion - amendments to the Organic Law on the Constitutional Court of Georgia and to the Law amending on Constitutional Legal Proceedings
24/05/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - In the framework of the preparation of an opinion on amendments to the Organic Law on the Constitutional Court of Georgia and to the Law amending the Law on Constitutional Legal Proceedings, representatives of the President of Georgia will provide information to the Secretariat. The Ministry of Justice and the Parliamentary Committee of Human Rights and Civic Integration the will provide information via Skype the following day.
24/05/2016
Max Plank Institute, Germany - The volume “The Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Europe”, recently published by the Nomos publishing house, presents an overview of the current state of the legislation on the freedom of assembly in eleven selected member states of the Venice Commission: the UK, France, the US, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, the Russian Federation, the Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Tunisia.
This publication may serve as a reference for researchers or practitioners who seek specific information on the legal bases, restrictions, or implementation of the freedom of assembly in... read more
13/05/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Venice Commission has just published a new book containing its main reference texts in the field of elections and political parties in Russian language.
This publication represents a collection of the fundamental documents of the Venice Commission regarding the general conduct of elections and referenda, as well as the participation of political parties in elections. Each of the three sections of the book opens with the document where the main principles of the European electoral heritage are developed, in particular the “Code of good practice in... read more
03/05/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Council of Europe Publishing, upon the initiative of the Venice Commission, has just published a new issue in the collection “Point of law – point of view” entitled “Mass surveillance: who is watching the watchers?”
In the past decades in several countries, a massive “surveillance-industrial complex” has evolved, which risks escaping democratic control and accountability and threatens the free and open character of our societies.
Certain surveillance practices endanger fundamental human rights, including the rights to privacy, freedo... read more
11/04/2016 - 12/04/2016
Warsaw - Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in the Panel meeting of the OSCE-ODIHR on the revision of the joint guidelines on freedom of assembly.
“Blasphemy and other limitations of freedom of expression” - mini-publication
02/04/2016
Following the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice’s very successful mini-conference on “Blasphemy and other limitations of freedom of expression” held in Bucharest on 12 June 2015, the Secretariat of the Venice Commission produced a mini-publication of the presentations made at that event in order to broaden the access to these concrete examples and highlight the work of the Liaison Officers to the Venice Commission.
23/03/2016
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Venice Commission has published an overview of the judicial systems of Central Asia. It aims to be a short guide for lawyers and academics wishing to familiarise themselves with the judiciary of the following five Central Asian States: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The idea of the publication was not to assess and evaluate, but to provide an overview of the judiciary in the region, contributing to a better understanding of the typical features, setting out the different national characteristics and helping the... read more
18/03/2016
The Rule of Law is a topical theme. Far from being confined to the discussion of specialists, it has become a subject of political discussion and assessment. It is essential for these discussions and assessments to fully understand their subject. The Venice Commission did this by adopting the Rule of Law Checklist.
The Checklist aims at enabling an objective, thorough, transparent and equal assessment. Various actors wishing to assess the respect of the Rule of Law in a country now have therefore a reliable tool for doing so. This applies, for example, to parliaments and other Sta... read more
16/03/2016
At its 106th plenary session (Venice, 11-12 March 2016), the Venice Commission had to discuss several cases of undue interference in the work of Constitutional Courts in its member States, a topic which will also be a focus of the 4th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (Vilnius, 10-13 September 2017).
A specific opinion, adopted at the 106th plenary session, dealt with amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland.
The Venice Commission expresses serious concern over statements made by the President of Turkey who has declared tha... read more
Poland - Opinion on the amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Tribunal
03/03/2016
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Bureau of the Venice Commission decided not to postpone the adoption of the opinion on the amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland.
Its adoption at the plenary session of the Commission on 11 to 12 March 2016 allowed to discuss and address, on the basis of the final opinion of the Venice Commission, the real issue at stake, i.e. how to guarantee the continued effectiveness of the Constitutional Tribunal as a guardian of the Constitution.
02/03/2016
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Venice Commission regrets that the draft opinion on the amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland was leaked to a Polish newspaper. Such draft opinions are restricted and not public documents since they do not reflect an official position of the Commission as a whole. In order to prepare the discussions at the plenary sessions of the Commission draft opinions are circulated to a large number of people and institutions – the members and substitute members of the Venice Commission, the Permanent Representations of member States at the Cou... read more
Tunisia - Institution of the Administrative Mediator
25/02/2016 - 25/02/2016
Tunis - Evaluation in cooperation with the AMO of the legislation on the Administrative Ombudsman of Tunisia vis-a-vis the "Paris Principles" and other European and international standards as well as the evaluation of the organisational structure of the institution (internal procedures, management, public relations, training needs).
This event is held within the framework of the Joint EU/Council of Europe South Programme “Towards a Strengthened Democratic Governance in the Southern Mediterranean”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
21/12/2015
Strasbourg – During its 105th plenary session, which took place on 18-19 December in Venice, the Venice Commission held biennial elections of its governing structures: Presidency, Bureau and Chairs of Sub-Commissions and Councils.
The incumbent President of the Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO of Italy was re-elected to lead the Commission for another two years. Ms Hanna SUCHOCKA of Poland was elected 1st Vice President of the Commission, Mr Christoph GRABENWARTER of Austria and Ms Herdis Kjerulf THORGEIRSDOTTIR of Iceland were elected Vice-Presidents of the Venice Commission.
read more
Latin America – International conference on the protection of human rights - Sub-Commission of Latin America
04/12/2015 - 05/12/2015
Santiago, Chile – The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Chile organised an international conference on the protection of human rights entitled “The Constitutional protection of vulnerable groups: a judicial dialogue”.
The Conference will be followed by a meeting of the Sub-Commission on Latin America of the Venice Commission.
19/11/2015 - 20/11/2015
Saint-Petersburg - The Venice Commission supported the final round of the national moot-court competition on constitutional law for law schools students. This event is organised by the Institute for Law and Public Policy (ILPP). The report on this event is available at the site of the ILPP.
Tunisia - IBOGOLUCC
18/11/2015
Tunis - The Venice Commission contributes to a seminar on the Constitutional Body on Good Governance and Fight Against Corruption (IBOGOLUCC).
28/10/2015 - 29/10/2015
Strasbourg – A Conference of Central Asian constitutional control bodies will take place on 28 and 29 October 2015 in Strasbourg on the premises of the Council of Europe. It will bring together around 20 participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The President and judges of the Constitutional control bodies are meeting to discuss issues of common interest, such as how the separation of powers affects constitutional control bodies and constitutional interpretation techniques. The Conference participants will be able to exchange information and experience on the protec... read more
Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen – 6th training session of collaborators and mediators
28/10/2015 - 30/10/2015
Rabat, Morocco - Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen in cooperation with the Venice Commission organise the 6th training session of collaborators and mediators of the AMO. The topic is “Ombudsmen and the challenges of new information technologies”.
This event is held within the framework of the Joint EU/Council of Europe South Programme “Towards a Strengthened Democratic Governance in the Southern Mediterranean”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
12/10/2015 - 13/10/2015
St. Petersburg – A study visit for judges of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Constitutional court of the Russian Federation will take place on 12 and 13 October 2015. The study visit participants will start by attending a public hearing on 12 October. They will then get an insight into the work of the Russian colleagues as well as exchange opinions on a number of issues identified by the Kyrgyz delegation.
This visit is organised jointly with the UNDP office in Bishkek within the projects aimed at supporting the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republi... read more
08/10/2015 - 09/10/2015
Bishkek – A Conference for lawyers, NGOs and academia on constitutional control of international treaties took place on 8 October 2015 in Bishkek. It was followed by a workshop for judges and staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic on 9 October where more technical issues on the same topic were discussed.
Following the request for an opinion made by the Constitutional Chamber on the Rules of Procedure of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic, a delegation from the Venice Commission will be attending a meeting in Bishkek on 8 October to discuss this d... read more
Armenia - Constitutional amendments adopted
05/10/2015
On 5 October 2015 the National Assembly of Armenia adopted the constitutional amendments prepared by the Constitutional Commission in consultation with the Venice Commission. The Vice-Speaker read out a statement by the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio.
22/09/2015
Strasbourg - I have learned about pressure being exercised on the judges of the Constitutional Court of Georgia and their families, notably through manifestations and pickets in front of their private homes.
In a democracy, the task of a Constitutional Court is to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution in the country. Its judgements are final and binding and they are executed in a State which respects the Rule of Law. This does not mean that the public cannot express critical views on these judgements. However, such criticism should be voiced in a respectful and legal manner. The... read more
07/09/2015
Prague - The Venice Commission organises, in co-operation with the Institute of International Relations Prague – IRR, a conference on “Past and present-day lustration: similarities, differences, applicable standards”, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
24/08/2015 - 25/08/2015
A Delegation of the Venice Commission will visit Armenia on 24 and 25 August. The Delegation will meet members of the Professional Commission on constitutional reform in order to continue discussions on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Armenia. On 25 August, at 10 a.m., a public meeting will be held at the Faculty of Law of Yerevan State University. Finally, the President of the Republic will receive the delegation.
Albania - Reform of the Judiciary
21/08/2015 - 22/08/2015
21 and 22 August 2015 - A group of Albanian experts will meet an expert and former member of the Commission, Mr James Hamilton, in order to discuss the progress of the judicial reform in Albania. The meeting will take place in Dublin.
Tunisia - Preliminary Opinion on the Draft Organic law on the Constitutional Court of Tunisia
14/08/2015
Strasbourg - Following a request by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, the Venice Commission transmitted to the Tunisian authorities the Preliminary Opinion on the Draft Organic law on the Constitutional Court of Tunisia.
11/08/2015
Paris - The Venice Commission has the sad duty to announce the death of Mr. Hubert Haenel, its member in respect of France.
Mr Hubert Haenel has been active in the Venice Commission, which benefitted from his experience and skills both as a Senator and as a member of the French Constitutional Council .
He actively contributed to the work of the Commission, particularly in the preparation of opinions relating to Armenia, Moldova, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Russia and Ukraine. In terms of studies and opinions, he covered the following themes: democratic control of ar... read more
Ukraine - Judiciary - preliminary opinion
24/07/2015
Upon urgent request by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and of the Constitutional Commission of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Groysman, the Venice Commission has prepared a preliminary opinion on the amendments to the Constitution relating to the Judiciary, proposed by the competent Working Group of the Constitutional Commission. This preliminary opinion has been sent to the Ukrainian authorities and is available to the public.
08/07/2015 - 10/07/2015
Strasbourg – Representatives of NGOs, academia and journalists of the Kyrgyz Republic will learn about the experience from several European countries on strategic litigation as well as about the Venice Commission’s practice of amicus curiae briefs. Strategic litigation is bringing carefully-selected public interest cases - often human rights cases - to a court on behalf of an individual, where the goal is to promote the interests of a wider group.
This seminar is part of a study visit to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, which will enable the participants to f... read more
29/06/2015
Strasbourg - “I very much welcome that the Constitutional Commission of Ukraine approved on Friday draft amendments to the Constitution regarding decentralisation.
The text approved integrates most of the recommendations made by the Venice Commission and I would like to thank the President of the Constitutional Commission and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Volodymyr Groysman, for the excellent co-operation with the Venice Commission and congratulate him on the results of this co-operation.
Decentralisation is one of the key reforms required for the democratic develo... read more
29/06/2015 - 14/07/2015
Central Asia - the Working Group on the preparation of the publication on “The efficiency and quality of justice systems in Central Asia” will undertake visits to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in June and July 2015.
The authorities of the five Central Asian States were invited to fill in a detailed questionnaire on the judicial systems of their respective countries. The Venice Commission’s experts will visit countries to meet the representatives of the Supreme Courts, Ministries of Justice, Associations of judges and other relevant national bodies in order to r... read more
27/06/2015 - 28/06/2015
Batumi, Georgia – Conference on “Liberty and security: increasing the effectiveness of the constitutional complaint”, organised by the Constitutional Court of Georgia and co-organised by the Venice Commission under the Council of Europe/European Union Eastern Partnership Programmatic Co-operation Framework, the GIZ and Human Dynamics Consortium.
25/06/2015
I have learned that recently Judge Sooronkulova of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan was dismissed from the Chamber, allegedly because she complained about pressure on her in the adjudication of a case. It seems that a request for dismissal of another judge is under way.
By the very nature of Constitutional Justice, which requires defending the Constitution against its violation by other State powers, Constitutional Judges are in danger of displeasing these very powers. Therefore, Constitutional Judges need specific guarantees in order to be able to take thei... read more
20/06/2015
On 20 June 2015, the Venice Commission adopted the enclosed "Declaration on Interference with Judicial Independence in Turkey".
03/06/2015
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio presented the Annual report of activities of the Commission in 2014. The presentation was followed by the exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member states of the Council of Europe.
28/05/2015
Johannesburg – The President of the Venice Commission met the Chief Justice of the Consitutional Court of South Africa Mogoeng Mogoeng in order to discuss bilateral co-operation and co-operation in the framework of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice.
Tunisia – Constitutional Justice -Meeting with the Commission for the drafting of the law on the Constitutional court
28/05/2015 - 28/05/2015
Tunis – In the Framework of the south Programme II, members of the Commission of the Ministry of Justice responsible for the drafting of the law on the Constitutional court of Tunisia had an exchange of view with judges from European Constitutional Courts of Venice Commission’s member States. The composition of courts, their jurisdiction and the effects of their decisions have been discussed.
27/05/2015
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Secretary of the Commission Thomas Markert meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Bogdan Aurescu, the substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of Romania.
19/05/2015
Vienna - Upon invitation by the OSCE, the President of the Sub-Commission on Democratic Institutions, Ms Suchocka, presented the work of the Commission for the independence of the Judiciary to the OSCE Human Dimension Committee.
14/05/2015
Tunis – The Head of the Constitutional Justice Division of the Venice Commission met with Prof. Amin Mahfoudh, the president of the expert Commission of the Ministry of Justice preparing a draft law on the Constitutional Court of Tunisia, in order to discuss future co-operation.
11/05/2015 - 12/05/2015
Bishkek – A workshop for judges and staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic on reasoning of judgements will take place on 11 May 2015 in Bishkek. The workshop will be followed by a Conference on the same topic for a wider public on 12 May.
The speakers – practitioners and theorists of state building - will present the experience of their countries and that of the European Court of Human Rights as well as a comparative analysis of the purpose and functions of constitutional reasoning.
These activities are organised jointly with the UNDP office in Bishke... read more
Morocco - 15th Training session of collaborators of the Mediators members of the AOMF
05/05/2015 - 07/05/2015
Rabat - The Venice Commission contributes to a training session organised by the AOMF and the Mediator Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat on 5-7 May 2015. The general subject of the session is " Simplification of administrative proceedings and access to public services".
This contribution is funded through the Joint EU - Council of Europe programme "Towards a Strengthened Democratic Governance in the Southern Mediterranean”.
27/04/2015 - 28/04/2015
The legislative and presidential elections recently held in Tunisia and the proximity of upcoming local elections appear as valuable elements to nourish a reflection on the issue of democratic processes.
The question of financing of politics and the electoral processes in particular emerged as a priority which inevitably affects the application of real democratic governance requiring the participation of citizens and institutions at all levels.
The aim of this meeting will be to examine and develop these reflections and to formulate concrete proposals which respond to the requiremen... read more
11/04/2015
Strasbourg - The Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 96 members.
30/03/2015
Tunis - A delegation of the Venice Commission headed by Mr Guido Neppi Modona, Substitute member of the Venice Commission, participated in an exchange of views with the Parliament of Tunisia on the High Judicial Council.
17/03/2015
Strasbourg – The Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, Mr Hristo Ivanov, Deputy Minister Mr Petko Petkov and Bulgaria’s Permanent Representative with the Council of Europe, Ambassador Krassimira Beshkova, met with the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and the Secretary of Commission, Mr Markert, to discuss co-operation in the field of judicial reform in Bulgaria.
Meetings with the Moroccan authorities
11/03/2015 - 12/03/2015
Meetings with the President of the Constitutional Council, the Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Morocco, a representative of the National Council for Human Rights, representatives of the Ministry of Civil Service and Modernisation of Administration and the Ministry of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society have helped to trace the lines of future cooperation with the Venice Commission.
10/03/2015
Tunis - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, accompanied by the Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini met in Tunis with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the Assembly of People's Representatives, with the Minister of Justice, with the Minister responsible for the relations with the constitutional institutions and the civil society and with other high authorities of Tunisia. The main topic of the discussions was the future co-operation between Tunisia and the Venice Commission, notably in view of the implementation of the C... read more
05/03/2015
Geneva - the Venice Commission participated in a launch event of the Joint Venice Commission - OSCE /ODIHR Guidelines on Freedom of Association, hosted by Switzerland. The President of the Venice Commission, the Director of OSCE/ODIHR and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association took part in the event.
The Joint Guidelines were adopted by the Venice Commission at its 101st Plenary Session, on 12-13 December 2014.
12/02/2015 - 16/02/2015
Tokyo, Nagoya - The President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to go to Japan to hold an exchange of views with the Japanese authorities. Accompanied by Thomas Markert, Secretary of the Commission, President Buquicchio met Mr Itsuro Terada, Chief Justice of Japan, as well as members of parliament and representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agency for International Co-operation.
On 13 February Mr Buquicchio gave a lecture on the Venice Commission at the Center for Asian Le... read more
04/02/2015
Brussels - the Venice Commission participated in the Launch event of the Joint Venice Commission/OSCE/ODIHR Odihr Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief Communities, hosted by the European Parliament.
03/02/2015 - 04/02/2015
Kyiv – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio, Secretary of the Commission Thomas Markert, and the Commission Member Hanna Suchocka visited Ukraine and met with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groysman and Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko to discuss cooperation in the constitutional, judicial and electoral fields.
26/01/2015 - 28/01/2015
Tirana - The President of the Venice Commission was in Tirana to participate in a conference organised by the Institute of European Studies on the topic :" Venice Commission and Albania, the dynamism of the Albanian legislation to European standards".
Mr Buquicchio also held meetings inter alia with the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and several MPs of both the ruling majority and the opposition on the topics of the reform of the judiciary and the "decriminalisation of parliament".
A press conference took place at on 28 January 13h00 at the hotel... read more
Turkey - Towards a new constitution - Judicial independence, decentralised governance, methodology.
22/01/2015 - 22/01/2015
Ankara - The Venice Commission organised together with the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) a Roundtable meeting “Towards a new Constitution: Judicial independence, decentralised governance, methodology”. The President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, and the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Thomas Markert, participated in the Roundtable.
05/12/2014 - 06/12/2014
Bucharest - A study visit for judges and staff of the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Constitutional court of Romania will take place on 5-6 December 2014.
This study visit is a follow-up to the co-operation started last year following a request made by the authorities of Tajikistan to provide a legal opinion on the draft law “On the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan”.
The participants will be able to exchange experience with the Romanian colleagues. They will also visit the Legislative Council, the Parliament and the University... read more
Russian Federation - IV International Congress of Comparative Law
03/12/2014 - 04/12/2014
Moscow - Mr Evgeni Tanchev, Vice President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the IV International Congress of Comparative Law on "Space and Time in international and national law" organised by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation.
24/11/2014 - 28/11/2014
Madrid and Strasbourg – A study visit for judges and staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Constitutional court of Madrid will take place on 24-25 November 2014. The study visit participants will get an insight into the work of the Spanish colleagues as well as exchange opinions on a number of issues identified by the Kyrgyz delegation.
This visit will be followed by the visit to the Council of Europe and the European court of human rights on "The Council of Europe standards on human rights and recent developments related to the case law of the European ... read more
20/11/2014
Tashkent - A Conference on the use of information and communication technologies in courts will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 20 November 2014. This activity is organised jointly by the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, High Commercial court of Uzbekistan and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
This activity brings together representatives of national institutions as well as guests from the Korea, Malta, Slovenia and Bulgaria who will exchange their experiences of their countries on the application of information and communication technologies in work of ordinary cou... read more
17/11/2014 - 18/11/2014
Astana - A training session and a Roundtable on “Combating corruption and observing judicial ethics in the judiciary” will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on 17-18 November 2014. This activity is organised jointly by the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, OSCE office in Kazakhstan and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
At the training session aimed at 35 judges of district and equivalent courts the participants will look at a number of issues such as independence, transparency and accountability in the judiciary, innovative approaches in combating corruption in the judiciar... read more
13/11/2014 - 14/11/2014
St Petersburg, Russian Federation - Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the II International Arctic Legal Forum on "Protection and sustained development of Arctic: Legal aspect" organised by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation jointly with the Government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.
11/11/2014 - 12/11/2014
Kyrgyzstan – a workshop on media awareness and speaking in public will take place in Bishkek on 11-12 November. This is a training session for judges and relevant staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic with the objective of teaching them new techniques of dealing with media. The judges will learn how to ensure they get their key message across, how to get the interest of journalists and to avoid using jargon. The participants will have a chance to practice mock-up press conference, TV and radio interview and to get a feedback on their performance from an experienced traine... read more
Cup of Constitutional Courts
29/10/2014
Budapest - The Constitutional Courts of Austria, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary meet in Budapest for the International Football Cup at the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Hungary.
21/10/2014 - 21/10/2014
Strasbourg - The Inter-American Court of Human Rights judges visited the Council of Europe and met a delegation of the Venice Commission, led by its President, Mr Gianni Buquicchio. The main objective of this meeting was to explore possible ways of cooperation between the Inter-American Court and the Venice Commission . Six out of the seven judges of the Inter-American Court, including its President, Mr Humberto Sierra, as well as its Registrar, Mr Pablo Saavedra, came to Strasbourg on this occasion.
18/10/2014 - 21/10/2014
Leuven – A study visit for the members of the Working Group on the draft law on mediation of the Republic of Tajikistan to Leuven and Brussels will take place on 18-21 October 2014.
The participants will be able to learn about the Belgian and European experience in the field of mediation in criminal and civil matters. They will also visit the European Forum for Restorative Justice, Federal Commission for Mediation in family, civil, social and commercial matters at the Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the court of the judicial district of Leuven.
T... read more
14/10/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - A representative of the Ministry of Justice of Peru met with representatives of the Venice Commission during his visit to the Council of Europe. An exchange of views on further cooperation and a discussion on the national programme on the implementation of human rights in Peru took place.
10/10/2014
Rome - the President of Italy, Mr Giorgio Napolitano, met the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission and congratulated it on its achievements.
09/10/2014
Rome - The Venice Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy organised the Fourth Intercultural Workshop on Democracy held in Rome on 9 October 2014 on the topic: “Transparency and the Rule of Law as Pre-conditions of Equitable and Sustainable Development”. This event, funded by the Italian authorities, enable representatives of the authorities and of the civil society of Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and other Arab countries to debate on this important topic with representatives of the Venice Commission and with Italian and international experts.
24/09/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio had a working meeting with the President of the Supreme Court of Mexico, Mr Juan Silva Meza and a delegation of the Permanent Representation of Mexico at the Council of Europe, led by Ambassador Santiago Oñate Laborde, to discuss and expand further the cooperation between Mexico and the Venice Commission.
Estonia - Ombudsman's Role in a Democracy
18/09/2014 - 19/09/2014
Tallinn, Estonia - The Venice Commission will participate in the Conference on the "Ombudsman's Role in a Democracy" organised by the International Ombudsman Institute
Kosovo – appointment of members
12/09/2014
12 September 2014 Kosovo has officially become a full member of the Venice Commission. Mr Enver HASANI, President of the Constitutional Court, and Mr Arta RAMA, Judge at the Constitutional Court, were appointed as member and a substitute member respectively.
08/09/2014
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova - Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the International Conference on "The role of constitutional justice in protecting the values of the rule of law" on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova organised by the Constitutiional Court of the Republic of Moldova.
07/09/2014
The Constitutional Council of Cambodia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 91 members.
Permanent Council of the OSCE
24/07/2014
OSCE, Vienna – The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the Permanent Council of the Ogranisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and had an exchange of views with permanent representatives of participating States.
05/07/2014
The Constitutional Court of Colombia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 90 members.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Cameroun / Burundi
19/06/2014
Strasbourg - The Supreme Court of Cameroun and the Constitutional Court of Burundi joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 89 members.
18/06/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The president of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the Commission’s Annual Report of Activities for 2013. The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ministers Deputies.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Comoros
14/06/2014
Strasbourg - The Constitutional Court of the Union of the Comoros joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 87 members.
Kosovo becomes 60th member of Venice Commission
11/06/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - At the 1202nd meeting, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe examined a request from Kosovo for membership of the Enlarged Agreement establishing the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission). Noting that Kosovo's membership of the Venice Commission is without prejudice to the positions of individual Council of Europe member States on the status of Kosovo, the Deputies agreed to the request and invited Kosovo to appoint a member to sit on the Commission.
29/05/2014 - 29/05/2014
Tashkent – Following the accession of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, the Venice Commission is co-organising with the Court a Conference on the “Relations of the Constitutional Court with ordinary courts and national human rights institutions” on 29 May.
This activity is organised within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Fi... read more
28/05/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio met with the Minister of Justice Mr Bekir Bozdağ. An exchange of views on the current situation regarding the judiciary in Turkey took place.
21/05/2014 - 22/05/2014
Bishkek – A Conference on the “Implementation of decisions of a Constitutional Court as a guarantee for the efficiency of constitutional justice” will take place on 21 May in Bishkek and on May 22 at Issyk-Kul lake. The Conference gathers delegations from constitutional courts of several countries, representatives of governmental institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic, non-commercial organisations, academia and international agencies. This event will become a platform for the exchange of experience of and various practices in participating countries in terms of implementing court decisions.... read more
19/05/2014 - 19/05/2014
Bishkek – A workshop on drafting decisions was organised for judges of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic with the objective of teaching them new techniques of drafting court decisions. The judges learnt about the experience of several European Constitutional Courts as well as about the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. On this occasion the participants of the workshop were presented the CODICES InfoBase on Constitutional case-law.
This event was organised jointly with the UNDP office in Bishkek within the projects aimed at supporting the Constitutiona... read more
15/05/2014
Astana - A Roundtable on “International standards and practice in the selection of judges” was organised for judges from courts of all levels, members of the Bar association, MPs, experts and representatives of civil society and the media.
Participants looked at a number of issues including international and European standards and practice for the selection of judges and notably the procedure for the appointment of judges, which is central to judicial independence. The experts of the Venice Commission also had the opportunity to present an earlier Joint Opinion on the constitutiona... read more
07/05/2014 - 07/05/2014
Dushanbe - The Venice Commission is organising a meeting with the Working Group on the law on mediation in Dushanbe following the expert comments on the draft law on mediation provided by the Commission in December 2013.
This activity is organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
05/05/2014 - 06/05/2014
Dushanbe - Following the request for an opinion made by the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan on the draft Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Tajikistan, a delegation from the Venice Commission will be going to Dushanbe on 5 and 6 May 2014 to meet with the authorities.
This activity is organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and ... read more
30/04/2014
Istanbul - “When attending the Conference of Asian Constitutional Courts in Istanbul I was informed about statements by representatives of the executive harshly criticising the Constitutional Court of Turkey. This Court plays a crucial role to uphold the core values of the Council of Europe: the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Recent decisions of the Court have made an important contribution to strengthening the independence of the judiciary and freedom of expression in Turkey. Through these decisions the Court has shown its ability to effectively fulfil its constitutional role as an... read more
Turkey – President Buquicchio meets Minister Çavuşoğlu
08/04/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio meets Turkish Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator with the EU Mr Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss recent developments in Turkey and future cooperation with the Venice Commission.
08/04/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, presents the recommendations of the Commission’s opinion on the defamation legislation of Italy to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Medias of the PACE. She notably speaks to the Sub-Commission on Media and Information society.
27/03/2014
Paris - The Venice Commission is sad to announce the death of Mr. Jean-Claude Colliard, the member in respect of France (since 2006) and Vice President of the Council for Democratic Elections (since 2010).
Mr Colliard was very active in the Venice Commission: the Commission benefited from his wide experience and competences as President of the Paris University Panthéon-Sorbonne, as well as a professor of law and a member of the Constitutional Council of France, in particular in the field of elections. Professor Colliard contributed to the Commission’s work, participating in the pr... read more
12/03/2014 - 14/03/2014
Kyrgyzstan – a series of events will take place in Bishkek on 12-14 March in the framework of the joint project "Support to the Kyrgyz authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Kyrgyz Constitutional justice system” implemented by the Venice Commission with funding provided by the European Union.
A Steering committee meeting will take place on 12 March. The project partners, the Constitutional Chamber, the European Union, the UNDP office in Bishkek and the Venice Commission will get together to discuss the progress made since the start of the joint project as well a... read more
26/02/2014 - 27/02/2014
Ashgabat – a roundtable on “Judicial Ethics and Discipline” will take place on 27 February 2014 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
This roundtable is a joint activity of the Venice Commission, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the authorities of Turkmenistan. Participants in this meeting include representatives of the Ministry of Justice, judges from the Supreme Court as well as from lower courts. Discussions will focus on the fundamental issues pertaining to the efficiency of the judiciary, in particular on judicial ethics and judicial discipline.
A possible co-o... read more
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Bahrain
09/02/2014
The Constitutional Court of Bahrain joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 86 members.
31/01/2014
Tunisia has a democratic Constitution since Monday, 27 January 2014!
This well drafted text, adopted by the National Constituent Assembly with an overwhelming majority, bears witness to the Tunisian people’s ability to be united faced with the challenge of building, in the near future, a modern country with democratic institutions and where all the political forces, the civil society, the men and women of all ages, in particular young people, have their dignity and their role.
The Venice Commission welcomes this accomplishment.
Following the fruitful discussio... read more
Georgia – Visit by the President and the Secretary of the Commission
16/01/2014 - 17/01/2014
Tbilisi – President Gianni Buquicchio and Secretary Thomas Markert are in Georgia to exchange views with the authorities on future cooperation in general and discuss with the Georgian Parliament the co-operation with the State Constitutional Commission and the electoral reform in particular.
14/01/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - I was asked about the position of the Venice Commission on the proposed amendments to the Turkish legislation on the judiciary and in particular on the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors.
First of all, I would like to underline that the Venice Commission has not seen and even less, examined this text. However, we are aware that serious concerns have been raised as to the compatibility of the amendments with international standards and the Turkish Constitution. By contrast, the current legislation, introduced only a few years ago, was positively ... read more
07/01/2014 - 08/01/2014
Tripoli - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio, accompanied by Michael Frendo and Rafâa Ben Achour, members of the Venice Commission for Malta and Tunisia, visited Tripoli on 7 and 8 January 2014 following the invitation of the General national Congress of Libya. The delegation exchanged views with the authorities on the Libyan constitutional process and discussed possible cooperation on the drafting of the new Constitution.
During the visit the delegation of the Venice Commission met with:
• Mr. Abu Ali Nuri Sahmain, Chairman of the General National Congre... read more
11/12/2013 - 12/12/2013
Kyrgyzstan – a seminar aimed at judges of the newly established Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic took place on 11-12 December in Bishkek. The aim of this seminar was to discuss the experience of different constitutional courts, Romania and Georgia in particular, in order to provide the Constitutional Chamber with recommendations for enhancing their work in public outreach.
This seminar was organised jointly with the UNDP office in Bishkek within the projects aimed at supporting the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic with funding provided by the European Uni... read more
Russia - comparative constitutional law - moot court competition
28/11/2013 - 29/11/2013
St. Petersburg - In co-operation with the Venice Commission, the Institute for Public Law and Policy organise a workshop / moot court competition on the problem of the study and teaching of comparative constitutional law in the Russian universities.
Poland – meeting with the Minister for Justice
25/11/2013
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and Secretary of the Commission Thomas Markert held a meeting with the Minister of Justice of Poland Marek BIERNACKI.
20/11/2013 - 20/11/2013
Dushanbe – a Roundtable on mediation will take place on 20 November 2013 following a request made by the Judicial training Centre to the Council of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan to provide expert comments on the draft law on mediation.
This activity is organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
13/11/2013 - 15/11/2013
Kyrgyzstan – an orientation seminar aimed at judges, experts and staff of the newly established Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic will take place on 13-15 November in Kalmak-Ashu, Kyrgyzstan.
The aim of this seminar is to discuss the experience of different constitutional courts in order to assist the Constitutional Chamber to organise its work in an efficient manner. The participants will discuss the role and functions of the Chamber, as well as its structure and rules of procedure and its interaction with different state bodies and media.
This will be the ... read more
23/10/2013 - 25/10/2013
Mexico, D.F.- The Electoral Federal Tribunal of Mexico, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, organizes an International Conference on the Implementation of Human Rights Treaties at the domestic level, with a specific focus on the Latin American experience. A very large number of countries from all Latin America, as well as many members of the Venice Commission will attend this event and exchange views.
18/07/2013
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has released the comments by 10 of its experts on the draft Constitution of Tunisia.
The request for opinion on what will become the first democratic Constitution of Tunisia came from the President of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) Mr Mustafa Ben Jaafer on 3 June this year, shortly after the draft was completed by the NCA.
The rapporteurs of the Commission are impressed with the quality of the work of the NCA. They express hope that the several suggestions formulated in the doc... read more
Summer School on Political and Democratic Transition in the Arab World
17/07/2013 - 19/07/2013
University of Minho, Braga, Portugal - a delegation of the Venice Commission participates in the Summer School on "Political and Democratic Transition in the Arab World: Actors, Challenges and Policy Options for the European Union."
19/06/2013
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the President of the Venice Commission Gianni BUQUICCHIO presented the Commission's 2012 annual report of activities to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
14/05/2013 - 15/05/2013
Marrakech – the Venice Commission and the Moroccan Association of Constitutional Law organise the 2nd Intercultural Workshop on Democracy “The new constitutionalism in the Arab world: the process of constitution making in a changing environment”.
This activity will bring together constitution drafters from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia who will exchange their experiences in the field of constitutional reform. Among other issues, they will compare the approaches used in launching the revision of their respective Constitutions, the procedure used f... read more
08/05/2013 - 09/05/2013
Bucharest - A delegation of the Venice Commission attends a Conference jointly organised with the Romanian Constitutional Forum, to discuss civil society proposals for amending the Constitution of Romania.
The meeting will be attended by representatives of the most prominent Romanian NGOs as well as of Romania's political forces and of the Constitutional Committee of the Parliament, in charge of drafting the Bill amending the present Constitution.
The Constitutional Forum was set up in March 2013 as a framework for the civil society to provide input to the constitution... read more
03/05/2013
I learned today about the adoption, at first reading, of the draft amendment to the Law on the Constitutional Court of Moldova. According to this amendment, Parliament may remove judges of the Constitutional Court by a 3/5 vote of its members if the judges do not have Parliament’s “trust”.
Such a provision is in clear contradiction with European Standards on constitutional justice and is a clear violation of Article 137 of the Constitution of Moldova. A constitutional court has the task of controlling the work of Parliament. Subjecting its judges to the need of being “trusted” b... read more
23/04/2013 - 25/04/2013
Almaty – a regional training course on access to justice for women, children and persons with disabilities“ will take place on 23-25 April 2013 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
This event is aimed at professionals working with women, children and persons with disabilities, NGOs representatives as well as representatives of the judiciary of the five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The aim of the training event is three-fold:
• to raise awareness and to promote both the rights of groups that are easily excluded and discriminated agai... read more
09/04/2013 - 09/04/2013
Ashgabat – a roundtable on “The efficiency of the Judiciary and Access to Justice as the key elements of the Rule of Law” will take place on 9 April 2013 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
This roundtable is a joint activity of the Venice Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and the authorities of Turkmenistan. Participants of this meeting include members of Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court and the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights. Discussions will focus on the fundamental issues pertaining to the efficiency of the judiciar... read more
28/03/2013
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – US Consul General in Strasbourg Mr Evan G. Reade and acting Legal Advisor at the US Department of State Ms Mary E. McLeod officially announced the decision of the US government to join the Commission on 15 April 2013.
Professor at the Columbia Law School Sarah H. Cleveland, who served as the US observer at the Venice Commission since September 2010, and Ms Evelyn M. Aswad, who is joining the University of Oklahoma College of Law as a law professor, are appointed as the US member and substitute respectively.
14/03/2013 - 15/03/2013
Almaty - A roundtable on the "Reform of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan based on the principles of rule of law", organised by the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan and the Office of the Prosecutor will be held in Almaty (Kazakhstan) from 15 to 16 March 2013.
This activity is intended for judges, prosecutors and lawyers, as well as national experts involved in the reform of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The delegation of the Venice Commission will participate to present the European experience of the reform of the Criminal Code of countries like Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and S... read more
21/02/2013
Strasbourg – Today the proceedings of the international conference on the “Rule of Law as a Practical Concept” have been published on the Venice Commission’s website. This conference was organised in March 2012 by the Venice Commission in co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and with the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law. It included as speakers the late Ronald DWORKIN, Kaarlo TUORI, Serhiy HOLOVATY, Sergio BARTOLE, Jean-Claude COLLIARD, Slavica BANIĆ, Finola FLANAGAN and Jan E. HELGESEN.
Committee of Ministers invites the USA to become full member of the Venice Commission
13/02/2013
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Following the official request by the American government, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invited the USA to become a full member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law – the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
According to the Statute the US government is now to nominate a member and a substitute member to the Commission. The date of the USA accession will be determined at that occasion.
Ukraine – Official visit
05/02/2013
Kyiv – The President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, and its Secretary, Thomas Markert, are on an official visit in Kyiv. Meetings with the President of Ukraine, Victor Yanukovych, the Speaker of the Parliament, Volodymyr Rybak, and with the representatives of the Constitutional Assembly of Ukraine are foreseen.
30/01/2013
Strasbourg – The US Observer to the Council of Europe, Mr Evan G. Reade, announced to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers that his government sought full membership of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
According to the Statute of the Venice Commission, the decision on membership is taken by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The USA has been following the work of the Commission as an observer since 10 October 1991.
30/01/2013 - 31/01/2013
Tbilisi - Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, and Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, Deputy Secretary of the Commission, visit Georgia to meet with the authorities, in particular with representatives of the new parliamentary majority and of the government.
Meetings are scheduled with the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, Deputies from the majority and the opposition, several Ministers, the Chairmen of the Constitutional and of the Supreme Court as well as with the civil society.
A press briefing is planned on 31 January 2013 at 1... read more
18/12/2012
Early July 2012, the Romanian Government and Parliament adopted a series of measures in quick succession, which led to the removal from office of the Advocate of the People, the Presidents of both Houses of Parliament, a limitation of the competences of the Constitutional Court, changes on the conditions for a referendum on the suspension of the President of the Republic and the suspension of the President itself.
On 6 July 2012, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has asked the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the compatibility with constitutional principles ... read more
14/12/2012 - 15/12/2012
The Commission
- Paid tribute to the late Mr Lluís Maria de Puig, former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- Held an exchange of views with Ms Valgerður Bjarnadóttir, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Constitutional and Supervisory Committee of Iceland on the process of constitutional reform in that country and on the preparation of the Commission’s opinion on the constitutional amendments;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Ranko Krivokapić, Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, and adopted the opinion on draft constitutional amendments ... read more
06/12/2012 - 07/12/2012
Kyiv - a delegation of the Venice Commission is invited to exchange views with the Constitutional Assembly of Ukraine on the progress regarding the constitutional reform.
04/12/2012 - 06/12/2012
Astana - A Conference on "Voters' lists, establishment of electoral commissions and participation of political parties in elections" will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on 4-6 December 2012.
This activity is aimed at judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and members of electoral commissions. During a three day conference participants will look at a number of issues such as :
• standards on voters’ lists and the composition and functioning of electoral management bodies
• standards in the field of participation of political parties in elections
• different models of... read more
03/12/2012
Sarajevo – a delegation of the Venice Commission will take part in a workshop organised by the EU within the context of the EU-BiH Structured Dialogue on Justice. The workshop’s aim is to facilitate the on-going dialogue on the revision of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH (HJPC), addressing notably the issue of professionalism and the independence of the judiciary in the light of this institution’s possible reform.
“The Arab season: from change to challenges” - Lisbon Forum 2012
03/12/2012
Lisbon – President of the Venice Commission is invited to attend the Lisbon Forum entitled “The Arab Season: from change to challenges”. It’s organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe.
Ukraine - Request for opinion – Law on referendum
29/11/2012
Paris - the Monitoring Committee of the PACE decided on 13 November 2012 to request the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Law on referendum that was recently adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
22/11/2012 - 23/11/2012
St. Petersburg - In co-operation with the Venice Commission, the Institute for Public Law and Policy organised a workshop / moot court on the problem of the study and teaching of comparative constitutional law in the Russian universities.
Morocco – protection of the Amazigh language
21/11/2012
Rabat - A delegation of the Venice Commission will travel to Rabat to take part in a workshop organized by the Chamber of Councillors of Morocco in the context of the preparation of future organic law on the protection of the Amazigh language.
Kazakhstan - Study visit to the Electoral Management Body of The Netherlands
21/11/2012 - 22/11/2012
The Hague - A study visit for staff of the Central and Regional electoral commissions of Kazakhstan to the Ministry for the Interior and Kingdom Relations as well as the Dutch Electoral Council will take place on 21-22 November 2012.
This visit will enable the participants to familiarise themselves with the work of the Dutch authorities in the electoral field.
This activity is organised in the framework of the joint project "Support to the election process in Kazakhstan" funded by the European Union and implemented by the Venice Commission.
Uzbekistan - Conference
20/11/2012 - 21/12/2012
Tashkent - The Venice Commission will participate in the Conference on "The rule of law, strong protection of interests of the individual the most important goal of democratization and liberalization of the judicial system".
Sweden - Seminar on the Venice Commission
19/11/2012
Stockholm - Secretary of the Venice Commission T. Markert is invited to address a seminar devoted to the Venice Commission and democratic development in Europe.
The seminar is organized by the SIEPS - The Swedish Institute for European Political Studies – and chaired by the former Secretary General of the Council of Europe Daniel TARSCHYS. Swedish members of the Commission Mr Iain CAMERON, Professor, University of Uppsala, and Mr Johan HIRSCHFELDT, former President, Svea Court of Appeal, will also participate.
Iceland - Request for opinion
16/11/2012
Chair of the Constitutional and Supervisory Committee of the Parliament of Iceland Ms Valgerður Bjarnadóttir, formally requested Venice Commission’s opinion on “a proposal for a new constitution for the Republic of Iceland”.
Republic of Moldova - Request for opinion
15/11/2012
The President of the Constitutional Court of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to prepare an amicus curiae opinion in relation to Law no. 192 of 12 July 2012, which prohibits the use by political parties of “symbols of the totalitarian communist regime”.
The opinion should be adopted by the Venice Commission at its 94th Plenary Session (March 2013).
15/11/2012
The President of the Constitutional Court of Moldova requested an amicus curiae opinion from the Venice Commission on the constitutionality of certain legal provisions referring to the immunity of judges. The issue arose with respect to Law no.153 of 5 July 2012 amending and supplementing certain legislative acts, which introduces a series of amendments to the legislative framework that governs the functioning of the judicial system, including the Law on the status of judges (no. 544-XIII, 20 July 1995).
The opinion should be adopted by the Venice Commission at its 94th Plenary S... read more
Voluntary Contribution of Italy to the Venice Commission for the “Arab Spring”
15/11/2012
The Italian government made a voluntary contribution of 80,000 euros towards Venice Commission activities in the countries concerned by the “Arab spring”.
Security Services – Update of the Commission’s study
14/11/2012
The Chairperson of PACE Legal Affairs Committee requested the Commission to provide an update of the study on the democratic oversight of the security services (CDL-AD(2007)016)
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - request for an opinion
13/11/2012
Paris - the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly decided to ask the opinion of the Venice Commission on the Electoral Code that was recently adopted by the Parliament of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.
13/11/2012 - 14/11/2012
Dushanbe - An international Conference on "Guaranteeing women's rights and improving mechanisms of access to justice for vulnerable groups " will take place on 13-14 November 2012 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
It is aimed both at legal professionals and the civil society of the five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Conference participants will look at the issues of access to justice for women and other vulnerable groups including victims of domestic violence. They will also discuss the socio-economic rights of women as well as t... read more
12/11/2012 - 13/11/2012
Mexico City - A delegation of the Venice Commission will travel to Mexico to meet with different stakeholders in order to analyse the electoral legislation.
12/11/2012 - 15/11/2012
Tripoli – Following the request of 27 September 2012 by the Vice President of the General National Congress of Libya Dr. Saleh Mohammed ALMKHOZOM for the Venice Commission’s support to the Congress in its work of developing a constitution for democratic Libya, a delegation of the Venice Commission, will travel to Tripoli. Meetings with the National Congress of Libya and with the Presidency of the country on the process of preparing and adopting the new Constitution are foreseen.
The delegation is composed as follows:
• Thomas MARKERT, Secretary of the Commission;
•... read more
Morocco - seminar and official meetings
08/11/12
Rabat - Mr Scholsem, substitute member in respect of Belgium, participated in the Seminar on controls exerted by Parliaments on Governments’ actions Organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the invitation of the Parliament of Morocco.
The previous day the delegation held several meetings with Moroccan officials , namely Mrs Hakkaoui, Minister for Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, in order to discuss further cooperation.
Republic of Moldova - Request for opinion
06/11/2012
The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR provide an opinion on draft amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Political Parties. This opinion was requested both by the Parliament and the Central Election Commission of Moldova.
30/10/2012
Tunis - The President of the Venice Commission joined a visit of the Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Tunisia. The delegation met with the President of the Republic, the President of the National Constituent Assembly and other Tunisian authorities to take stock of the progress made in the drafting of the new Constitution, in the preparation of the elections scheduled for 23 June 2013, and in putting in place of independent institutions for elections, the media and justice.
29/10/2012 - 30/10/2012
Sarajevo - the Constitutional and Legal Committees of the BiH Parlamentary Assembly, with the support of the OSCE Mission in BiH and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, organised the Conference of Constitutional and Legal Committees, and the Committees for European Integration, from the countries of the former Yugoslavia and Albania.
The topic of conference was “The Role of Parliaments in the European Integration Process: Constitutional and Legislative Changes”.
The Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert participated in the 2nd panel entitled “Constitutional and Legisla... read more
Ukraine - Elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly
25/10/2012 - 29/10/2012
Kyiv - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission provided legal assistance to the election observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly in the context of the legislative elections of 28 October 2012. A PACE delegation, headed by Mr. Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), observed the conduct of these elections, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
Ukraine - Seminar on the electoral complaints and appeals
19/10/2012
Kyiv - Participation of a Venice Commission expert in the training seminar for judges organised by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the High Administrative Court of Ukraine
Morocco - Request for assistance
17/10/2012 - 17/10/2012
Mrs Hakkaoui, Minister for Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, has requested the assistance of the Venice Commission in order to set up the Authority for Parity and Fight against Discrimination as well as the Consultative Council for Family and Childhood.
16/10/2012
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert addressed the plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. He took part in the debate on the developments in the Arab countries and the Commission’s cooperation in the region.
12/10/2012
Venice - on the sidelines of the 92nd Plenary Session of the Venice Commission a meeting was held between a delegation of the latter and an important delegation of the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, composed as follows:
- Mr Larbi ABID, Vice-President;
- Mr Habib KHEDHER, General Rapporteur on the Constitution;
- Mr Najar ABDELMAJID, Rapporteur, Committee on the Preamble, the fundamental principles and the revision of the Constitution;
- Mr Amor CHETOUI, President of the Constitutional Committee on Legislative and Executive powers and the relations betwee... read more
12/10/2012 - 13/10/2012
The Commission
- Paid tribute to the late Vojin Dimitrijević, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and member in respect of Serbia;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Shahin Aliyev, Head of the Department of Legislation and Legal Expertise, Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and adopted the joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR, on the law on freedom of religious faith of Azerbaijan following its consideration by the Sub-Commission on Fundamental Rights on 11 October 2012;
- Adopted the opinion ... read more
12/10/2012 - 15/10/2012
Podgorica - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of PACE in the context of the early parliamentary elections of 14 October 2012.
A 11-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Mr Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, GDE), observes the conduct of these elections, together with observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
08/10/2012
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio chaired panel C of the Forum entitled “One size fits all? Democracy and globalisation"
The model of democracy founded on freely elected representation of the people, forged through the centuries, is increasingly confronted with new realities that dispute its foundations – and even legitimacy in some cases. The higher and higher rates of abstention in elections, the emergence of dissenting – and sometimes extremist – political forces bear witness to growing discredit of the traditional forms of demo... read more
05/10/2012
Belgrade - Vojin Dimitrijevic, member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe in respect of Serbia, Professor of Public International Law, Doctor of Law honoris causa, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, has passed away on 5 October 2012 at the age of 81.
Professor Dimitrievic was an active member of the Commission: he was one of the authors of several general studies issued by the Venice Commission; he was co-rapporteur of the Commission’s opinions relating to Georgia, Hungary and Russia. Kind and responsive, professor Dimitrijevic contributed to the Commi... read more
Armenia - Constitutional Justice
05/10/2012 - 06/10/2012
Yerevan - International Conference in Co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Armenia on the "Interaction between the constitutional court and other institutions in ensuring the execution of constitutional judgments".
Monaco - request for an opinion on the constitution
02/10/2012
On 2 October 2012, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to ask the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the Constitution of Monaco, “in order to examine in particular the compatibility of the constitutional provisions on the Conseil National with democratic standards, taking into account the special features of the Principality of Monaco”. The opinion should be examined by the Venice Commission at its Plenary Session of June 2013.
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion - OSCE-ODHIR-HDIM
01/10/2012
Warsaw - Mrs Flanagan, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, is participating in the working session on freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
Uzbekistan - request for opinion
28/09/2012
Vice President of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan requested the Venice Commission’s and the OSCE / ODIHR’s opinion on the amendments to the Law on elections of deputies of the Mejlis Oliy and the Act on regional, local and municipal (Kengash) elections of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
28/09/2012 - 02/10/2012
Tbilisi - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of PACE in the context of the parliamentary elections of 1 October 2012.
A delegation of the PACE, headed by Mr Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), observes the conduct of these elections, together with observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation meets with heads of political parties concurring in the elections or their representatives, the Chair... read more
27/09/2012
The Vice President of the General National Congress of Libya Dr. Saleh Mohammed Almkhozom has asked for the Venice Commission’s support to the Congress in its work of developing a constitution for democratic Libya. A delegation of the Venice Commission is planning a working visit to Tripoli after the forthcoming plenary session.
This activity will be carried out jointly with the International Management Group (IMG) and within the framework of the co-operation of the country with the European Union. IMG and the EU Delegation suggested to the Libyan authorities to ask for the assista... read more
27/09/2012 - 28/09/2012
Saint Petersbourg - Conference co-organised by the Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Russia on "Political parties in a democratic society: legal basis for organisation and activities", held on the premises of the Constitutional Court, St. Petersburg, Russia.
President of the Russian Federation address to the conference:
(unofficial translation from Russian)
Moscow, Kremlin
To organizers and participants of the International Conference on
"Political Parties in a Democratic Society: Legal Basis of Organization and Activities"
read more
Conference on "Political Parties in a Democratic Society: legal basis of the organisation and activities" (St Petersburg)
27/09/2012 - 28/09/2012
Hungary - Judiciary
20/09/2012
Budapest - A delegation of the Commission visited Budapest in preparation of an opinion on the amendments to the Cardinal Acts on the Judiciary that were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament following the adoption of opinion CDL-AD(2012)001.
Request for assistance - Azerbaijan
19/09/2012
Azeri authorities requested Venice Commission’s assistance in drafting a Law on Defamation, as part of the National Programme for Action to Raise Effectiveness of Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in the Republic of Azerbaijan. This programme was approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 27 December 2011.
Rome - Hearing at the Committee of Human Rights of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Parliament
18/09/2012 - 18/09/2012
Rome, Italy - The President of the Venice Commission will participate in a Hearing at the Committee of Human Rights of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Parliament. He will make an intervention on the situation in Hungary and Romania as well as a follow-up on the Arab Spring.
Annual report of activities 2011
12/09/2012
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the President of the Venice Commission Gianni BUQUICCHIO presented the Commission's 2011 annual report to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
10/09/2012 - 11/09/2012
Bucharest - A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Bucharest in the framework of the preparation of an Opinion on the Constitutional situation in Romania and on Government Emergency Ordinances on amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Court and on the Law on Referendums of Romania.
Conference of European Constitutional Courts
10/09/2012 - 11/09/2012
Vienna - The Venice Commission participated in the preparatory meeting for the XVIth Conference of European Constitutional Courts
Request for opinion - “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
07/09/2012
By a letter of 7 September 2012, the President of the Constitutional Court of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” requested an amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission on the so-called Lustration Law, enacted in July 2012.
07/09/2012
Vienna - The Venice Commission participated in a conference on "Comparative Constitutional Law and Legislation", organised by the ICL Journal (Vienna University for Economics and Business).
Georgia - Parliamentary elections - Mission of legal assistance to the Central Election Commission of Georgia
06/09/2012 - 17/10/2012
Tbilisi - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Georgia (the CEC) in the context of the forthcoming parliamentary elections (1 October 2012), a Venice Commission election expert assists the CEC in preparing the elections. The expert advises the CEC on legal and technical issues, notably for the preparation of CEC instructions.
07/08/2012
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - On 4 July 2012 I made a statement expressing concern about attempts to exercise pressure on the Constitutional Court of Romania and to undermine its independence. Yesterday I received additional information from the Court about continuing pressure and threats against individual judges.
It is a general principle of the rule of law that pressure on any court, whether constitutional or ordinary, in order to influence its decisions is inadmissible. In recent years the Venice Commission has sometimes had to intervene in order to protect the independence o... read more
26/07/2012
Tunis - On 26 July 2012 a delegation of the Venice Commission exchanges views with the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia in the hemicycle of the Palais Bardo in Tunis. The main topic of discussion is the advantages and disadvantages of different constitutional systems.
This activity was possible thanks to the voluntary contribution of France.
Hearing of the Venice Commission by the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia on "Political Systems: Mechanisms, Advantages, Disadvantages" (Tunis)
26/07/2012 - 26/07/2012
26/07/2012 - 28/07/2012
Maputo, Mozambique - The Venice Commission participated in the Conference of the Southern African Chief Justices Forum
12/07/2012 - 13/07/2012
Vienna - The Venice Commission takes part in the 2012 OSCE Human Dimension Meeting, inter alia on the observation of elections.
11/07/2012 - 14/07/2012
Bregenz, Austria - The Venice Commission took part in the 5th International Conference on Electronic Voting (EVOTE2012), preceded by the 4th Council of Europe Review Meeting on Electronic Voting. It then be followed by an IFES workshop dedicated to the development of an e-voting manual.
THE PRIME MINISTER OF ROMANIA, MR PONTA, REQUESTS AN OPINION
09/07/2012
The Prime Minister of Romania, Mr Ponta, requested an opinion from the Venice Commission on the Government Emergency Ordinance on amendment to the Law no. 47/1992 regarding the Organisation and Functioning of the Constitutional Court and on the Government Emergency Ordinance on amending and completing the Law no. 3/2000 regarding the Organisation of a referendum.
06/07/2012
Romania - The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has asked the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the compatibility with constitutional principles and the rule of law of actions taken by the Government and the Parliament of Romania in respect of other state institutions.
05/07/2012
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - During a working visit to France, a delegation of the Committee on Regional and Local self-government bodies of the National Constituent Assembly and of the Ministry of the Interior of Tunisia has exchanged views with the Venice Commission and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. The questions of the manner of election of representatives at the local and gouvernoral levels, the control of the acts of the local self-government bodies and the respect of the principle of autonomy of self-government bodies were discussed among others. The excha... read more
04/07/2012
I have learnt with deep concern of various attempts to exercise pressure on the Constitutional Court of Romania and to undermine its independence. The Constitutional Court has sought the Venice Commission’s support in this respect.
The Venice Commission has repeatedly stressed the fundamental role of the constitutional court as a guarantor of the state’s constitutional order and of fundamental rights. A constitutional court which takes this role seriously sometimes has to make decisions which are not welcome to the majority of the day. Its legitimacy to do so is directly derived fr... read more
04/07/2012 - 06/07/2012
Marrakech - The Venice Commission participated in the 6th Congress of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF) on "The Citizen and the Constitutional Judge".
03/07/2012 - 05/07/2012
Vienna - A study visit for staff of the Central and Regional electoral commissions of Kazakhstan to the Department on electoral affairs of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Austria will take place on 3-5 July 2012.
The participants will have an opportunity to learn about the work of the Austrian authorities in the electoral field as well as to visit a municipal electoral authority in Vienna and the Parliament.
This activity is organised in the framework of a joint project "Support to the election process in Kazakhstan" funded by the European Union ... read more
02/07/2012 - 03/07/2012
Tirana - The Venice Commission organised a conference entitled: "The European Electoral Heritage - Ten Years of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters", under the auspices of the Albanian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the the National Assembly and the Central Election Commission of Albania. The Conference called the member states to implement the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters.
Hungary - opinion request -Judiciary
28/06/2012
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion on the amendments to the cardinal acts on the judiciary that were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament following the adoption of opinion CDL-AD(2012)001 by the Venice Commission.
PACE request for a study - Keeping political and criminal responsibility separate
28/06/2012
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - In the framework of the report under preparation on "Keeping political and criminal responsibility separate", the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe asked the Venice Commission for "an opinion on the topic of the report from a comparative constitutional perspective".
Russia - Request for Venice Commission opinion on amendments to the law on assemblies
27/06/2012
Strasbourg - the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the recent amendments to the law on assemblies of the Russian Federation.
26/06/2012 - 28/06/2012
Almaty - A conference on "Electoral complaints and appeals. Comparative analysis of international standards and national practices" will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 26-28 June 2012.
This activity is aimed at judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and members of electoral commissions from both Astana and Almaty. During 3 days the conference participants will look at a number of issues such as
- the standards in the field of electoral complaints and appeals,
- different models of complaints and appeals system,
- sanctions, complaints by different actors,... read more
Romania - Constitutional Justice
21/06/2012 - 22/06/2012
Bucharest – The Venice Commission will participate in the Conference at the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court and of 100 years of constitutional review in Romania.
18/06/2012 - 20/06/2012
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - A study visit to the Council of Europe on "The Council of Europe standards and recent developments related to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on women's rights" will take place on 18-20 June 2012. It is aimed at judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers as well as NGO members from the five Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The participants will be able to follow closely on the work of the Venice Commission and other bodies and services of the Council of Europe in the field of women... read more
16/06/2012
Venice - The WCCJ Bureau met on 16 June 2012 in Venice to discuss, inter alia, the report on the membership of the WCCJ, the financial report regarding contributions to the WCCJ, the relationship between WCCJ and bilateral agreements concluded between regional and linguistic groups and the Venice Commission and the choice of its logo.
The Bureau appointed Schnutz Dürr, Head of the Constitutional Justice Division of the Venice Commission, as Secretary of the WCCJ.
15/06/2012 - 16/06/2012
The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Verherstraeten and Mr Wathelet, State Secretaries for Institutional Reforms of Belgium, and adopted the opinion on the revision of the Constitution of Belgium;
- Adopted the opinion on Legal certainty and the independence of the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, previously examined by the Sub-Commission on the Judiciary on 14 June 2012;
- Adopted the amicus curiae brief on amendments to the Act on Primary Education of the Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Held an exch... read more
15/06/2012 - 16/06/2012
Venice – a joint meeting between the delegation of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly and a delegation of the Venice Commission took place in Venice on 15 June 2012. The delegation was composed of
• Mr Larbi ABID, First Vice-President ;
• Mr Habib KHEDHER, General Rapporteur on the Constitution;
• Ms Farida LABIDI, President of the Constitutional Committee on Rights and Liberties;
• Mr Amor CHETOUI, President of the Constitutional Committee on Legislative and Executive powers and the relations between the two;
• Mr Mohamed Elarbi Fadhel MOUSSA, President... read more
11/06/2012 - 12/06/2012
Paris - Mr Sorensen, Parliamentary Ombudsman, Member of the Venice Commission on behalf of Denmark, will give a presentation on " The value of Ombudsman institutions and the work of the Venice Commission".
(Photo © David DELAPORTE)
Albania - Constitutional Justice
07/06/2012 - 08/06/2012
Tirana - The Constitutional Court of Albania, in co-operation with the Venice Commission, will organise an international conference on the "Separation and balancing of powers - role of constitutional review" on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Court.
04/06/2012 - 05/06/2012
Tallinn – The Venice Commission, jointly with the Central Election Commission of Estonia, organises the 9th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies.
01/06/2012 - 02/06/2012
Astana - A training of Trainers’ workshop for lower level electoral commissions of Kazakhstan takes place in Astana on 1-2 June 2012.
This training session is aimed at staff of four regional electoral commissions of Kazakhstan with the overall objective to enhance their knowledge in training of others, strengthen their abilities to speak in public as well as to learn the main trainings techniques and methods and the main rules of visual presentation of materials.
This activity is organised in the framework of a joint project "Support to the election process in Kazakhst... read more
Kyrgyzstan - Roundtable on Election Dispute Resolution
29/05/2012 - 29/05/2012
Bishkek - The Venice Commission takes part in a roundtable on Election Dispute Resolution organised by the ODIHR in close coordination with the OSCE Center in Bishkek. This activity is aimed at all relevant stakeholders involved in the adjudication of electoral disputes. It provides a platform for discussion to the Kyrgyz authorities and civil society to reach conclusions and propose recommendations to enhance the EDRS on the basis of relevant standards and commitments in this field.
29/05/2012 - 31/05/2012
Podgorica - The President of the Venice Commission will visit Montenegro at the invitation of the President of the Constitutional Court. During this visit, Mr Buquicchio will also meet with the President of Montenegro, the Minister of Justice and with the Speaker of the Parliament, as well as with the opposition parties.
28/05/2012
Amman - The Venice Commission organises a workshop on the Constitutional court. MPs will be among the participants.This workshop is organised in the framework of the programme funded by the EU "Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern Neighbourhood".
Hungary - forthcoming opinion on the Cardinal Law on Elections of Members of Parliament of Hungary - country visit
24/05/2012 - 25/05/2012
Budapest - A delegation of the Venice Commission visits Budapest in preparation of an opinion on the Cardinal Law on Elections of Members of Parliament of Hungary, requested by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary.
The delegation, accompanied by representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR, is meeting inter alia members of the Hungarian Parliament, Consitutional Court, political parties, civil society and the international community.
The adoption of the opinion is on the agenda of the June plenary of the Venice Commission.
Morocco - Mediator/Ombudsman Institution
22/05/2012 - 24/05/2012
Rabat - Contribution to the 9th training session for collaborators of members of the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the Mediterranean. This activity is financed by the EU/ Council of Europe Southern Neighbourhood Programme.
21/05/2012
Seoul - The President of the Venice Commission met with the Minister of Justice of Korea Mr Kwon Jae-jin, who expressed his satisfaction with the work of the Commission and informed Mr Buquicchio that his Ministry systematically translated the annual reports of the Commission into the Korean language.
President Buquicchio also held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Constitutional Courts presenta at the Inaugural Congress of the AACC.
Finland – Seminar on "Constitutional Design"
21/05/2012 - 22/05/2012
Helsinki - The Venice Commission, the Helsinki Faculty of Law and the International Association of Constitutional Lawyers (IACL) organise a seminar on "Constitutional Design"
20/05/2012 - 24/05/2012
Seoul - Inaugural Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions on Present and Future of Constitutional Justice in Asia".
President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and the Head of the Constitutional Justice Division Schnutz Durr participated in the event.
OSCE/ ODIHR – Political parties
17/05/2012
Warsaw - Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in the annual meeting of the OSCE/ ODIHR in the field of political parties
16/05/2012 - 19/05/2012
Cadiz, Spain - IXth Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice on "Presidentialism and parliamentarism in constitutional jurisprudence".
Hungary – forthcoming opinion on the Act on the rights of nationalities – country visit
16/05/2012
Budapest - A delegation of the Venice Commission went to Budapest as part of preparation of a legal opinion on the Act on the rights of nationalities, requested by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The delegation met with representatives of competent authorities within the executive and legislative branches as well as with the representatives of national minorities in Hungary.
The adoption of the opinion by the Venice Commission is on the agenda of the June plenary session (Venice, 15-16.06.2012).
15/05/2012 - 16/05/2012
Maputo, Mozambique - Conference of Constitutional Courts of Countries of Portuguese Language.
International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) - Round Table
04/05/2012
Belgrade - The President of the Venice Commission takes part in a Round Table at the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) on "main developments in constitutionalism and constitutional law between 1981 and 2011".
Serbia - Parliamentary, presidential and regional elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly
03/05/2012 - 07/05/2012
Belgrade - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of PACE in the context of the parliamentary and presidential elections of 6 May 2012.
A 20-member delegation of the PACE, headed by M. Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco), observes the conduct of these elections.
03/05/2012 - 07/05/2012
Yerevan - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of PACE in the context of the parliamentary elections of 6 May 2012.
A 24-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Baroness Nicholson (United Kingdom, ADLE), observes the conduct of these elections, together with observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation meets with heads of political parties concurring in the elections or their representa... read more
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.
25/04/2012 - 26/04/2012
Ankara - The Venice Commission will participate in the Symposium on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Turkey.
Azerbaijan - Presentation of the opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on the NGOs of Azerbaijan
19/04/2012 - 20/04/2012
Baku - A conference is organised in order to present the Opinion prepared by the Venice Commission and the Expert Council of OING on the Law on the NGOs in Azerbaijan.
Morocco - Visit of the President of the Venice Commission
17/04/2012 - 18/04/2012
Rabat - The President of the Venice Commission will be on an official visit. Mr Buquicchio is meeting with the Secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several high officials to discuss future cooperation activities.
13/04/2012 - 14/04/2012
Yerevan - Conference of Secretaries General of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Bodies, organised by the Constitutional Court of Armenia and by the Venice Commission, on two themes:
(1) Procedural time-limits and
(2) the reaction to the negative critique of court judgments
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).
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.
read more
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".
1st Inter-cultural Workshop on democracy "Constitutional procedures and democratic procedures, experiences and perspectives
29/03/2012 - 30/03/2012
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.
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.
Albania - Roundtable on Election Administration
26/03/2012 - 27/03/2012
Tirana - The Venice Commission takes part in a Round Table on Election Administration organised by the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, which addresses the two following topics: New Voting Technologies and Election Administration.
Kazakhstan - Mission of assistance to the Central Electoral Commission of Kazakhstan
26/03/2012 - 29/03/2012
Astana - 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, an expert will take part in a meeting with the project partner, Central Electoral Commission of Kazakhstan, to prepare the proposals for the programmes of training of trainers’ seminars as well as a draft plan of the report on problems encountered during the early parliamentary elections of 2012.
21/03/2012
Budapest - Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland is in Budapest for talks with the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. The Secretary General will also be meeting Tibor Navracsics, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Justice, and János Martonyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert will also participate in the visit.
The talks will focus primarily on the Venice Commission reports on the independence of the judiciary and religious freedom, and the Council of Europe assessment of media freedom in H... read more
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 fram... read more
Seminar on the independence of Justice
21/03/2012 - 22/03/2012
Hungary - Request for opinion – Transitional Provisions of the Constitution
20/03/2012
Paris - the Monitoring Committee of the PACE decided on 13 March 2012 to request the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Transitional Provisions of the Fundamental Law of Hungary as adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 31 December 2011.
Ukraine - electoral issues - new law on parliamentary elections
19/03/2012 - 20/03/2012
Kiev - The Venice Commission and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine organised a roundtable on the implementation of the new law on parliamentary elections in Ukraine. MPs, members of the Central Election Commission, the administrative court judges and NGOs met on this occasion. The participants discussed various issues including the organisation of territorial electoral commissions, constituencies, the election campaign and disputes.
Kyrgyzstan - Judiciary
19/03/2012 - 20/03/2012
Bishkek - A member of the Venice Commission participated in the Judiciary Dialogue and discussions with the Parliament's judiciary working group organised by the EU-UNDP Parliament project.
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 fo... read more
Ukraine – Electoral issues – Round Table on 2012 Parliamentary Elections
14/03/2012
Kiev – Following an invitation from the International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES), the Venice Commission participates in an electoral meeting on the electoral legal framework in view of the forthcoming 2012 Parliamentary Elections.
Tunisia - electoral issues – legal framework for elections
12/03/2012 - 13/03/2012
Tunis - The representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a conference organised by IFES on "the Legal Framework for Elections in Tunisia: National and International Perspectives".
Montenegro - Venice Commission’s visit – forthcoming opinions on laws on Free Access to Information and amendments to the Law on Classified Information
05/03/2012 - 06/03/2012
Podgorica – a delegation of the Venice Commission exchanged views with representatives of the authorities and other stake-holders on the Draft Law on Free Access to Information and on the Draft Law on amendments to the Law on Classified Information of Montenegro.
The visit took place in the framework of the preparation of the Commission’s opinions on the above-mentioned laws, upon a request by the Montenegrin authorities.
03/03/2012 - 05/03/2012
Moscow - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the presidential elections of 4 March 2012.
A 28-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), will visit the Russian Federation from 1 to 5 March to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation is due to meet the candidates in... read more
Armenia – Electoral issues – Questions/Answers session with election observers
02/03/2012
Yerevan – The Venice Commission is invited to a Questions/Answers’ session with non-governmental organisations dealing with election observation in view of the forthcoming May parliamentary elections.
02/03/2012 - 02/03/2012
London - Under the United Kingdom Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission organised in co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and with the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, an international conference on “the Rule of Law as a Practical Concept".
29/02/2012 - 01/03/2012
Yerevan – At the request of the Judicial School of Armenia, the Venice Commission co-organises a Round Table with judges from administrative courts on the topic of electoral disputes that may arise in the context of the parliamentary elections of May 2012. For this purpose, two Venice Commission experts meet around 20 judges during two working sessions.
"Constitutional Reform in Arab Countries” – international symposium
22/02/2012 - 23/02/2012
Heidelberg – Secretary of the Venice Commission Mr Thomas Markert is invited to participate in the international symposium on “Constitutional Reform in Arab Countries” organised by Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
20/02/2012 - 21/02/2012
Budapest – a delegation of the Venice Commission will exchange views with representatives of the authorities and other stake-holders on the laws on judiciary and on freedom of religion. The visit is taking place in the framework of the preparation of the Commission’s opinions on the above-mentioned laws, upon a request by the Hungarian authorities.
The Commission plans to adopt these opinions at its next plenary session 16-17 March 2012 in Venice.
Russia - Venice Commission’s visit – forthcoming opinions on laws on elections to Duma and on political parties
16/02/2012 - 17/02/2012
Moscow – a delegation of the Venice Commission, lead by its Secretary Thomas Markert, will exchange views with representatives of the authorities and other stake-holders on the Federal Laws on Elections to Duma and on Political Parties. The visit is taking place in the framework of the preparation of the Commission’s opinions on the above-mentioned laws, upon a request by the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The Commission plans to adopt these opinions at its next plenary session 16-17 March 2012 in Venice.
Jordan - Council of Europe delegation to exchange views with authorities
09/02/2012
Amman - The Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert participates in a Council of Europe expert mission lead by the Director General of Programmes Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni. The delegation will look into possible topics of the cooperation with Jordan, with special regard to three fields: empowerment of women, election legislation and media freedom issues.
09/02/2012 - 10/02/2012
Moscow – a delegation of the Venice Commission, lead by its President Gianni Buquicchio, will exchange views with representatives of the authorities and other stake-holders on the laws on meetings, rallies, marches and pickets, on Counteraction to Extremist Activities and on the Federal Security Service (FSB). The visit is taking place in the framework of the preparation of the Commission’s opinions on the above-mentioned laws, upon a request by the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The Commission plans to adopt these opinions at its nex... read more
Conference on "Human Rights in the work of the Public Prosecution Office in Bolivia"
08/02/2012 - 09/02/2012
La Paz - Co-organisation of a conference by the Venice Commission and the Public Prosecution Office of Bolivia, in the framework of the Joint Program with the European Union on the implementation of the new Constitution in Bolivia.
Georgia - Electoral issues - Eastern Partnership Facility Programme
07/02/2012 - 08/02/2012
Tbilisi - The Venice Commission participates in a meeting organised by the Council of Europe in the framework of the Eastern Partnership Facility programme, financed by the European Commission. This meeting is devoted to the participation of women in public life.
31/01/2012
Strasbourg - In reply to questions by Georgian journalists the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Thomas Markert, noted that the text of the Law on Political Union of Citizens adopted by the Georgian parliament included a number of significant amendments in comparison with the text submitted to the Venice Commission. These amendments contained additional restrictions on party financing. He was not able to assess whether these restrictions were positive or negative since this would require an in-depth examination of the adopted text by the Venice Commission which had not taken place... read more
Montenegro – Request for opinion – two draft laws
26/01/2012
Strasbourg – Montenegrin authorities asked for Commission’s opinion on the
Draft Law on Free Access to Information and on the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Classified Information.
Ukraine - Request for opinion – PACE
26/01/2012
Strasbourg - Strasbourg - The Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Herkel, requested the Commission’s opinion on the draft law on the prokuratura, prepared by the Ukrainian Commission on Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law.
26/01/2012
Strasbourg - At a meeting yesterday in Strasbourg, the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mr Andres Herkel, noting concerns about Hungary’s new legislation, asked the Venice Commission to give opinions on five more laws, i.e. laws on :
• Freedom of Information,
• the Constitutional Court,
• Prosecution,
• Nationalities and
• Family Protection.
The Venice Commission has just started to assess three other Hungary’s laws, i.e. laws on the independence of the judiciary, freedom of reli... read more
24/01/2012
Brussels – Following his recent visit to Tunisia, the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio is invited to participate in the debate entitled “The Arab revolution: one year later”, organised by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the EP.
EU Commissioner Stefan Füle, EU Special Representative Bernadino Leon, Secretary General EEAS Pierre Vimont, US Special Representative Ambassador William Taylor will also participate in the debate.
Egypt - Conference on Constitutional Drafting (postponed)
23/01/2012 - 24/01/2012
Cairo - The Venice Commission organises jointly with the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt an international Conference on Constitutional Drafting.
20/01/2012
Hungarian authorities have asked for the Venice Commission’s opinion on the laws concerning the independence of the judiciary, religious freedom and elections to Parliament.
This request comes as a follow-up to the letter of 11 January 2012 by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland to the Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi inviting Hungarian authorities to request the Venice Commission to provide opinions on these controversial laws. In the same letter the Secretary General also invited Hungary to request the expertise of the Council of Europe on ... read more
Tunisia - European parliament
19/01/2012
Strasbourg - the President of the Commission Gianni Buquicchio and its Deputy Secretary Simona Granata-Menghini will hold an exchange of views with the Monitoring Group on the Southern Mediterranean of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the EP on the post electoral situation in Tunisia
Tunisia – Electoral issues – Round Table on Electoral Disputes
17/01/2012 - 18/01/2012
Tunis – At the request of the European Union (Electoral Reform International Services), a Judge specialised on electoral disputes participates on behalf of the Venice Commission in a Round Table on the electoral disputes of the results of the 23 October elections of the National Constituent Assembly. The topics are: analysis, perspectives and recommendations.
17/01/2012 - 18/01/2012
Tunis - The Venice Commission will participate in the ABA ROLI-Arab Council for Judicial and Legal Studies (ACJLS) Workshop on “The Role of an Independent Judiciary in the Middle East and North Africa.”
16/01/2012 - 17/01/2012
Tunis – On 16 and 17 January 2012, the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and the Deputy Secretary of the Commission Simona Granata–Menghini participate in the visit of a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to Tunisia. This visit follows up to the observation by PACE of the elections of the Constituent Assembly, which were held on 23 October 2011. The Venice Commission had participated in the observation mission in its capacity as legal counsel for PACE.
The Venice Commission, of which Tunisia is a full member, wishes to es... read more
Study on lobbying - Meeting of the working group
13/01/2012
Paris - Meeting of the working group on the study "Extra-institutional actors in the democratic system"
12/01/2012 - 16/01/2012
Astana - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensured legal assistance to the Ad hoc Committee for the Observation of the early parliamentary elections of 15 January 2012.
A 15-member delegation of the PACE headed by Ms Elsa Papademetriou visited Kazakhstan from 12 to 16 January to observe the conduct of the early parliamentary election, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation met the political parties both contesting and not conte... read more
Ukraine - Roundtable on judicial independence
20/12/2011 - 21/12/2011
Kyiv - Participation of the Venice Commission in a roundtable on judicial independence organised by the OSCE/ODIHR, the National Commission on Strengthening Democracy and the rule of law and the USAID FAIR project.
19/12/2011
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Dick Marty submitted to the Venice Commission a decision of the Committee, taken at its meeting on 15 December 2011 in Paris, to ask the Venice Commission for an opinion on five Russian Federal laws:
1. The Federal Law on the FSB
2. The Federal Law on meetings, rallies, marches and pickets
3. The Federal Law on counteraction to extremist activities
4. The Federal Law on political parties
5. The Federal Law on election of the deputies o... read more
16/12/2011 - 17/12/2011
The Venice Commission will issue opinions on the legislation of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Serbia and Ukraine.
Themes to be addressed include:
• Albania - the electoral law and the electoral practice in Albania requested by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
• Armenia - alternative service; legal regime of state of emergency;
• Azerbaijan – political parties;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - internal affairs of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and internal affairs of the Sarajevo Canton;
• Georgia - ... read more
Request by the PACE - Electoral matters - Democratic character of elections
15/12/2011
The Political Affairs Committee of the PACE requests a contribution of the Venice Commission to the report on "Measures to improve the democratic character of elections in the member states of the Council of Europe".
Belarus - Request for opinion by PACE
15/12/2011 - 15/12/2011
The President of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion on the compatibility with universal human rights standards of the amended "Law on mass events in the Republic of Belarus", that entered into force on 27.11.2011
Parliamentary Assembly - Participation to the work of the Political Affairs Committee
14/12/2011
Paris - The Venice Commission takes part in the work of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe when dealing with:
- Measures to improve the democratic character of elections in the Council of Europe member states;
- the situation in Belarus.
Morocco - Training session of Ombudsmens' collaborators Members of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen
13/12/2011 - 15/12/2011
Rabat - `The powers of the mediator and the ombudsman in the defence of Human Rights ´.This training is intended for collaborators working in institutions of mediation that are members of the AOM and feel the need of a technical support. It will be conducted in English and Arabic.
Armenia - Electoral matters - Workshop related to the latest amendments to the electoral code of Armenia
12/12/2011 - 13/12/2011
Yerevan - Upon invitation by the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, the Venice Commission takes part in a workshop related to the latest amendments to the electoral code of Armenia.
Georgia - Freedom of assembly - round table
08/12/2011 - 09/12/2011
Tbilisi - on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day the Commission participates in a round table entitled “Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: Law and Practice”, co-organised by the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia, the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, the Regional Presence of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the South Caucasus and with support from the United Nations Development Program
Role of public prosecutors outside the criminal field
07/12/2011 - 08/12/2011
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Participation of the Venice Commission in the 4th Meeting of the group of specialists on the role of public prosecutors outside the criminal field.
Request for a study - Congress - Criteria for standing for local and regional elections
02/12/2011
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe asks the Venice Commission to study the criteria for standing for local and regional elections.
Constitutional Reform in the Arab World
02/12/2011
Berlin - the Secretary of the Commission participates in the workshop on "The Challenge of Constitutional Reform in the Arab World", organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany
01/12/2011
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – meeting between the President of the Venice Commission Mr G.Buquicchio, the Secretary of the Commission, Mr T.Markert, and the Minister of Justice of Turkey, Mr Sadullah Ergin.
Constitutional Justice - Andorra
01/12/2011 - 03/12/2011
Andorra la Vella - The Constitutional Court of Andorra will organise its 4th international constitutional conference on "The Constitutional Courts and the Legal Community: what about dialogue?".
Russian Federation - Parliamentary elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly
01/12/2011 - 05/12/2011
Moscow - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the parliamentary elections of 4 December 2011.
Serbia - Constitutional Justice
29/11/2011
Belgrade - A delegation of the Commission will meet with the Ministry of Justice and the Constitutional Court in the framework of the preparation of an opinion on amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Court.
European Union - Turkey
28/11/2011 - 29/11/2011
EP, Brussels – The President of the Commission is invited to participate in the 67th meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
Colloquium on the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
26/11/2011 - 29/11/2011
Cadenabbia, Italy – The Secretary of the Commission attends the Colloquium entitled "Is the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina EU-compatible?", organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Russia - Round Table of the Russian Regional Ombudsmen
22/11/2011 - 23/11/2011
Samara - The Venice Commission participates in a round table on “Promoting independent national non-judicial mechanisms for the protection of human rights, especially for the prevention of torture”, organised in the framework of the Joint European Union – Council Of Europe Programme “Peer-to-Peer II Project”.
Central Asia - Round table on the electoral law of Tajikistan
22/11/2011 - 23/11/2011
Dushanbe - The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan organises for staff of Central and Regional Elections Commissions a Round table on the development and improvement of the electoral system of Tajikistan and international standards of elections.
This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe "EU - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative".
Morocco - Parliamentary elections - Assistance to the election observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly
22/11/2011 - 26/11/2011
At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the parliamentary elections (25 November 2011).
17/11/2011 - 18/11/2011
Podgorica - The Venice Commission is invited to assess the constitutional reform conducted in the judicial field in Montenegro
"Europe’s Human Security Concerns in Central Asia" – international seminar
16/11/2011
Berlin - The Secretary of the Venice Commission attended a seminar entitled “Europe’s Human Security Concerns in Central Asia”. It was organised by the Open Society Foundation’s Central Eurasia Project (CEP) and FRIDE’s Europe Central Asia Monitoring (EUCAM) programme
Armenia – Country visit – forthcoming opinion – Alternative service
15/11/2011 - 16/11/2011
Yerevan - A delegation of the Venice Commission will be in Yerevan for an exchange of views on the draft Law on amendments and additions to the Law on alternative service.
The opinion of the Venice Commission was requested by the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
The delegation will be composed of Mr Richard Clayton (Member, United Kingdom) Mr Nicolae Esanu (Member, Moldova) and Ms Charlotte de Broutelles (member of the Secretariat).
Switzerland - International workshop
15/11/2011 - 16/11/2011
Geneva - The Venice Commission will participate in a workshop organised by the UN OHCHR on "A human-rights compliant framework for vetting of members of the security and justice sectors".
Kazakhstan - Judiciary
11/11/2011
Astana - Following the adoption of a Joint Opinion with ODIHR on the Kazakh Constitutional law on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges, the Venice Commission will participate in a conference on judicial reform in Kazakhstan.
This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe "EU - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative".
Electoral issues - 20th anniversary of UNIORE
10/11/2011 - 11/11/2011
Mexico City - At the invitation of the President of the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organisations (UNIORE), the President of the Venice Commission participates in the extraordinary meeting of UNIORE commemorating the twentieth anniversary of that organisation. On 11 November, the President of the Commission will participate in the discussion on electoral agencies and democratic governance.
New member state – Kazakhstan
09/11/2011
Strasbourg - The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invited Kazakhstan to join the Venice Commission.
Request for opinion - Armenia
09/11/2011
The Minister of Justice of Armenia requested the Commission's opinion on the Draft law on the legal regime of the state of emergency
Request for opinion - Georgia
04/11/2011
Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament requested the Venice Commission's opinion on draft amendments to the Organic Law on Political Unions of Citizens of Georgia.
Ukraine - Freedom of Assembly -Follow-up to the OSCE/ODIHR - Venice Commission Opinion
03/11/2011 - 04/11/2011
Kyiv - Conference on "Freedom of Assembly: European Standards for Ukraine", organised by the Ukrainian Commission on Strengthening Democracy and Asserting the Rule of Law .
During the conference, Ms Banic, Rapporteur of the Venice commission, will introduce the Opinion.
Kyrgyzstan - Judiciary
03/11/2011 - 04/11/2011
Bishkek - Following the adoption of the Opinion on the draft law on the Council for the Selection of Judges of Kyrgyzstan, the Commission will participate in a training seminar for the members of the Council for the Selection of Judges of the Kyrgyz Republic on “Judicial Independence through Selection Procedures”.
This activity is organised in the framework of the EU funded project "Assistance in reforming the legislation of Kyrgyzstan following the constitutional referendum of 27 June 2010".
02/11/2011 - 04/11/2011
Niamey, Niger - The Venice Commission will participate in the 6th Conference of Heads of Institution of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF) on "the Status of the Constitutional Court Judge".
Ukraine – draft laws on MPs elections – follow-up to the opinion
31/10/2011
Kyiv – a delegation of the Venice Commission participates in the hearings of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government on the topic “Discussions of the draft Laws of Ukraine on Elections of People’s Deputies of Ukraine”.
Kyrgyzstan - presidential elections - legal support to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
28/10/2011 - 31/10/2011
Bishkek - The Venice Commission provides legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe with regard to the presidential elections of 30 October 2011.
27/10/2011 - 29/10/2011
Moscow / Saint Petersburg - The President of the Venice Commission participates in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.
26/10/2011 - 27/10/2011
Tbilisi - A delegation of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body of independent legal experts, together with experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) will be in Georgia on 26 and 27 October 2011 to exchange views with national authorities and other stakeholders on the new draft Electoral Code of Georgia.
The request for opinion came from the Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Mihaïl Machavariani on 12 September 2011.
The delegation will meet with members of parliament, representatives of the opp... read more
Turkey - Reforms of the judicial system - Symposium
25/10/2011 - 26/10/2011
Istanbul - The Venice Commission participated in a Symposium on the "Reforms in the Turkish judicial system, High Council of Judges and Prosecutors from past to present and its comparison to European Practice".
24/10/2011 - 25/10/2011
Tirana - A delegation of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body of independent legal experts, together with experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) will be in Tirana on 24 and 25 October 2011 to exchange views with national authorities and other stakeholders on the Albanian electoral legislation and practice.
Following the local elections and in particular the challenges encountered relating to the last elections for Mayor of Tirana, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland asked on 24 Augus... read more
24/10/2011 - 25/10/2011
Beirut - The Venice Commission's President participated in the 7th Colloquium of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils on "Constitutional Justice and the Separation of Powers", hosted by the Constitutional Court of Lebanon.
Bulgaria - Elections
20/10/2011 - 24/10/2011
Sofia - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the Presidential election (on 23 October 2011). The Venice Commission is represented by Mr Kask, Judge at the Tallinn Court of Appeal and member of the Venice Commission.
20/10/2011 - 25/10/2011
Tunis - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the election of the National Constituent Assembly (on 23 October 2011). The Venice Commission delegation is composed of Mr Colliard, President of University Paris 1 - Panthéon-Sorbonne, former member of the Constitutional Council, member of the Venice Commission; as well as a member of the secretariat.
19/10/2011
Strasbourg - During its plenary session last week, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters – better known as the Venice Commission - adopted an opinion on the “Draft Law on amendments to the law on the judiciary and the status of judges of Ukraine”, prepared by the National Commission for Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law (CDL-AD(2011)033).
The new draft law submitted for opinion represents a clear improvement over earlier proposals and addresses many of the recommendations previously made by the Venice Commission. The new draft appears to have - a... read more
19/10/2011
Strasbourg – During its plenary session last week (14-15,10,2011), the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters – better known as the Venice Commission - adopted a joint OSCE/ODIHR opinion on the draft Law of Ukraine on Election of the People’s Deputies of Ukraine.
The opinion points out that the electoral system chosen in the draft law matches neither the one discussed by the Venice Commission representatives during their meetings with the Ukrainian authorities nor the one recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in its Resolution 1755... read more
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Request for opinion – European Commission
19/10/2011
By letter of 19 October 2011 the European Commission invited the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on “how the judicial framework, the division of powers and the existing co-ordination mechanisms affect legal certainty and the independence of the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
Request for assistance -Montenegro
18/10/2011
the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro asked for assistance of the Venice Commission in the assessment of the constitutional reform process regarding judiciary.
Request for a study - PACE - limitation of consecutive terms of office
18/10/2011
At the request of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Venice Commission studies the limitation of consecutive terms of office as well as the limitation of the possibility to hold mandates at different levels of power.
17/10/2011
Tunis - At the request of the Administrative Court of Tunis, a judge, election expert of the Venice Commission, intervenes in a round table devoted to the disputes that may arise after the announcement of the preliminary results of the elections of a National Constituent Assembly. Tunisian experts and experts from the European Union take part in this event as well.
88th plenary session of the Venice Commission (Venice)
14/10/2011 - 15/10/2011
Kazakhstan – official request for membership
11/10/2011
Astana – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan handed in to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Th. Jagland an official request to join the Venice Commission.
Morocco - Institution of the Ombudsman
11/10/2011 - 13/10/2011
Rabat -The Venice Commission co-organises the 8th session of training of Ombudsmen, on the "Role of the Ombudsman in access to services and protection of social rights".
Around 30 Ombudsmen are attending this training session.
Tunisia - Electoral matters - Elections to the Constituent Assembly
08/10/2011
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission takes part in an awareness raising session for persons in charge of polling stations for the elections to the Tunisian Constituent Assembly in North-Eastern France
06/10/2011 - 08/10/2011
Yerevan - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court on "Legal Outcome of Constitutional Court decisions on strengthening the state's constitutional order" at the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Armenia.
03/10/2011
Florence, Italy - The Venice Commission participated in the meeting on free access to legal information (on a possible European Legal Information Institute).
30/09/2011
With the accession of 30 Courts from at least three regional or linguistic Groups, the Statute of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice has entered into force. The following 33 Courts have joined the World Conference:
1. Albania, Constitutional Court
2. Algeria, Constitutional Council
3. Armenia, Constitutional Court
4. Austria, Constitutional Court
5. Azerbaijan, Constitutional Court
6. Belarus, Constitutional Court
7. Benin, Constitutional Court
8. Bulgaria, Constitutional Court
9. Burkina Faso, Constitutional Council
10. Chile, Co... read more
Monitoring Group of European Parliament on the situation in the Southern Mediterranean
29/09/2011
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission participated in an exchange of views on the situation in the Southern Mediterranean at the European Parliament.
28/09/2011
Strasbourg – a delegation of the Venice Commission travelled to Kyiv from 21 to 23 September 2011 to exchange views on the draft law on the elections of MPs in Ukraine which was sent for opinion to the Commission by the Minister of Justice Mr O. Lavrynovych earlier this year. During the visit the delegation met with:
- the Minister of Justice,
- representatives of the working group drafting the law;
- representatives of the different political forces and of the civil society;
- foreign ambassadors and representatives of different international organizations... read more
Romania - Conference on "Constitutional Reshuffle and Guarantee for the Independence of the Judiciary"
28/09/2011 - 28/09/2011
Bucharest - The Venice Commission participates in the conference co-organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation (Rule of Law Program South East Europe) and the Romanian Superior Council of the Magistracy on "Constitutional Reshuffle and Guarantees for the independence of the Judiciary".
Central Asia - Regional Conference on "International Experience in reinforcing and respecting the Constitutional norms guaranteeing the independence and effectiveness of courts"
27/09/2011 - 28/09/2011
Dushanbe - The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan organises a Regional conference for legal professionals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as well as experts from several European countries to discuss the effective and independent functioning of courts.
This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe "EU - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative".
23/09/2011 - 24/09/2011
Oxford - The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and the Oxford All Souls College organised a workshop on the rule of law in Oxford on 23-24 September 2011. At this seminar, Sir Jeffrey Jowell, Director of the Bingham Centre and member of the Venice Commission, presented the report on the rule of law which the Venice Commission adopted in March 2011
Ukraine - Supreme Court
22/09/2011
Kyiv - The Venice Commission participates in the Round table on the role of the Supreme Court in the protection of human rights at national level.
22/09/2011 - 23/09/2011
Chisinau - The Venice Commission co-organises with the Central Election Commission of Moldova the second Eastern Partnership Facility meeting, financed by the European Commission.
The meeting was devoted to the voters' lists management and the electoral disputes' resolution.
Tunisia - Round table on "Elections and democratic transition in Tunisia: a historical opportunity?"
21/09/2011
Brussels - The Venice Commission will participate in the Round table on "Elections and democratic transition in Tunisia: a historical opportunity" organised by the Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.
21/09/2011 - 23/09/2011
Kyiv - A delegation of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body of independent legal experts, will visit Ukraine between 21 and 23 September 2011 to exchange views with national authorities and other stake-holders on the draft Law on the Election of Members of Parliament of Ukraine and on Ukraine’s ongoing electoral reform.
The Commission’s preliminary draft opinion on this draft Law, recently released by the Ministry of Justice, includes themes which the delegation will clarify during its visit.
Following this visit, the draft preliminary opinion pr... read more
Ukraine - Bar
15/09/2011
Kyiv - In the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the draft Law on the Bar and the Practice of Law, requested by the President of the Ukrainian Commission for Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law, a delegation of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe TEJSU project will visit Kyiv.
Uzbekistan - Roundtable on the further implementation of the institution of habeas corpus in the legal system
15/09/2011 - 15/09/2011
Tashkent - The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan organises a Round table for judges to present the experience of some European countries in implementing some aspects of habeas corpus in their legal systems.
This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe "EU - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative".
15/09/2011 - 16/09/2011
Tunis - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Pre-electoral Mission of the Assembly in the context of the forthcoming election of a National Constituent Assembly (to be held on 23 October 2011).
13/09/2011 - 14/09/2011
Tashkent - The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan organises a Regional conference for the legal professionals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as experts from several European countries to share their knowledge on different aspects of the administrative law.
This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe "EU - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative" in co-operation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft ... read more
Request for opinion - Georgia
12/09/2011
Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament requested the Venice Commission's opinion on a draft Electoral Code of Georgia.
Chile - 40th anniversary of the Constitutional Court
08/09/2011
Santiago de Chile - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated at the event organised by the Constitutional Court of Chile for its 40th anniversary.
07/09/2011
Ankara - A delegation of the Venice Commission held meetings with the Constitutional Court, the Council of State, the Court of Cassation and the Ministry of Justice in view of the preparation of an opinion on the Law on the Constitutional Court.
06/09/2011 - 09/09/2011
In view of the elections on 23 October 2011 of a Constituent Assembly which will draft the new constitution of Tunisia, the Commission and the Media Section of the Council of Europe is holding a session of "Training of Trainers" on the topic : "A fair and balanced Media Coverage of Elections". This session is followed by visits and meetings with French and German Media as well as with the Secretary General and other representatives of the Council of Europe and of the local authorities.
The Tunisian experts will in turn train Tunisian journalists.
This activity is funded ... read more
Istanbul - Conference of the OSCE/ODIHR - Venice Commission Guidelines on Political Party Regulation
05/09/2011 - 06/09/2011
Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in a Conference on the OSCE/ODIHR - Venice Commission Guidelines on Political Party Regulation, followed by a meeting of experts on political parties, organised by OSCE/ODIHR.
Kazakhstan - International Conference on "The State and the Individual: 20 years of development of on the way to progress"
26/08/2011 - 26/08/2011
Astana - On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan the Venice Commission takes part in the Conference organised by the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan.
This activity is organised in the framework of the joint programme "EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative"
Albania - Electoral issues - Request for an opinion
24/08/2011
Following the local elections and in particular the controversy relating to the election of the Mayor of Tirana, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe asked for an opinion on which amendments should be made to the electoral legislation and practice in Albania in the light of recent experience.
Request for Opinion - Armenia
23/08/11
At the request of the Armenian authorities the Venice Commission is assessing the draft law on freedom of conscience and freedom of religion and draft laws making amendments to the administrative and criminal code.
The joint ODHIR/ Venice Commission's opinion is to be adopted at the next October session of the Venice Commission.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Request for opinion
15/07/2011
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested an Amicus Curiae opinion in relation to the "Law on the Status of State Property Located on the Territory of the Republika Srpska and under the Disposal Ban".
07/07/2011 - 08/07/2011
Santa Cruz - In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Bolivia the Venice Commission organises a conference on main principles of constitutional justice, with a special focus on indigenous justice.
05/07/2011 - 08/07/2011
Tunis – At the request of the Administrative Tribunal of Tunis, the Venice Commission organised a training Seminar for 40 judges on electoral disputes in the framework of the election of the National Constituent Assembly foreseen on 23 October 2011. This seminar dealt with disputes that may arise on:
• the validity of candidatures,
• the respect of the rules on the electoral campaign and
• the results of the election.
This activity was possible thanks to a voluntary contribution of the government of Turkey to the Commission’s activities in Tunisia. The semi... read more
Ukraine - Request for opinion
01/07/2011
The Commission for Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law in Ukraine asked the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the draft Law on Freedom Assembly.
The opinions on this draft law will be on the agenda of the next plenary session of the Commission in Venice (14 -15.10.2011).
Request for opinion - Ukraine - Legislation on the judicial reform
01/07/2011 - 16/10/2011
The Secretary of the National Commission for the strengthening of democracy and rule of law in Ukraine Mr S. Holovaty requested Commission's opinion on the Draft Law on the Judiciary and the Status of Judges.
Constitutional Justice
30/06/2011 - 01/07/2011
Ankara - 10th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice
Azerbaijan - Request for opinion
29/06/2011
The Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the PACE has requested the Venice Commission to assess the compatibility of the legislation on Non Governmental Organisations of Azerbaijan with the human rights standards, including the case-law of the ECtHR.
28/06/2011 - 30/06/2011
Tunis – a delegation of the Venice Commission participates in an international seminar on "Gender equality in constitutional and legislative reforms", organised by the European Inter–University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC), the Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This activity is supported by the Ministry of Economic cooperation and development, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and by the EU.
Strasbourg - Sixth Summer University of Democracy: "Ethics and Politics"
29/06/2011
The Venice Commission takes part in the Sixth Summer University of Democracy: "Ethics and Politics" and presents a report on "Introducing Ethics and Restoring Citizens’ Confidence in the Electoral Process" in the framework of a round table on "Ethics and Political Legitimacy".
Ukraine - Request for opinion - electoral questions
23/06/2011
The Minister of Justice of Ukraine asks the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the bill of elections of members of parliament. The text will be prepared in cooperation with the OSCE-ODIHR and discussed at the next plenary session of the Commission to be held in 14-15 October 2011 in Venice.
23/06/2011 - 24/06/2011
Luanda, Angola - The Commission will participate in the Seminar of the Conference of Constitutional Courts of Portuguese Speaking Countries on "the Right to Access to Constitutional Justice".
Armenia - Request for an opinion - Electoral matters
22/06/2011
The President of the Armenian Parliament asks for the opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the new Armenian electoral code.
20/06/2011
Venice / Strasbourg - On 25 March 2011, the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Dick Marty asked the Venice Commission to prepare a legal opinion on the new Constitution of Hungary. The Opinion was discussed and adopted during the Commission’s plenary meeting on 17 June 2011 in Venice in the presence of representatives of the Hungarian authorities.
In March 2011, the Venice Commission has already adopted, at the request of the Hungarian authorities, a legal opinion on three legal issues raised in the drafting process of the new C... read more
Electoral matters - 20th Jubilee Conference of the ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials)
17/06/2011
Budapest - The Venice Commission takes part in the 20th Jubilee Conference of the ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials), dedicated to "Independence of the Election Management Bodies".
87th plenary session of the Venice Commission (Venice)
17/06/2011 - 18/06/2011
Belarus - Request for opinion
08/06/2011 - 08/06/2011
Strasbourg - The Chairperson of the political Affaires Committee of the PACE requests the Venice Commission to assess the compatibility with universal human rights standards of Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus vis-à-vis the rights of non registered associations in this country.
Request for opinion - Peru
07/06/2011
Request for an amicus curiae opinion by the Constitutional Court of Peru on a case related to crimes against humanity
Tunisia - Electoral issues
04/06/2011 - 06/06/2011
Tunis – A delegation of the Venice Commission will take part in a seminar on: “The democratic transition in Tunisia: opportunities and challenges”. On this occasion, the delegation meets various Tunisian and international representatives within the framework of its co-operation with Tunisia in the electoral field.
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Electoral issues - legal assistance to PACE
02/06/2011 - 06/06/2011
Skopje - The Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during the early parliamentary elections on 5 June 2011.
Azerbaijan - Request for opinion – political parties
26/05/2011
Venice Commission received a request from the Azeri authorities for an opinion on the draft law on political parties.
23/05/2011 - 25/05/2011
Bucharest - The Venice Commission will participate in the XVth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts
19/05/2011
Background - The request to prepare an opinion on the new Hungarian constitution was addressed to the Venice Commission by the head of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE Dick Marty on 25.04.2011
In March 2011, at the request of the Hungarian government, the Venice Commission already adopted an opinion on three legal questions which arose in the process of drafting the new constitution. In this opinion it expressed concern about the very rapid procedure for adopting the Constitution.
Visit - On 17-18 May 2011 a delegation of the Venice Commission visited... read more
Warsaw - OSCE 2011 Human Dimension Seminar
18/05/2011 - 20/05/2011
The Venice Commission takes part in the 2011 OSCE Human Dimension Meeting on the Role of Political Parties in the Electoral Process.
17/05/2011 - 18/05/2011
Budapest - A delegation from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission is to meet representatives of the authorities, the various political parties and civil society in Hungary to discuss the country’s new constitution adopted on 18 April 2011.
Context: At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission is currently preparing an opinion on the new Hungarian constitution.
In March 2011, at the request of the Hungarian government, the Venice Commission already adopted an opinion on three legal questions which arose in the process ... read more
17/05/2011 - 18/05/2011
Sucre - In co-operation with the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor General of Bolivia, the Venice Commission organised a conference on the role of the prosecution service in a democratic society.
Bulgaria - Visit regarding the 4th Draft Law on Forfeiture in Favour of the State of Assets acquired through Criminal or
12/05/2011 - 13/05/2011
Sofia- A delegation of the Venice Commission visits the country and meets with the Minister of Justice Mrs Popova, the Vice-Minister of Justice Mrs Petrova, and other relevant stakeholders. During the visit, the delegation will discuss the latest amendments to the draft Law on Forfeiture in Favour of the State of Assets acquired through Criminal or another Illegal activity.
The adoption of the final opinion is on the agenda of its plenary session to be held on 17-18 June 2011.
12/05/2011 - 13/05/2011
Vienna - The Venice Commission and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Austria co-organise the 8th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies on the subject “Elections in a Changing World”. The conference brings together representatives of the national authorities responsible for elections and international organisations.
The main focus of the meeting was on the role of the media, notably social media, in the electoral process.
Request for an opinion - Montenegro - electoral matters
09/05/2011
The Venice Commission received a request for an opinion on the draft law on amendments to the law on election of councillors and members of Parliament of Montenegro.
07/05/2011 - 08/05/2011
Algiers - The Venice Commission participated in the founding congress of the Association of African Constitutional Courts and Councils (working title)
Armenia - electoral reform
05/05/2011
Yerevan – The Venice Commission is invited by the National Assembly of Armenia to participate in a public hearing within the framework of the ongoing electoral reform. A delegation of the Venice Commission is presenting the draft opinion on the draft new Electoral Code, jointly with a representative of the OSCE/ODIHR.
02/05/2011 - 03/05/2011
Bishkek - The Venice Commission has been requested by the Kyrgyz authorities to provide a legal opinion on three Draft Laws to be submitted to a parliamentary hearing on 3 May 2011: Constitutional law on Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, Law on Local Elections and Law on Electoral Commissions.
Two experts of the Venice Commission will participate in a Round Table on 2 May 2011 in Bishkek, together with experts from OSCE/ODIHR and representatives of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Law of the Kyrgyz Republic, in order to discuss the Draft Laws.
This activity is ... read more
Uzbekistan - seminar on "The independence of the judiciary and its relationship with the prosecution service”
28/04/2011 - 29/04/2011
Tashkent - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Research Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is organising a seminar on "The Independence of the judiciary and its relationship with the prosecution service: perspective for developing a relationship and establishing the principle of rule of law".
This activity is organised in the framework of the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law initiative.
27/04/2011 - 29/04/2011
Bishkek - A delegation of the Venice Commission will participate parliamentary sessions and a round table on the package of draft judiciary laws of Kyrgyzstan on which the Commission is preparing opinions upon request by the Kyrgyz Parliament.
Request for opinion – Armenia
21/04/2011
Strasbourg - The Armenian authorities have requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft of a law “On making a supplement to the Penitentiary Code of the Republic of Armenia”, the draft aims to allow, upon court decision, restriction of the correspondence of a convict.
The draft opinion will be proposed for adoption to the Venice Commission at its June 2011 plenary meeting.
19/04/2011 - 21/04/2011
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - At the invitation of the Council of Europe, the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) will hold a special meeting on the theme of prevention of terrorism from 19 to 21 April 2011 at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg, France.
International, regional and sub-regional organizations will be invited to join members of the Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee and the Council of Europe in discussing preventive policies and measures. Aimed at speeding up international efforts to fight terrorism, the three-day meeting will fo... read more
Regional Conference on "The mechanisms of providing legal assistance in criminal cases and extradition of criminals between the law-enforcement bodies of European countries and non member states of the Council of Europe"
18/04/2011 - 19/04/2011
Astana - At the request of the Kazakh authorities the Venice Commission in cooperation with the general Prosecutor’s Office and the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan organises a Regional Conference for prosecutors from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and experts from several European countries to share their knowledge and experience on providing mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition of criminals and other related issues.
This activity is organised in the framework of the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative.
International symposium - Future of the European Court of Human Rights
16/04/2011
Procida/Naples, Italy - The Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission participates in a Symposium on "the Future of the European Court of Human Rights".
The event is organised by the Italian Yearbook of International Law in co-operation with the University of Naples L'Orientale, the University of Naples Federico II, the JM Project Cattedra Jean Monnet, the European University Institute and the National Research Council.
Kyrgyzstan - opinion request
05/04/2011
Strasbourg - The Chairperson of Constitutional Committee of the Kyrgyz Parliament, Ms Skripkina, requested the Venice Commission to provide opinions on judicial laws, in particular the draft Law on the Council for the Selection of Judges of Kyrgyzstan.
02/04/2011 - 04/04/2011
Cairo - The Venice Commission is invited to participate in an international conference entitled ““Free and Fair Elections: Lessons Learnt from other Transitioning Countries on Managing Elections”, which is organised by the American University in Cairo.
Representatives of the Commission will deliver presentations on electoral observation and monitoring.
Kyrgyzstan - opinion request
01/04/2011
Strasbourg - The Chairperson of Constitutional Committee of the Kyrgyz Parliament, Ms. Skripkina, requested the Venice Commission to provide opinions on the draft Law on the Constitutional Chamber in the Supreme Court and on the draft Law on the Status of Judges of Kyrgyzstan.
Kazakhstan – presidential elections – support to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
01/04/2011 - 04/04/2011
Astana - The Venice Commission provides legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe with regard to the presidential elections on 3 April 2011.
29/03/2011 - 30/03/2011
Rabat – a Council of Europe delegation headed by Philippe Boillat, Director General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, met the Moroccan authorities, NGOs and representatives of the international community present in the country. Staff from the Directorate of External Relations (DG-DPA) as well as of the Venice Commission also participated in this delegation.
The purpose of the visit was to present the Council of Europe's instruments and to identify fields of mutual cooperation.
Judiciary - Role of Public Prosecutors Outside the Criminal Field
29/03/2011 - 30/03/2011
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission will participate in the meeting of the Council of Europe Group of Specialists on the Role of Public Prosecutors Outside the Criminal Field (CJ-S-PR).
Request for opinion – PACE Monitoring Committee - new Hungarian constitution
28/03/2011
On 25 March 2011, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly decided to ask the Venice Commission for an opinion on the new Constitution of Hungary that is currently being debated in the Hungarian parliament.
25/03/2011 - 26/03/2011
At its 86th plenary session, the Commission adopted the opinions concerning the following issues:
- Hungary –new constitution;
- Serbia - election of members o fParliament, in particular on the issue of "imperative mandate"; financing of political activities;
- Turkey – draft law on judges and prosecutors;
- Ukraine – establishment and functioning of a Constitutional Assembly; draft law on languages;
- Bolivia - draft law on prosecutors.
The Commission was informed on the results of the meetings on constitutional and electoral reforms in Tuni... read more
16/03/2011 - 18/03/2011
Tunis - a delegation of the Venice Commission travels to Tunisia on invitation by the Tunisian authorities to discuss the assistance that the Venice Commission can provide to the national authorities in the context of the upcoming constitutional and electoral reforms.
The delegation is meeting with the Prime Minister (on the photo) and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the High Commission for the achievement of the goals of the revolution, for political reform and democratic transition. Meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the European Union and Turkish em... read more
Ukraine – Electoral issues – Round Table on 2012 Parliamentary Elections
14/03/2011
Kiev – Following an invitation from the International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES), the Venice Commission participates in an electoral meeting on the electoral legal framework in view of the forthcoming 2012 Parliamentary Elections.
Albania – long term mission of assistance to the CEC
14/03/2011 - 14/05/2011
Tirana – At the request of the Central Election Commission of Albania (CEC) in the context of the forthcoming local elections, a Venice Commission election expert assists the CEC in preparing the elections. The expert advises the CEC on legal and technical issues, notably for the preparation of CEC instructions and of trainings manuals.
Turkey supports Venice Commission work on the constitutional reform in Tunisia
09/03/2011
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Following the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey - currently chairing Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe - and of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland to Tunisia on 21 February 2011, Turkish government has made a voluntary contribution to the work of the Venice Commission on the process of constitutional reform in Tunisia”.
Georgia – new draft electoral code – country visit
09/03/2011
Tbilisi – A representative of the Venice Commission meets with the Electoral Code Working Group, in charge of drafting a new electoral code. Meetings with representatives of the civil society, of the international community as well as with the Central Election Commission Chairman are on the agenda.
Hungary – country visit – assistance in preparing new Constitution
07/03/2011 - 08/03/2011
Budapest - Following the request dated 18 February 2011 by the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, Minister of Public Administration and Justice, Mr Tibor Navracsics, for the Venice Commission's assistance with respect to certain issues arising in the framework of the preparation of a new Constitution, a delegation of the Commission will visit the country on 7-8 March and will meet with the national authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
The relevant opinion of the Commission is on the agenda of its plenary session to be held on 25-26 March 2011.
UniDem Campus - 7th National Co-ordinators Meeting and Mini-Conference
28/02/2011
Trieste, Italy - The 7th National Co-ordinators Meeting of the UniDem Campus Trieste Programme will give the national co-ordinators the opportunity to discuss the organisation of and topics for the seminars planned for 2011 and 2012.
This meeting will be followed by a mini-conference on "The Executive and Judiciary: "dialogue" in relation to human rights".
Kyrgyzstan - A follow-up seminar on "Law-making techniques"
28/02/2011 - 01/03/2011
Kyrgyzstan - At the request of the Kyrgyz authorities the Venice Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice organises a follow-up training seminar for civil servants on issues related to law-making. The seminar will consist of both lectures and practical exercises.
This activity is organised in the framework of the EU funded project "Assistance in reforming the legislation of Kyrgyzstan following the constitutional referendum of 27 June 2010"
Request for opinion – Serbia – electoral legislation (resignation of MPs)
25/02/2011
Speaker of the Serbian Parliament Ms Djukic Dejanovic requested Commission’s opinion on the amendment of art. 84 of the Law on the election of MPs
Request for opinion – Serbia – new draft law on financing of political activities
25/02/2011
Ministry for Justice requested Commission’s opinion on the draft law on financing of political activities, modified on the basis of the joint OSCE/ODHIR – CDL opinion adopted at the December 2010 session
Tunisia - invitation for a country visit
21/02/2011
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has received an invitation by the authorities of Tunisia to discuss the reform process in the country. A visit by the Commission’s delegation to Tunis is expected to take place during the second half of March 2011.
Tunisia is a full member of the Commission since March 2010.
Turkey - 66th meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
21/02/2011 - 23/02/2011
Antakya/Hatay - Participation of the Secretary of the Venice Commission in the 66th meeting of the EU - Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
Request for opinion – Hungary – drafting new Constitution
18/02/2011
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Administration and Justice, Mr Tibor Navracsics, requested Commission's assistance in the preparation of a new Constitution.
Request for opinion - Ukraine - constitutional assembly
18/02/2011
Mr Holovaty, the Chair of the Ukrainian Commission for Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law, requested Venice Commission's assessment of the Concept paper for the Establishment and Functioning of the Constitutional Assembly in Ukraine.
18/02/2011 - 19/02/2011
Almaty - Conference with Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan on "Safeguarding constitutional human rights in pre-trial criminal proceedings."
This activity is organised in the framework of the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative
16/02/2011 - 17/02/2011
Yerevan - at the request of the then Minister for Justice of Armenia dated 26 October 2010, the Venice Commission adopted an interim opinion on the amendments to the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations at its December 2010 plenary session. At the same time the Commission was informed that a new set of amendments was in preparation.
In order to obtain more background information on the legislative process related to the planned amendments of the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations, a delegation of the Venice Commission, consisting of Finola... read more
16/02/2011 - 18/02/2011
Kyiv - At the request of the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine dated 17 November 2010, the Venice Commission is assessing the Draft Law on Languages in Ukraine. To this end, a delegation of the Commission meets with the national authorities and other stakeholders.
In order to obtain more background information on this draft Law, a delegation of the Venice Commission conducts a visit to Ukraine to meet with the national authorities and other relevant stakeholders on 16 -18 February 2011.
During the visit, the delegation holds discussions on the draft law under consider... read more
14/02/2011 - 16/02/2011
Mexico City – Upon invitation by the Federal Electoral Court, representatives of the Venice Commission’s Secretariat will hold meetings with the Federal Electoral Court and the Supreme Court of Mexico in order to discuss co-operation in the fields of electoral law and constitutional justice.
Moldova - Post-elections review workshop
03/02/2011 - 04/02/2011
Chisinau – Upon invitation by the Central Election Commission of Moldova, the Venice Commission participates in a Post-Election Review Workshop as a follow-up to the last early parliamentary elections of November 2010. Representatives of the Central Election Commission and of precinct and district election commissions participate in this workshop. Tabulating results and reporting, electoral staff training and management of electoral complaints are the key issues to be addressed in this workshop.
Ukraine - meeting with the Monitoring Committee of the PACE
27/01/2011 - 27/01/2011
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - A representative of the Venice Commission is invited to take part in an exchange of views on recent developments in Ukraine organised by the Monitoring Committee of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
European Network of Councils for Judiciary
24/01/2011 - 25/01/2011
Brussels - Participation of Venice Commission representative in a meeting of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) Project Team
Montenegro - Workshop on the independence, impartiality and professionalism in the judiciary
20/01/2011 - 20/01/2011
Danilovgrad - Workshop on the "Independence, impartiality and professionalism in the judiciary - European models and the case of Montenegro", organised by the European Union with participation of the Venice Commission. The target group are decision makers in the three branches of power in Montenegro (government, parliament and judiciary) as well as representatives of the key NGOs. The seminar aims at examining solutions to improve the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
16/01/2011 - 18/01/2011
Rio de Janeiro - 2nd Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice on “Separation of Powers and Independence of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Bodies”
The Congress allowed around 90 Courts worldwide to discuss problems in their relations with other state powers, especially pressure from the executive or the legislative but sometimes also from the media. The participating judges drew inspiration from their peers in other countries at a time when constitutional justice is endangered in a number of countries.
17/12/2010 - 18/12/2010
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
- 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 of Armenia (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 l... read more
Freedom of religion and Belief - OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting
10/12/2010 - 10/12/2010
Vienna - A member of the Venice Commission participates in the session on "Religious symbols" of the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedom of Religion and Belief
International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL)
06/12/2010 - 10/12/2010
Mexico - Participation in the World Congress of Constitutional Law of the International Association of Constitutional Law
Belgium - liber amicorum Melchior
02/12/2010
Brussels - Remittance of the liber amicorum to Michel Melchior, President of the Constitutional Court of Belgium
28/11/2010 - 30/11/2010
Kyiv - On 30 September 2010, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine declared the Law on Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine adopted on 8 December 2004 unconstitutional and required that laws subsequently adopted be brought in line with the 1996 Constitution.
In October 2010, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly asked the Venice Commission to give its opinion:
• on the constitutional situation in Ukraine following the Constitutional Court’s decision of 1 October 2010, and
• on the measures to be taken to bring the new constitutional framework i... read more
26/11/2010 - 27/11/2010
Tokyo / Nagoya - Participation in the Symposium on "Functions of Multi-layered Fundamental Rights Protection in a Globalized World - Human Rights Convention and Constitutional Courts in Integrated Europe" and Meetings with the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Moldova - Electoral issues - legal assistance to PACE
26/11/2010 - 29/11/2010
Chisinau - The Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during the early parliamentary elections on 28 November 2010.
25/11/2010 - 26/11/2010
Ankara - Within the context of the constitutional reform in Turkey which came into force with the referendum of 12 September 2010, the Venice Commission was requested to prepare opinions on draft laws that are a part of the implementation of the constitutional amendments package. The first of these is the draft Law on the High Council for Judges and Prosecutors and the Venice Commission will therefore prepare an opinion on this draft Law first.
The opinion on the draft Law on the High Council for Judges and Prosecutors will be discussed and should be adopted by the Venice Commis... read more
Armenia - Electoral issues
22/11/2010 - 23/11/2010
Yerevan - The Venice Commission participates in an Electoral Standards’ Symposium on the ongoing electoral reform in Armenia to provide an international perspective to the reform in question.
Central Asia - Regional Conference on "The implementation of mediation and alternative dispute resolution in criminal law. The experience of Uzbekistan and international practice"
22/11/2010 - 23/11/2010
Tashkent - At the request of the Uzbek authorities the Venice Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan organises a Regional Conference for judges and prosecutors from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and experts from several European countries to share their knowledge and experience on mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Union - Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative.
Moldova - Electoral issues
22/11/2010 - 26/11/2010
Chisinau - The Venice Commission participates in a training session for short-term election observers in the framework of the forthcoming early parliamentary elections on 28 November 2010.
Montenegro - Seminar on "New discriminations and European standards"
18/11/2010 - 19/11/2010
Becici - The OSCE Mission to Montenegro has invited member of the Venice Commission Mr Latif Huseynov to represent the Venice Commission at the seminar and to present a report on “The Council of Europe Anti-Discrimination Standards and the related case-law of the European Court of Human Rights".
Constitutional Justice - ACCPUF
18/11/2010 - 19/11/2010
Paris - 7th seminar of national correspondents of ACCPUF on "The Functioning of Constitutional Courts in Election Periods"
18/11/2010 - 20/11/2010
St. Petersburg - Conference in co-operation with the Institute of Law and Public Policy and under the aegis of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on "European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the XXIst Century: Practice, Problems and Prospects of Implementation"
Azerbaijan - Constitutional justice - 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Azerbaijan
12/11/2010
Baku - Conference on "The Constitutional Mechanism of Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms" organised in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Azerbaijan.
Armenia - round table on freedom of assembly
09/11/2010
Yerevan - A delegation of the Venice Commission takes part in the Round Table on draft amendments to the Law on Freedom of Assembly of Armenia.
Moldova - Electoral issues - long-term expert
09/11/2010 - 10/12/2010
Chisinau - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Moldova (CEC), a senior election expert of the Venice Commission assists the CEC in preparing the early parliamentary elections on 28 November 2010.
Moldova - Electoral issues
06/11/2010 - 07/11/2010
Chisinau - The Venice Commission participates in a training session for short-term domestic observers in the framework of the forthcoming early parliamentary elections on 28 November 2010.
04/11/2010 - 05/11/2010
Dushanbe - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Tajikistan, the German Society for Technical Cooperation and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation in Tajikistan on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitutional Court on "The bodies of constitutional control in the context of the integration of legal systems: international experience and practice in Tajikistan".
2010 Lisbon Forum on “Freedom of expression, conscience and religion”
04/11/2010 - 05/11/2010
Lisbon, North-South Centre of the Council of Europe - Ms Fernanda Palma attends the 2010 Lisbon Forum on “Freedom of expression, conscience and religion” on behalf of the Venice Commission. She presents a paper on "Infringements against religion and rule of law"
Request for opinion - Armenia - draft amendements to the legislation concerning freedom of religion
26/10/2010 - 26/10/2010
The Minister of Justice of Armenia has requested the assessment by the Venice Commission of the draft amendements to the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations, to the administrative and civil code and the Law on charity
25/10/2010
The President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe Gianni Buquicchio addressed the President of Kyrgyzstan Rosa Otunbaeva in a letter expressing serious concern of the Venice Commission regarding criminal case recently opened against several judges of the former Constitutional Court of Kyrgyzstan for decisions taken in the past. The Commission expressed hope that the issue would be resolved according to the rule of law principles.
The decision to send the letter was taken by the last plenary session of the Venice Commission on 16.10.2010
Kyrgyzstan is a full... read more
Armenia - Constitutional Justice
21/10/2010 - 23/10/2010
Yerevan - XV International Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Armenia on "Safeguarding and protection of human constitutional rights in the practice of constitutional justice, taking into account the legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights" on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the Constitution of Armenia.
Request for opinion - Kyrgyzstan - Peaceful Assemblies
20/10/2010 - 20/10/2010
At the request of the Minister of Justice, the Venice Commission is assessing the draft law on peaceful assemblies
15/10/2010 - 16/10/2010
At its 84th plenary session, the Commission
- held an exchange of views with Ms Margarita Popova, Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, and adopted the opinion on the amendments to the draft Act on Forfeiture in favour of the State of Illegally acquired assets of Bulgaria;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Anastas Anastasov, Vice-President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, and decided, at the request of the rapporteurs, to postpone the examination of the draft opinion on the draft law amending the law on judicial power and the draft law amending the criminal pro... read more
Moldova - Electoral Training Session
15/10/2010 - 16/10/2010
Chisinau - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Moldova and in the framework of the Action Plan of the Council of Europe for Moldova in the context of the forthcoming early Parliamentary Elections of 28 November 2010, the Venice Commission takes part in a training programme for Chairmen and Secretaries of the District Election Commissions.
06/10/2010
Washington, DC – US Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton at the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission meeting in Washington in presence of Georgian PM Nika Gilauri, expressed United States support to the recommendations of the Venice Commission with regard to the “strengthening Georgia’s system of checks and balances”. She stated:
“Constitutional reform is the most obvious and most important reform challenge facing Georgia today. It represents the opportunity for Georgians to build on everything you have accomplished since the Rose Revolution. And I hope the parliament wil... read more
04/10/2010 - 05/10/2010
Kyiv - A delegation of the Venice Commission and the Co-operation Directorate of the Council of Europe / DGHL will visit Ukraine in order to discuss judicial reform in view of the adoption of opinions on this topic at the October session of the Venice Commission.
International conference on the principle of subsidiarity - " Strengthening subsidiarity : integrating the Court's case-law into national and judicial practice"
01/10/2010 - 02/10/2010
Skopje - This conference was organised in the framework of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chairmanship of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
Three members of the Venice Commission took active part in this event.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – legislative elections - support to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
01/10/2010 - 04/10/2010
The Venice Commission provides legal assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe with regard to the parliamentary elections on 3 October 2010.
Turkey – request for opinion
27/09/2010
By a letter of 27 September 2010, Mr Sadullah Ergin, Minister for Justice of Turkey,
requested an opinion on draft laws implementing the constitutional amendments approved by referendum on 12 September 2010. The letter referred in particular to four draft laws on:
(1) the High Council for Judges and Prosecutors,
(2) the Organisation of the Ministry of Justice,
(3) the Organisation of the Constitutional Court and
(4) Judges and Prosecutors.
Azerbaijan - seminar on electoral complaints and appeals
24/09/2010 - 25/09/2010
Baku – In the framework of the Action Plan for Elections in Azerbaijan the Venice Commission and the authorities of Azerbaijan have organised a seminar on electoral complaints and appeals for judges and lawyers. This is the second activity on this topic: in July 2010 a training seminar was organised for the members of electoral commissions, notably for representatives of the working groups on complaints and appeals.
Kyrgyzstan - Seminar on the law-making process
23/09/2010 - 24/09/2010
Bishkek - At the request of the Kyrgyz authorities the Venice Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice organises a training seminar for civil servants and lawyers on issues related to law-making.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Union's Initative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia.
Request for opinion – “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
21/09/2010
The President of the Constitutional Court of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Mr Ivanovski, requested an amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission on amendments to several laws relating to the system of salaries and remunerations of elected and appointed officials.
Azerbaijan - Workshop on Freedom of Assembly and Electoral Campaign
21/09/2010 - 21/09/2010
Lankaran, Azerbaijan - Workshop organised in co-operation with the Presidential administration of Azerbaijan, for the representatives of regional and local authorities and police.
Tajikistan - Seminar on the implementation of the Code of Criminal procedure
21/09/2010 - 22/09/2010
Dushanbe - At the request of the Tadjik authorities the Commission in cooperation with the Judicial Training Center of Tajikistan organises a seminar for prosecutors and defence lawyers on the implementation of the Code of Criminal procedure.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Union's Central Asia Rule of Law Initiative.
16/09/2010 - 17/09/2010
Tbilisi - A delegation of the Venice Commission will discuss constitutional reform with representatives of the Georgian parliament and others.. The Venice Commission is expected to adopt its opinion on the constitutional amendments at its forthcoming session on 15 to 16 October 2010.
Constitutional Justice - Lisbon Treaty
16/09/2010 - 17/09/2010
Regensburg - A representative of the Secretariat of the Commission participates in the 12th International Congress on European and Comparative Constitutional Law on "The Progressing Internationalization and Europeanization of Constitutional Law in Europe, in particular the Impact of the Lisbon Treaty".
Kyrgyzstan - 2nd mission of assistance to the Central Election Commission
15/09/2010 - 15/10/2010
Bishkek - following the request from the Delegation of the European Union in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz authorities, an expert on elections carries out another long term mission of assistance to the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan in preparing the parliamentary elections of 10 October 2010.
This activity falls within the framework of the European Commission Initiative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan - Legislation following the constitutional reform of June 2010 - Mission of assistance to the Ministry of Justice
15/09/2010 - 15/12/2010
Bishkek - Within the framework of the Joint Programme with the European Union for Kyrgyzstan a long-term expert of the Venice Commission assists the Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan in preparing draft legislation following the constitutional reform of June 2010.
United States of America - New observer appointed
13/09/2010
Appointment of Mrs Sarah Cleveland, professor at the Columbia Law School, as new observer at the Venice Commission in respect of the United States of America
Bulgaria - visit in connection with the preparation of the new Law on forfeiture in favor of the State of criminal assets
13/09/2010 - 14/09/2010
Sofia - A delegation of the Venice Commission will discuss the new draft Law with representatives of the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice and the Multidisciplinary Commission for Establishing Property Acquired through Criminal Activity. The Venice Commission is expected to adopt its final opinion on the draft Law on forfeiture in favor of the State of criminal assets
at its forthcoming session on 15 to 16 October 2010.
Media, Beliefs and Religions - international conference
13/09/2010 - 14/09/2010
“Media, Beliefs and Religions - the Role of the Media in fostering intercultural Dialogue, Tolerance and mutual Understanding: Freedom of Expression in the Media and Respect towards cultural and religious Diversity.”
Ohrid - This Conference is organised in the framework of the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and of the 2010 Council of Europe Exchange on the Religious Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue.
Mrs Flanagan is representing the Venice Commission and its relevant work.
Political parties - Joint Guidelines with the OSCE/ODIHR – meeting of the Panel of Experts
09/09/2010 - 10/09/2010
Munich - representatives of the Venice Commission take part in the Panel of Experts’ meeting to finalise the joint Venice Commission – OSCE/ODIHR guidelines on political parties. Representatives of the Venice Commission have been taking part in the work of this Panel of experts since the launching of this project by the ODIHR in April 2009.
Canada - Constitutional Justice
09/09/2010 - 10/09/2010
Strasbourg - The President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission will meet a delegation of the Supreme Court of Canada led by its Chief Justice.
ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials) Conference and General Assembly meeting
09/09/2010 - 11/09/2010
Tbilisi - The Venice Commission takes part in the ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials) Conference and General Assembly meeting. The Conference this time is on "Developing accurate voter lists".
Constitutional Justice - ACCPUF
08/09/2010
Paris - The Head of the Constitutional Justice Division of the Venice Commission will meet Ms Petillon, Secretary General of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF) and liaison officer for the French Constitutional Council to discuss co-operation.
03/09/2010 - 06/09/2010
Moldova - The Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly observation mission in the framework of the Constitutional Referendum to be held on 5 September 2010.
Uzbekistan - Seminars on the implementation of habeas corpus in the country's legal system
30/08/2010 - 03/09/2010
Tashkent and Samarkand - At the request of the Uzbek authorities the Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan organise 2 seminars on the issues related to Habeas corpus.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Union's Initative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia.
27/08/2010 - 27/08/2010
Astana - The Venice Commission will participate in the Conference on “The Constitution – the foundation of democratic development of the State” on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Kazakhstan.
Moldova - Referendum - Meeting on complaints and appeals procedures
24/08/2010
Chisinau - In the framework of the assistance mission to the Central Election Commission in preparing the constitutional referendum of 5 September 2010, the Venice Commission takes part in a Seminar on Election Dispute Resolution for Judges of Local Courts
Request for opinion - Republic of Armenia - Law on Assemblies
19/08/2010
The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia asked the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the Republic of Armenia Law on Assemblies. The Commission is preparing the opinion jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.
Mission of assistance to the Central Election Commission of Moldova
19/08/2010 - 10/09/2010
Chisinau - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Moldova (CEC), a second election expert of the Venice Commission assists the CEC in preparing the constitutional referendum of 5 September 2010.
Mission of assistance to the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan
12/08/2010 - 26/08/2010
Bishkek - Within the framework of the European Commission Initative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia a long-term expert on elections assists the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan in preparing the parliamentary elections of 10 October 2010.
Mission of assistance to the Central Election Commission of Moldova
02/08/2010 - 13/08/2010
Chisinau - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Moldova (CEC), an election expert of the Venice Commission assists the CEC in preparing the constitutional referendum of 5 September 2010.
Request for opinion - Republic of Serbia - Law on Assembly of Citizens
26/07/2010
The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights asked the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the Law on Assembly of Citizens of Republic of Serbia. The Commission is preparing the opinion jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.
Request for opinion - Ukraine - Draft Law on Peaceful Gathering
21/07/2010
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine asked the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the Draft Law of Ukraine on Peaceful Gathering.
The Commission is preparing the opinion jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.
Conference on Constitutional Reform in Georgia
15/07/2010 - 16/07/2010
Berlin - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates, together with several members of the State Constitutional Commission of Georgia and other international experts, in a conference organised by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) on the constitutional reform in Georgia.
Asia - Constitutional Justice
12/07/2010 - 15/07/2010
Jakarta - The Venice Commission will participate in the 7th Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges, organised by the Constitutional Court of Indonesia and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
Electoral matters - Azerbaijan - Electoral Workshop on electoral disputes
07/07/2010 - 08/07/2010
Baku - A workshop organised with the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan for training commissioners on complaints and appeals procedures in the context of the forthcoming elections.
07/07/2010 - 09/07/2010
Managua, Nicaragua - The Venice Commission will participate in the VIIIth Ibero-American Conference of on Constitutional Justice on "Constitutional Justice and Social and Economic Rights".
Constitutional Justice - Austria
06/07/2010
Strasbourg – A delegation of the Constitutional Court of Austria under its President will meet the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission.
Kyrgyzstan - Constitutional Justice
(postponed)
30/06/2010 - 01/07/2010
Bishkek - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Kyrgyzstan on "the Role of the Constitutional Court in the the System of Legal Protection of the Constitution".
Workshop on the Freedom of Assembly and Electoral Campaign
29/06/2010 - 01/07/2010
Guba, Gebele - Workshop organised in co-operation with the Presidential administration of Azerbaijan, for the representatives of local authorities and police.
Independence of the judiciary
23/06/2010 - 25/06/2010
Kiev - The Venice Commission will participate in an expert meeting on judicial independence of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
PACE elects Angelika Nussberger judge of the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Germany
22/06/2010
Strasbourg - Venice Commission substitute member in respect of Germany Ms Angelika NUSSBERGER has been elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting this week in plenary session in Strasbourg, by absolute majority of the votes cast as judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Germany.
The term of office is 9 years starting on 1 January 2011.
Judges are elected by PACE from a list of three candidates nominated by each State which has ratified the European Convention on Human
today elected Angelika Nussberger
Request for opinion by PACE - Ukraine - Prevention of abuse of the right to appeal
22/06/2010
Strasbourg - The PACE Monitoring Committee requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Law of Ukraine on Amendments to Legislative Acts concerning "Prevention of abuse of the right to appeal"
The adoption of the opinion is foreseen for the next plenary session on 15-16 October 2010.
Request for opinion – Ukraine - Draft Law on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges
20/06/2010 - 22/06/2010
Kyiv, Strasbourg - The Minister of Justice of Ukraine on 20 June 2010 and the PACE Monitoring Committee on 22 June 2010 requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Draft Law on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges of Ukraine. This Draft law was adopted by the Parliament on 7 July 2010.
The adoption of the opinion is foreseen for the next plenary session on 15-16 October 2010.
Electoral matters - Colloquium on "The Developments of the Secondary Electoral Legislation in Europe"
11/06/2010
Rome - The Venice Commission takes part in the III Italian-Polish Colloquium on institutional changes entitled "The Developments of secondary electoral legislation in Europe".
Electoral matters - "Developing accurate voters’ list in transitional democracies" - Workshop
09/06/2010
Bucharest - At the invitation of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO), a representative of the Venice Commission participates in a workshop devoted to the voters' lists and their accuracy in transitional democracies.
Electoral matters - Workshop on out of country voting
08/06/2010
Bucharest - The Venice Commission takes part in an "Out of Country Voting Workshop"-, organised by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division and the Romanian Permanent Electoral Authority.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - preparations
05/06/2010
Venice - 3rd meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice
05/06/2010
Venice - The Commission celebrated its 20th anniversary on Saturday 5 June 2010, 09h30 - 12:30. A press conference took place at the Scoula, at 12:30.
For more information:
04/06/2010 - 05/06/2010
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evanglelista - At its 83d plenary session on 4 June 2010, the Commission adopted the opinions on the legislation concerning inter alia the following issues:
• Azerbaijan – normative legal Acts;
• Belarus – amendments to the Electoral Code;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – prevention of conflict of interest and freedom of assembly in Canton of Sarajevo, BiH;
• Bulgaria – forfeiture by the State of illegally acquired assets ( second interim opinion);
• Georgia – Electoral reform;
• Kyrgyzstan – draft Constitution;
• Mold... read more
Constitutional Justice
01/06/2010 - 02/06/2010
Venice - 9th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice
Annual report of activities 2009
27/05/2010
Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission presents the Commission's annual report to the Committee of Ministers
Electoral matters - Third Meeting of the Committee of Experts - participation of people with disabilities in political and public life
26/05/2010 - 28/05/2010
Strasbourg - A representative of the Venice Commission takes part in the third Meeting of the Committee of Experts on participation of people with disabilities in political and public life. He presents a draft Interpretative Declaration of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters on the participation of people with disabilities in elections.
Uzbekistan - Seminar on Habeas corpus issues
24/05/2010
Tashkent - At the request of the Uzbek authorities the Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan organise a round-table for judges on the issues related to Habeas corpus.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Commission Initative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia.
Uzbekistan - Conference on the issues of mediation in the judiciary
21/05/2010
Tashkent - Venice Commission in cooperation with the Research Centre of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan organise a conference the issues of mediation in the judiciary.
This activity is organised in the framework of the European Union Initiative for the Rule of Law in Central Asia.
18/05/2010
Kiev - In co-operation with the US Embassy in Kiev and the Co-operation Directorate / DGHL of the Council of Europe, the Commission organised a Conference on "Perspectives on Criminal Justice Reform in Ukraine".
Conference "Criminal justice (Law on Procuracy and Criminal Procedure Code)" (Kiev)
18/05/2010 - 18/05/2010
Days of institutional networks of the Francophonie
18/05/2010 - 19/05/2010
Paris - participation of the Venice Commission in the Days devoted to institutional networks of the Francophonie on the 10th anniversary of the Bamako Declaration, organised by the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). The topic discussed at this event will be «Promoting and implementing the Bamako Declaration, 10 years after its adoption: results and prospects in the light of the experience gained by institutional networks of the Francophonie».
Belarus – Constitutional Justice
13/05/2010 - 14/05/2010
Minsk – Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Belarus on “Theoretical and Practical Aspects when Dealing with Individual Constitutional Complaints in the European Model of Constitutional Justice”
10/05/2010
Strasbourg, 10.05.2010 - Today 20 years ago in Strasbourg, on 10 May 1990, 18 member states of the Council of Europe - Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey - established the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, formally called "The European Commission for Democracy through law".
Its initial purpose was to assist countries coming out of totalitarian regimes to bring their constitutions and other fundamental laws into conformity with Council of Europ... read more
05/05/2010
Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr. Buquicchio, met the Acting President of Moldova, Mr. Ghimpu, to discuss constitutional issues in that country.
Ukraine – meeting on a draft Electoral Code
28/04/2010
Kyiv – at the invitation of Verkhovna Rada, representatives of the Venice Commission participate in the Meeting on a draft Electoral Code of Ukraine.
Monaco - Ombudsman
23/04/2010
Monte Carlo - Monaco does not yet have an ombudsman institution. The Venice Commission participates in a Parliamentary Seminar with the Council of Europe on the establishment of such a body in Monaco. The purpose of the seminar is to explain and illustrate the usefulness of an ombudsman institution and to give the lawmakers of Monaco a panorama of the options that exist namely with respect to the mandate, mode of designation, functioning and cost of an ombudsman institution.
Bolivia - implementation of the Constitutional reform in 2010- 2011
22/04/2010 - 23/04/2010
La Paz - at the invitation of the Deputies Chamber of the Republic of Bolivia, a delegation of the Commission is to exchange views with the authorities on the cooperation programme regarding the implementation of the Constitutional reform in 2010 - 2011. (POSTPONED)
"New technologies in the elaboration and use of voters’ lists: developments and perspectives" - International conference
21/04/2010
Chisinau - At the invitation of the Central Election Commission of Moldova, a representative of the Commission participates in an international conference on the voters' lists, their elaboration and use through new technologies. PARTICIPATION CANCELLED
Constitutional Justice - International Association of Constitutional Law
17/04/2010
Siena - The Secretariat of the Commission was invited to participate in the meeting of the Interest Group of the International Association of Constitutional Law on the “Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges”. At the meeting, the members of the group will present the progress of their work in view of the World Congress of IACL in Mexico in December 2010. (PARTICIPATION CANCELLED)
"Implications of the Judgment of the ECHR in the Case of Sejdic and Finci vs. BiH and Future Perspectives for Constitutional Reform in BiH" - Conference
16/04/2010
Vienna - A representative of the Venice Commission participates in a conference on "Implications of the Judgment of the ECHR
in the Case of Sejdic and Finci vs. BiH and Future Perspectives for Constitutional Reform in BiH" .
The conference is organised by the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna and the Faculty for Political Sciences in Sarajevo
Georgia - Assistance to the Central Election Commission for the upcoming local elections
15/04/2010 - 30/04/2010
Tbilisi - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC), the Venice Commission provides an elections expert for assisting the CEC in organisation of the next local elections (30 May 2010) regarding legal and technical issues.
09/04/2010
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio deeply regrets the loss of human lives and expresses hope that a peaceful solution could be found to the conflict in Kyrgyzstan, based on democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for human rights - the fundamental values of the Council of Europe.
He recalls that the country is a full member of the Venice Commission and that the Venice Commission had been involved in the drafting of its Constitution and various efforts to reform it. In his view the developments since the Tulip revolut... read more
Moldova - Public debate on the amendments to the Electoral Code
08/04/2010
Chisinau - Representative of the Venice Commission participates in the meeting on the forthcoming amendments to the Electoral Code of Moldova, organised by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the NGO "ADEPT".
The Parliament of Moldova requested the Venice Commission's opinion on a draft law amending the Code. The Commission is preparing the opinion jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.
Tajikistan - judiciary
25/03/2010 - 26/03/2010
Dushanbe - In co-operation with the Center for Judicial Training Centre of Tajikistan, the Venice Commission is organising a seminar on "European experience of the reform of the legislation on criminal proceedings".
Request for opinion - Montenegro - Electoral Reform
22/03/2010
Strasbourg - The Speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament asked the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on draft amendments to the Election Code.
Request for opinion - Belarus - Electoral law
18/03/2010
The Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly asked the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the amendments recently introduced to the Belarusian electoral code.
Request for opinion - Russian Federation - amendments to the Law on Defence
17/03/2010
Paris - the PACE Monitoring committee decided to ask the opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the law on Defence of the Russian Federation
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - electoral reform
17/03/2010 - 18/03/2010
Skopje - In the framework of the ongoing electoral reform, a representative of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission and an elections expert participated in meetings with the Working Group on the electoral reform and other stakeholders.
12/03/2010 - 13/03/2010
The Commission
- welcomed the appointment of Mr Thomas Markert as Secretary of the Venice Commission;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Kamran Bayramov, Senior Adviser at the Presidential Administration, took note of the rapporteurs’ comments on the draft law on normative legal Acts of Azerbaijan, and instructed the secretariat to prepare an opinion on the basis of these comments;
- held an exchange of views with Ms Margarita Popova, Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, and adopted the interim opinion on the draft Act on Forfeiture in favour of the State of Ille... read more
Serbia - draft legislation on referendums
08/03/2010
Belgrade - Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in an exchange of views on the new draft legislation on referendums in Serbia. The Venice Commission plans to discuss an opinion on the draft law on referendum during its plenary session on 12 - 13 March 2010.
OSCE/ODIHR - Venice Commission – joint Guidelines on freedom of assembly
25/02/2010 - 26/02/2010
Warsaw – A member of the Venice Commission participated in the Panel meeting on the update of the joint Venice Commission – OSCE/ODIHR guidelines on freedom of assembly
25/02/2010 - 26/02/2010
Chisinau - On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the Constitutional Court of Moldova co-organised an international conference on "Guaranteeing the Constitution's supremacy, basic function of the Constitutional Court" together with the Venice Commission, the German Foundation for International Legal Co-operation (IRZ) and UNDP Moldova.
The conference was opened by the President of the Constitutional Court Mr Pulbere and by the Prime Minister of Moldova Mr Filat. The participants included: the first President of Moldova, the judges of the Constitutional Court of Moldova, the Pre... read more
24/02/2010
Strasbourg - Today, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland announced at the Committee of Ministers his decision to appoint Mr Thomas Markert as the Secretary of the Venice Commission.
Morocco - North-South Centre
22/02/2010 - 23/02/2010
Rabat - The Commission participates in the awareness raising seminar on activities of the North-South Centre and the Council of Europe.
Montenegro - Public roundtable on the draft law on protection from discrimination
19/02/2010
Podgorica - A member of the Venice Commission takes part in a public round table organised by the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights on the draft law on protection from discrimination.
Round table on the ban of political parties and similar measures
17/02/2010 - 18/02/2010
Brussels - Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR organise a round table on the ban of political parties and on similar measures, as well as on the role of the political parties in the elections.
This activity brings together a significant number of international experts in order to formulate the proposals for the future OSCE guidelines on the functioning of political parties.
OSCE/ODIHR - Round table on electoral disputes
15/02/2010 - 16/02/2010
Warsaw – Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in the round table on the electoral disputes and contribute to the development of the new guidelines of the OSCE in the field.
Request for opinion - Georgia - Electoral Reform
10/02/2010
Strasbourg - The Georgian authorities asked the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the amendments to the Election Code passed in the Parliament on 28 December 2009.
Visit to Moldova - follow up to the request for opinion
09/02/2010 - 10/02/2010
Chisinau - Following the request for assistance to constitutional reform addressed by the Acting President of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Ghimpu, to the Venice Commission, the President of the Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, will meet President Ghimpu and other political leaders during a visit to Chisinau on 9 to 10 February.
This visit will be followed by the visit of a Venice Commission delegation to Chisinau on 24 to 26 February to discuss the draft Constitution with the Constitutional Commission.
05/02/2010
Kyiv - In cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Co-operation Directorate/DGHL of the Council of Europe, the Commission organises a round table on the draft Law on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges.
Ukraine – second round of the presidential elections – Assistance to the elections observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
05/02/2010 - 09/02/2010
Ukraine - Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the PACE presidential elections observation mission.
OSCE-ODIHR - Review of the guidelines for legislation pertaining to religion and belief
04/02/2010 - 05/02/2010
Warsaw - The Venice Commission is participating at the 2nd meeting of the working group on the review of the guidelines for review of legislation pertaining to religion and belief.
03/02/2010 - 04/02/2010
Tbilisi - Within the framework of the constitutional reform, a delegation of the Venice Commission meets with the State Constitutional Commission, with the President, with the Speaker of parliament, with the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission and with the civil society.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Conference on the impact of the ECHR on the Constitution and on the electoral legislation
28/01/2010
Sarajevo - Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in the conference on the impact of the ECHR on the Constitution and on the electoral legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Request for opinion by PACE- Belarus - Respect for media freedom
27/01/2010 - 27/01/2010
Strasbourg - In its Recommendation 1897 (2010) the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has requested the Venice Commission to analyse the compatibility of the warning addressed by the Justice Ministry of Belarus on 13 January 2010 to the Belarussian Association of Journalists with universal human rights standards.
Request for opinion - Moldova - Constitutional reform
20/01/2010
The acting President of Moldova Mihai GHIMPU has asked the Venice Commission to assist the constitutional reform process in the Republic.
18/01/2010 - 19/01/2010
In connection with the preparation of the opinion on the Act on State Language, a delegation of the Venice Commission traveled to Bratislava and Samorin on 18-19 January to meet with representatives of the authorities, the national minorities and the civil society.
14/01/2010 - 18/01/2010
Kyiv - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr Srdjan Darmanovic, member of the Venice Commission, and Mr Pierre Garrone, Head of the Division of Elections and Referendums, take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal advisors at the occasion of the first round of the presidential elections (17 January 2010). Their task is to advise the members of the PACE delegation on legal aspects of elections.
Request for opinion - Serbia
16/12/2009
Serbian authorities asked the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the law on referendums.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice
12/12/2009
Venice - The 2nd Meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice discussed the preparation of its 2nd Congress (Rio de Janeiro 16-18.1.2011)
OSCE/ODIHR- Guidelines for review of legislation pertaining to religion or belief
12/12/2009 - 13/12/2009
Milan - The Venice Commission participates in the first meeting of the OSCE/ODIHR working group on the revision of the Guidelines for review of legislation pertaining to religion or belief
11/12/2009 - 12/12/2009
At its 81st plenary session, the Commission adopted opinions on the following issues:
• Armenia – revised draft law amending the Civil code concerning the rules on compensation of victims of defamation by the press;
• Azerbaijan – draft Laws on the Status of municipalities and on obtaining information on activities of the courts of Azerbaijan;
• Bulgaria - draft Law on Normative Acts;
• Georgia – revised draft amendments to the law on occupied territories;
• Kazakhstan - interpretation of the Kazakh Constitution concerning the participation in the Customs U... read more
23/11/2009 - 24/11/2009
Budapest - In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Hungary, the Commission oganises a Conference on "Politics and law in constitutional justice - from the political questions' doctrine to judicial politics" on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Court.
17/11/2009 - 18/11/2009
Mexico City - The Venice Commission takes part in the 2nd international seminar of the Judicial Electoral Observatory, which addresses issues such as limitations of freedom of expression, electoral quotas and deprivation of the right to vote. This conference is an opportunity to disseminate the principles of the European electoral heritage, as defined in the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters drafted by the Venice Commission.
Request for opinion - Bulgaria
16/11/2009
The Bulgarian authorities have asked the Venice Commission to provide an assessment of the draft "law on forfeiture in favour of the State of illegally acquired assets".
EU Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs
16/11/2009 - 17/11/2009
Brussels - Thomas Markert, the Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission, will participate in the Forum on behalf of the Venice Commission and will intervene on the following topic “Independence of the Judiciary and the Prosecution”
Visit to Kosovo - opinion on "Mechanisms to review the compatibility with human rights standards of acts by UNMIK and EULEX in Kosovo"
16/11/2009 - 17/11/2009
Pristine - In the context of the preparation of the opinion on "Mechanisms to review the compatibility with human rights standards of acts by UNMIK and EULEX in Kosovo", a delegation of the Venice Commission will meet representatives of these organisations and of the civil society as well as the Ombudsman.
The Commission had previously recommended the setting up of the UNMIK Human Rights Advisory Panel (opinion CDL-AD (2004)033).
09/11/2009 - 11/11/2009
Istanbul, Ankara - A Delegation of the Venice Commission visits Turkey in connection with the forthcoming Opinion on the recognition of the legal personality of religious communities in Turkey. The Delegation meets representatives of religious communities, including the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and representatives of the Turkish authorities.
Latvia - Constitutional Justice - access to Court
06/11/2009
Riga - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Latvia on “Access to the Court – The Applicant in Constitutional Jurisdiction (persons authorised to apply to the Constitutional Court)”. The Conference will also deal with the issue of the standing for legal persons, which is an increasingly important topic especially in the field of the protection of the environment.
Moldova - Roundtable ''Monitoring the media during elections''
05/11/2009 - 05/11/2009
Chisinau - The Venice Commssion participates in a Round table on media monitoring during elections, organised by the Council of Europe's DG-HL Media division. Ms Herdís Thorgeirsdóttir, Member of the Venice Commission and a co-author of the Commission's Guidelines on media monitoring, presents the Commission principles in this area.
Montenegro - Constitutional justice
03/11/2009
Podgorica - In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Montenegro and OSCE, the Venice Commission organises a regional Conference on the competence of the Constitutional Court to control the conformity of laws with ratified treaties.
Moldova - Conference on electoral issues
02/11/2009 - 03/11/2009
Chisinau - The Venice Commission participates in a conference organised by the Central Election Commission of Moldova to discuss on electoral issues and possible improvments of the legal framework as well as of the practice.
28/10/2009 - 31/10/2009
La Paz - a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Bolivia to meet with representatives of the Bolivian authorities and discuss the modalities of possible cooperation in the implementation of the new Constitution. This cooperation will be financed by the European Commission.
During the visit it was agreed to start cooperation in the field of constitutional justice. The authorities informed the delegation inter alia of their intention to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the new Law on the Constitutional Court. Other laws could be subject of the Commission’s opinio... read more
21/10/2009 - 23/10/2009
Kyiv - The Venice Commission participates in the Forum for the Future of Democracy, on "Electoral Systems: Strengthening Democracy in the 21st Century". In particular, the President of the Venice Commission takes part in the High-level Panel debate on "The Future of Elections".
“Quality of Elections – Making Democracy strong” – International Conference
20/10/2009 - 21/10/2009
President Hotel, Kyiv – In cooperation with the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine, Parliamentary Committee for Public Authorities and Local Self-Governnance Development of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Commission organises an international conference “Quality of Elections – Making Democracy strong”
15/10/2009 - 16/10/2009
Bucharest - The Commission participates in the preparatory meeting for the XVth Conference of European Constitutional Courts.
Luxembourg - Constitutional revision
14/10/2009
Luxembourg - A delegation of the Venice Commission meets with the Commission on Institutions and Constitutional Revision of Luxembourg in the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the draft revision of Luxembourg's Constitution.
09/10/2009 - 10/10/2009
The Commission
- paid tribute to its late member Mr François Luchaire;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Rusmali, Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the parliament of Albania, and adopted the opinion on the Law “on the cleanliness of the figure of high functionaries of the public administration and elected persons” of Albania (the law on lustration), subject to certain amendments;
- adopted the second interim opinion on the draft Law on amending the Civil Code of Armenia, and gave mandate to the rapporteurs to assess the latest version of the amendments with a v... read more
01/10/2009 - 03/10/2009
Yerevan - XIVth International Yerevan Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Armenia and the International Association of Constitutional Law on "The interaction between constitutional courts and parliaments in guaranteeing the supremacy of the Constitution"
Request for opinion - Ukraine - the draft Law "on the order of organising and conducting peaceful events"
30/09/2009
The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has requested a joint Venice Commission/ODIHR opinion on the draft Law of Ukraine "on the order of organising and conducting peaceful events".
Request for opinion - Slovakia - Act on the State Language
25/09/2009
The Slovakian authorities asked the Venice Commission to deliver a legal opinion on the Act on the State Language of the Slovakian Republic.
"Quality of elections: making democracy strong" - Conference in Ukraine
24/09/2009 - 25/09/2009
Lviv, Ukraine – Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in a conference on "Quality of elections : making democracy strong" organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, the Committee on State Building and Local Self-Governance of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
24/09/2009 - 26/09/2009
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - The Venice Commission participates the 6th Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges organised by the Constitutional Court of Mongolia and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
Interaction between Parliament and government in the preparation of the draft laws – Round table
23/09/2009 - 24/09/2009
Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan - Upon the invitation of the OSCE/ODHIR, the Venice Commission participates in a round table on the “Interaction between parliament and government in the preparation of the draft laws”.
"Fight against terrorism: Challenges for the judiciary" - Round-table
17/09/2009 - 18/09/2009
Fiesole, Italy - The Venice Commission in co-operation with the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and the European University Institute (Florence) has organised a round table on the challenges for the judiciary in the fight against terrorism.
Funding of political parties – round table
17/09/2009 - 19/09/2009
Athens, Greece – Upon the invitation of the OSCE/ODIHR, the Venice Commission takes part in a round table on the “Funding of Political Parties”. This activity is organised in the framework of the OSCE Chairmanship of the OSCE.
Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy
14/09/2009 - 16/09/2009
Seoul/Namhae - The Venice Commission takes part in the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy. In particular, it emphasis the importance of the Code of Good Practice on Referendums.
“Trial by juries” – Conference – The Central Asian Initiative of the European Commission
08/09/2009 - 09/09/2009
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – The Venice Commission organises in cooperation with the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation), a conference on the trials by jury. Participants - judges, prosecutors, lawyers and civil society representatives - hold a preliminary exchange of views with the international experts on the implementation of the Law on trials by juries in Kyrgyzstan adopted in July 2009.
This activity is part of the Central Asian Initiative of the European Commission being implemented by the Venice Commission.
04/09/2009 - 05/09/2009
Yerevan - On the sideline of the ACEEEO annual conference, the Venice Commission takes part in the Advisory Board as well as in an expert meeting of the project "Developing accurate voters' lists in transitional democracies"
03/09/2009 - 05/09/2009
Yerevan - The Venice Commission takes part in the ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials) Conference and General Assembly meeting. The Conference deals in particular with judicial protection of the electoral process and international experience in applying sociology in electoral processes
Request for opinion - Georgia - on draft amendments to the law on occupied territories
28/08/2009
The parliament of Georgia has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the law on occupied territories of Georgia, which were prepared following a previous, critical opinion by the Commission on this law.
Request for opinion - Georgia - amendments to the law on assemblies and manifestations, the law on police and the code of administrative violations
20/08/2009
The first Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia has requested the Venice Commission to assess the amendments, recently adopted and entered into force, to the law on assemblies and manifestations, the law on police and the code of administrative violations
07/08/2009
Paris - Former member of the Venice Commission in respect of Andorra (2000-2007), eminent French constitutionalist François Luchaire, has passed away ion 7 August 2009 in Paris at the age of 91.
Professor François Luchaire was an active member of the Commission: he was inter alia one of the authors of the Code of Good Practice on Referendums and of the Declaration on Women’s Participation in Elections. His contribution to the Commission’s work was of great clarity and relevance.
Moldova - Legal Advice to the Parliamentary Assembly
26/07/2009 - 31/07/2009
Chisinau - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr Owen Masters, Elections Experts, takes part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal advisor during the 29 July 2009 repeat Parliamentary elections. His mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
22/07/2009 - 23/07/2009
Chisinau - Conference on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Moldova on "Fundamental Constitutional Values as a Stability Factor of the Constitutional Regime"
3 themes will be dealt with
- The Constitution – a stabilising and stimulating factor in the socio-economic process,
- the universality of constitutional law and its impact on human rights protection,
-
- the evolution of constitutional justice in the prism of the European Court of Human Rights.
Presidents and Judges from European Constitutional Courts as well as ac... read more
20/07/2009
Kyiv, Strasbourg - the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Ms Onishchuk, requested an opinion on the draft Law on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges of Ukraine. This opinion is prepared by the Venice Commission in co-operation with the Co-operation Department of the Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe (DG-HL).
In 2007, the Commission has adopted an opinion on two previous draft judiciary laws (CDL-AD(2007)003). The new opinion is to be adopted by the Venice Commission at its plenary session in December 2009.
On 19 November, a rou... read more
Request for opinion - Moldova - draft "Law on Status of Euroregions"
17/07/2009
Expert Seminar on Electoral Management Bodies
16/07/2009 - 17/07/2009
Vienna - This Expert Seminar, organised in the framework of the Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE, focuses on the role of electoral management bodies in ensuring the conformity of electoral processes with the OSCE and the Council of Europe commitments.
Moldova - Repeat Parliamentary Elections, electoral assistance
15/07/2009 - 05/08/2009
Chisinau - At the request of the Moldovan authorities, the Council of Europe provides a Project Coordinator on media monitoring and voters lists.
04/07/2009 - 04/07/2009
Tbilisi - The Venice Commission takes part in a meeting of the Election Code Working Group, in charge of the preparation of the revised electoral code. The Electoral Code Working Group includes representatives of political parties, with embassadors, international organisations, international and local NGOs observing the meeting, as well as with the participation of the Central Election Commission.
Request for opinion - Azerbaijan -
03/07/2009
By letter dated 3 July 2009 addressed to the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Azerbaijani authorities requested an opinion on the draft Law “About obtaining information on activities of the courts of Azerbaijan”.
Ukraine - Conference on the quality of elections
02/07/2009 - 03/07/2009
Odessa - Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in an international conference entitled "Quality of Elections: making democracy strong", organised by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives. The participants discuss issues like European election standards and their implementation in Ukraine and the next coming presidential elections in Ukraine. The conference is attended by representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, the Constitutional court, the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine as well as by representatives of NGOs and international organisations.
Albania - Parliamentary elections - Assistance to the election observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
26/06/2009 - 29/06/2009
Albania - The Venice Commission will provide legal assistance to the parliamentary elections observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Constitutional Justice - French Speaking Courts
24/06/2009 - 26/06/2009
Cotonou - The Commission participates in the 5th Congress of ACCPUF on "Constitutional Courts and Crises".
Requests the opinion by PACE - human rights protection mechanisms in Kosovo
22/06/2009
The parliamentary assembly has asked the Venice Commission to assess the mechanisms to review the compatibility with human rights standards of acts of UNMIK and EULEX in Kosovo
12/06/2009
Venice - The Enlarged Bureau of the Commission met with the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Montenegro – Seminar on “Efficient dealing with individual constitutional complaints – international experience”
12/06/2009 - 13/06/2009
Podgorica – The seminar is organised jointly with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Constitutional Court of Montenegro.
The new Law on the Constitutional Court, adopted in October 2008, introduces individual complaint to the Court. The Venice Commission gave its opinion on a draft (see link below). The seminar aims at providing international experience on how this important institution for the protection of human rights can be best implemented in practice.
12/06/2009 - 13/06/2009
HIGHLIGHTS:
Armenia - - Freedom of religion
The Armenian National Assembly has requested the assessment by the Council of Europe of the draft amendments to the law on freedom of conscience and on religious organisations. These amendments concern in particular the conditions for registration of religious associations. The assessment has been carried out jointly by the Venice Commission, the Legal and Human Rights Capacity Building Division of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, and the ODIHR Advisory Council on Freedom of Religion and will ... read more
Kyrgyzstan - Seminar for international observers
09/06/2009 - 09/06/2009
Cholpon-Ata - The Venice Commission will participate in a Seminar for international observers, organised by the Interparliamentary Assembly of member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
02/06/2009
Belgrade - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Serbia on the "Constitutional restriction on freedom of association". This event brought together the presidents of the constitutional courts of Serbia and Montenegro, judges, the Ombudsman of Serbia and other legal professionals, to discuss acceptable limitations to the freedom of association and the role of the constitutional court and other institutions in protecting this freedom.
27/05/2009
Strasbourg, Palais de l’Europe – “If we have a worldwide financial crisis, then worldwide rule of law should be part of the answer”, - said Jan Helgesen, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, presenting its annual report to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Established in 1990 by 18 member states of the Council of Europe, the Commission today counts 56 member states and 8 observers. In 2008 Israel and Tunisia have joined the Commission. The recent accession of Brazil brought the population “covered” by the expertise of the Commission to 1.... read more
25/05/2009 - 26/05/2009
Bishkek - The international conference ‘Rule of Law and Principle of separation of powers’ was hosted by the Kyrgyz Parliament (Jogorku Kenesh). This event enjoyed strong support from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe , the European Union and the UNDP. The Venice Commission received financial support from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct the conference.
During the conference, representatives of all branches of power, non-governmental and donor organizations discussed the issues of the rule of law and effective interaction between the executive, legisl... read more
25/05/2009 - 26/05/2009
Yerevan - Participation in the Conference of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia on "The Right to Freedom of Expression and Fair Trial"
Elections and referendums - International workshop on e-voting from abroad
18/05/2009 - 19/05/2009
Vienna - At the invitation by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in a seminar on e-voting from abroad. The participants are invited to exchange views on problematic aspects of e-voting from abroad in European countries and on practical aspects of the observation of e-voting.
12/05/2009
Washington - The US House of Representatives adopted on 12 May 2009 Resolution H. Res. 171 on Bosnia and Herzegovina, calling inter alia for further constitutional reforms in the country and quoting the Venice Commission’s “Opinion on the Constitutional Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Powers of the High Representative” CDL-AD(2005)004, adopted by the Venice Commission on 11-12 March 2005.
“…the Council of Europe's Venice Commission has concluded that the current constitutional arrangements of Bosnia and Herzegovina are neither efficient nor rational, and that the stat... read more
Future Unified Electoral Code of Ukraine – a working group meeting
07/05/2009 - 09/05/2009
Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine - A representative of the Venice Commission has participated in a working group meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on the future Unified Electoral Code of Ukraine. Among other topics, the problem of a possible new draft of the Law on the elections of deputies and its integration into the future Code has been discussed with the authors of the different drafts of the law submitted to the Rada.
28/04/2009
Strasbourg - The Minister of Justice of Ukraine Mr Onishchuk met with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission. Mr Onishchuk provided explanations regarding the draft Constitution presented by the President of Ukraine. The Venice Commission will adopt an opinion on this draft at its next plenary session on 12-13 June. The Minister also indicated that either the President of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Lytvyn, or the Ministry of Justice would ask the Commission for an opinion on the draft laws on the prosecutor’s office, the organisation of the judiciary and the status of judges
Ramallah - Conference on the Constitutional Court
22/04/2009 - 23/04/2009
A delegation of the Venice Commission is attending a Conference on the Constitutional Court, organised in the framework of the European Union's Project "Seyada".
21/04/2009
The German government has asked the Venice Commission to conduct a study on "Individual Access to Constitutional Justice". The study could be "a valuable contribution to the promotion of national remedies for human rights violations", the German Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Ambassador E. Kölsch, stated in his letter.
In the Venice Commission member states, there exists a variety of possibilities for individuals to accede to constitutional courts or other equivalent courts if their fundamental rights have been violated by a law, and administrative act or a cou... read more
Request for opinion - Ukraine - Draft Constitution
21/04/2009
During a visit to Strasbourg on 21 April the Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine, Ms Stavnichuk, presented the new version of the Constitution of Ukraine proposed by the President of Ukraine. The draft addresses in particular the relations between President, parliament and government. It provides for the establishment of a second chamber of parliament.
Ms Stavnichuk asked the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on this text at its next session in June 2009.
London - OSCE/ODIHR guidelines on political parties
21/04/2009 - 22/04/2009
Representatives of the Venice Commission are invited to participate in a working group in charge of the drafting of OSCE guidelines on political parties
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Bureau
16/04/2009
Mérida, Mexico – the Commission unites the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice to discuss the ways of establishing an association.
15/04/2009 - 17/04/2009
Mérida, Mexico – Upon invitation by the Supreme Court of of Mexico, the Commission participates in the Ibero-American Conference on Constitutional Justice on “Constitutional Interpretation”
Request for opinion – - criteria for judges and prosecutors
10/04/2009
The Ministry of Justice of Serbia has asked the Commission to deliver opinion on
(1) the draft Criteria and standards for the election of Judges and Court Presidents; and
(2) the Rules of procedure on criteria and standards for the evaluation of qualification, competence and worthiness of candidates for bearers of public prosecutor’s function.
Request for opinion - Bulgaria - draft law on normative acts
09/04/2009
The Venice Commission has been requested to assess the draft law on normative acts. The opinion is expected to be adopted at the October plenary session.
“Democracy always implies civilian primacy over the military”
02/04/2009
Strasbourg – Democracy always implies civilian primacy over the military, Gianni Buquicchio, Secretary of the Venice Commission, states in an interview on the subject of democratic control of the armed forces.
A full report, which considers all the forms of control over armed forces in Europe, was adopted by the Venice Commission in 2008.
For more information on this please see Focus
Moldova - Legal Advice to the Parliamentary Assembly
02/04/2009 - 06/04/2009
Chisinau - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr Owen Masters, Elections Expert from the United Kingdom, and a member of the Venice Commission Secretariat, take part to the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal advisors in the context of the Parliamentary elections to be held on 5 April 2009. Their mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Brazil brings the “population” of the Venice Commission to 1.2 billion
01/04/2009
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today agreed to let Brazil join the Venice Commission.
Since 2002, when the Venice Commission became an enlarged agreement allowing non-European countries to become full members, 9 states have joined the Commission: Kyrgyzstan (2004) , Chile (2005) , the Republic of Korea (2006), Morocco and Algeria (2007), Israel and Tunisia (2008), Peru and Brazil (2009). The membership of Brazil brings the number of the member states to 56 and the population “covered” by the expertise of the Commission close to 1.2 billion people.
Request for opinion - Armenia - Civil code
30/03/2009
The Office of the President of the Republic of Armenia has requested the assessment by the Venice Commission of the draft law on Amending the Civil Code. The amendment concerns Article 19 of the Civil Code in respect of the protection of honour, dignity and business reputation. The opinion is due to be endorsed by the Venice Commission in its 79th plenary session in June 2009.
Request for opinion - Bulgaria - Draft law on meetings, rallies and manifestations
27/03/2009
The Venice Commission has been requested by the Bulgarian authorities to assess the compliance of the draft law on meetings, rallies and manifestations of Bulgaria with international standards.
26/03/2009 - 28/03/2009
Tashkent - The Secretary of the Venice Commission met representatives of the authorities of Uzbekistan to discuss future co-operation. It was decided that the Venice Commission will co-organise in co-operation with the Supreme court of Uzbekistan in May - June 2009 a conference on the challenges and further reform of the judicial system of Uzbekistan.
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Seminar of the
Skopje School of Politics
26/03/2009 - 29/03/2009
Kocani - Prof. Tanja Karakamisheva, Substitute Member of the Venice Commission, participated in a Seminar concerning the situation of the country during and post the elections, organised of the Political Affairs Directorate of the Council of Europe.
Request for opinion - Armenia - Freedom of religion
19/03/2009
The Armenian National Assembly has requested the assessment by the Council of Europe of the draft amendments to the law on freedom of conscience and on religious organisations. This assessment will be carried out jointly by the Venice Commission, the Legal and Human Rights Capacity Building Division of the the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, and the ODIHR Expert Council on Freedom of Religion.
Conference on Human Rights in Armenia
19/03/2009 - 20/03/2009
Yerevan - Ms Finola Flanagan, Irish member of the Venice Commission, participated in the conference on human rights in Armenia. She presented a report on "the role of the civil society in the due application of the legislation on freedom of assembly". Freedom of assembly in Armenia is a topic in which the Venice Commission has taken a particular interest since its works on the law adopted in 2005.
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Legal Advice to the Parliamentary Assembly
19/03/2009 - 23/03/2009
Skopje - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a member of the Venice Commission Secretariat took part to the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal advisor during the 22 March presidential election. His mandate was to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Moldova - Capacity-building programme for the Central Election Commission
17/03/2009 - 09/04/2009
Chisinau - At the request of the Central Election Commission of Moldova, the Venice Commission provides an international expert in electoral matters aiming at assisting the electoral administration on legal and technical issues in the context of the Parliamentary elections to be held on 5 April 2009.
13/03/2009
Venice, Friday 13 March 2009 - In its report on prohibition of political parties in Turkey, adopted earlier today, the Venice Commission concludes that, when compared to common European practice, the situation in Turkey differs in three important respects:
1. The long list of substantive criteria applicable to the constitutionality of political parties, as laid down in Article 68 (4) and the Law on political parties, go beyond the criteria recognised as legitimate by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Venice Commission.
2. The procedure for initiating decisio... read more
13/03/2009
At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe the Venice Commission examined the above-mentioned law which has been in force since October 2008. This law is based on the premise that Abkhazia and South Ossetia belong to Georgia ; this position has been supported by the Parliamentary Assembly in its Resolution 1647(2009).
Among other things, the law criminalises irregular entry into Abkhazia (Georgia) and South Ossetia (Georgia) without explicit exceptions for emergency situations or for humanitarian aid; it also penalises irregular economic activities in th... read more
13/03/2009 - 14/03/2009
The Commission has discussed the following issues :
• amendments to the Criminal Code of Armenia in relation to the March 2008 events;
• the constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan, which inter alia would enable the President to be re-elected more than once;
• the Georgian law on occupied territories (Abkhazia and South Ossetia);
• the constitutional and legal provisions relevant for the prohibition of political parties in Turkey.
Other opinions adopted by the Commission concerned:
• the admissibility of a constitutional referendum in and electo... read more
Egypt - Constitutional Justice
07/03/2009 - 09/03/2009
Alexandria - The Commission participates in the Conference on “the constitutional Guarantees of Rights and Political Freedoms” and “The constitutional Protection of Social Equality Principle” at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt.
Request for opinion - Georgia - Law on political unions of citizen
04/03/2009
At the request of the Parliament of Georgia, the Venice Commission will carry out an assessment of the Law amending the Law of Georgia on political unions of citizens.
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Training Workshop for trainers
02/03/2009 - 03/03/2009
Skopje - In the context of the forthcoming presidential and local elections, the purpose of this workshop is to train professional trainers on legal and technical electoral issues to prepare them for training sessions they are to provide to the electoral commissions throughout the country.
Tajikistan - visit of the Venice Commission representatives
23/02/2009 - 26/02/2009
Representatives of the Venice Commission will have an exchange of views with the Tajik authorities on possible co-operation in the framework of the Rule of Law Initiative for Central Asia programme
Request for opinion - Albania - lustration law
20/02/2009
The Constitutional Court of Albania requested the Venice Commission to assess the law "On the cleanliness of the figure of high functionaries of the public administration and elected officials" .
17/02/2009
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Germany has made a voluntary contribution to the Venice Commission for the implementation of a Programme on the Rule of Law in Central Asia. The objective of this programme is to help the countries of the region (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) to further reform their institutions.
The cooperation agreement was signed today by Ambassador Eberhard Kölsch, Permanent Representative of Germany to the Council of Europe, and Gianni Buquicchio, Secretary of the Venice Commission.
The ... read more
Request for opinion - Kyrgyzstan - law "on assemblies"
02/09
At the request of the Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan, the Venice Commission and ODIHR will carry out jointly an assessment of the draft amendments to the law "on assemblies" of Kyrgyzstan
Ukraine - Round table on electoral systems
04/02/2009
Kyiv - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates in a round table on electoral systems organised by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Follow up Seminar on
Interaction of Central and Local Governments and other Stakeholders in Combating Proxy and Family Voting
03/02/2009 - 03/02/2009
Skopje - The United Nations Development Program organises a Seminar on combating proxy and family voting, which is a follow up to the Seminar on "Electoral Standards and International Commitments pertaining to Ballot Secrecy", which took place on 3 December, 2007. Ms Tanja Karakamisheva, Professor in Law and Substitute Member of the Venice Commission, intervenes on the issue of family voting.
Request for an opinion - Georgia
27/01/2009
The First Deputy Chairman of the parliament of Georgia has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on draft constitutional amendments concerning the power of the President to dissolve parliament and the role of the parliamentary opposition re. the issue of confidence in the government
Bulgaria - Meetings with Bulgarian authorities on concept for a new law on statutory instruments
27/01/2009 - 28/01/2009
Sofia - A delegation of the Venice Commission meets with the Minister of Justice, officials within the Ministry of Justice, MP's, Judges of the Supreme administrative court, NGO's in order to discuss the concept for a new law on statutory instruments submitted by the Bulgarian authorties for assessement by the Venice Commission.
23/01/2009 - 24/01/2009
Cape Town - In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Venice Commission organised the first World Conference on Constitutional Justice on the topic “Influential Constitutional Justice - its influence on society and on developing a global human rights jurisprudence”. This major event brought together the constitutional courts and equivalent bodies of the various regional groups the Commission co-operates with (Conference of European Constitutional Courts, the Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice, the Association of the Constitutional Courts and Councils ... read more
Andorra - New member
14/01/2009
Mr Joan MONEGAL BLASI has been nominated as Member of the Venice Commission.
Kyrgyzstan - National Conference on electoral process
17/12/2008 - 17/12/2008
Bishkek - Representatives of the Venice Commission take part in the discussion on the possible reform of Election Code and electoral practice in Kyrgyzstan
"the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Electoral Seminar with the State Election Commission
16/12/2008 - 17/12/2008
Skopje - The Venice Commission holds a seminar, in co-operation with the State Election Commission, in order to discuss various electoral topics in the context of the forthcoming presidential and local elections. The main question leading the debates is: how to prepare the elections so that they are credible and fair?
12/12/2008 - 13/12/2008
The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with the representatives of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- adopted the opinion on the amendments to the Constitution of Albania;
- adopted the opinion on the draft amendments to the law on political parties of Bulgaria;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Mikheil Machavariani, first deputy Chairman of the parliament of Georgia, with Mr Akaki Minashvili, Deputy Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee of the parliament and with Mr Dimiry Dzagnidze, Deputy Minister of Justice,... read more
Kazakhstan - Constitutional Justice
02/12/2008
Astana - The Commission organised together with the Constitutional Council and the Ombudsman of Kazakhstan a Conference on "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its implementation in the Constitution of Kazakhstan" on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this Declaration
Kazakhstan - Conference on financing of political parties
01/12/2008
Astana - The Venice Commission in co-operation with the Legal Policy Research Centre organises a conference on international standards on financing of political parties and election campaigns.
24/11/2008 - 25/11/2008
Chisinau - Seminar for judges on electoral disputes - The main objective of this activity is to discuss the electoral complaints and appeals procedures.
Meetings with the Minister of Employment and Social Policy, with the Minister of Justice and other authorities on the draft law prohibiting discrimination
24/11/2008 - 26/11/2008
Venice Commission and ODIHR representatives will hold a series of meetings with the authorities of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" with a view to preparing a joint assessment of the draft law on prohibition of discrimination.
Request for opinion - "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Election Code
21/11/2008
In the framework of the co-operation between "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and the Venice Commission, the Commission and the ODIHR of the OSCE will carry out an assessment of the country's Election Code.
FYROM- Request for opinion
21/11/2008
Request by the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly to assess the Rules of procedure of the Asembly of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
South Caucasus - Judiciary
19/11/2008 - 20/11/2008
Tbilisi - The Commission participates in the regional conference under the Swedish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers on "Rule of Law in the South Caucasus – Achievements and Challenges for Judicial Professions"
Lisbon Forum 2008 - Human Rights
10/11/2008 - 11/11/2008
The Venice Commission has assisted the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe in the preparation of the 2008 Lisbon Forum (10 – 11 November 2008) in partnership with the Alliance of Civilizations. This year’s topic will be:
“The principle of universality of human rights and its implementation at international and regional level”.
The forum will be devoted to an analysis of the situation 60 years after the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948.
France - Constitution
03/11/2008
Paris - The Commission participates in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the French Constitution.
Moldova - Electoral matters
31/10/2008
Tiraspol - A delegation of the Venice Commission visits Tiraspol in order to explore the possibilities for a seminar in the electoral field bringing together experts from both banks of the river Nistru.
Moldova - Capacity building programme for the Central Election Commission and the civil society of Moldova
30/10/2008 - 30/10/2008
Chisinau - Capacity building programme for the Central Election Commission and the civil society of Moldova - The objective of this action is to assist the electoral administration, through the Central Election Commission of Moldova, in ensuring capacity-building and the efficient functioning of the electoral commissions. For this purpose, the Council of Europe Venice Commission organises a seminar for the electoral administration’s staff and members, as well as for the NGOs accredited to observe the elections.
17/10/2008 - 18/10/2008
The Commission adopted a report on blasphemy, religious insult and incitement to religious hatred.
At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly the Commission started to examine recently adopted constitutional amendments in Albania and the Turkish rules on the prohibition of political parties. The respective opinions will be adopted at the next session of the Commission in December.
Other points submitted for adoption included:
· the amicus curiae brief for the European Court of Human Rights on the compatibility of certain provisions of the Constitution of Bo... read more
Council of Europe Forum for the future of Democracy
15/10/2008 - 17/10/2008
Madrid - A member of the Venice Commission takes part in the Forum and delivers a report on the "The Work of the Venice Commission on Electronic Democracy, Particularly E-Voting"
Azerbaijan - Presidential elections
13/10/2008 - 16/10/2008
Azerbaijan - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a Venice Commission expert and a member of the Secretariat take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Direct democracy - Conference
02/10/2008 - 03/10/2008
Aarau - The Venice Commission is represented in a conference on direct democracy organised by the Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe (IRI) and the Centre for Research on Direct Democracy (C2D). The interventions of representatives of the Commission focus on "Direct-democracy European-style - the recommendations of the Council of Europe" (Pierre Garrone) and "Popular referendums in post-communist countries as a constraint on representative government" (Peter Paczolay).
Warsaw-2008 Human Dimension Implementation meeting- OSCE-ODIHR
29/09/2008 - 10/10/2008
The Venice Commisison will be represented at the working session 1 on '"Rule of law", working session 3 " on "Fundamental freedoms", working sessions 12-13 on " Freedom of religion and belief".
Azerbaijan, Presidential Elections
23/09/2008 - 11/10/2008
On the request from the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan, the Venice Commission sends an electoral expert who assist the Commission in preparation for the vote.
Romania - ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials) Conference and General Assembly Meeting
11/09/2008 - 13/09/2008
The Venice Commission is represented at the annual Conference and General Assembly Meeting of the ACEEEO (Association of European Election Officials), dedicated to the theme "Ensuring security of elections".
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Seminar on electoral standards
10/09/2008 - 10/09/2008
The Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Venice Commission co-organise a seminar on electoral standards. This activity involves members of electoral commissions of different levels and focuses on different issues concerning the forthcoming elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The participants will have an opportunity to discuss the existing international electoral standards and their practical implementation during the electoral process.
Czech Republic - Constitutional Justice
10/09/2008 - 11/09/2008
Brno - The Commission participates in the celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.
Azerbaijan - Electoral practice
21/08/2008 - 26/08/2008
The Venice Commission in co-operation with the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan and IFES organised 2 training seminars on the new complaints and appeals procedures for the members of the expert groups created on the level of territorial electoral commissions.
OSCE Chairmanship Seminar on Election Related Issues
21/07/2008 - 22/07/2008
Vienna - The Venice Commission takes part in the OSCE Chairmanship Seminar on Election Related Issues
Azerbaijan - Elections - Training seminar for territorial election commissions
14/07/2008 - 17/07/2008
Baku - The Venice Commission co-organises with the Central Election Commission a training seminar for territorial election commissions of Azerbaijan , in co-operation with IFES (about 250 participants)
Commonwealth - Constitutional Justice
07/07/2008 - 10/07/2008
Edinburgh - The Commission participated in the 2008 Meeting of Commonwealth Law Ministers and Senior Officials.
01/07/2008
Warsaw/Strasbourg - The amendments to Kyrgyzstan’s assembly law passed by Parliament on 13 June raise a number of serious concerns, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission said in a joint opinion released on Friday.
“If signed into law, the changes would present a setback from the law before amendment. We therefore call on all stakeholders in the legislative process to take into account the recommendations made in our report and thus ensure that the amendments are in line with international standards,” said ... read more
16/06/2008 - 17/06/2008
Podgorica - Within the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the draft law on the Constitutional Court of Montenegro, the Commission will hold several meetings with the authorities, as well as a public meeting organised in co-operation with the OSCE.
13/06/2008 - 14/06/2008
The Commission adopted a draft joint opinion by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the amendments of 17 March 2008 to the law on conducting meetings in Armenia.
Another important point on the agenda concerned the report on dual voting rights for persons belonging to national minorities, an issue which was referred to the Venice Commission by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.
The Commission also adopted: :
- the draft opinion on the draft amendments to the Constitution of the Republika Srpska;
- the draft opinion on the draft Constitution... read more
03/06/2008 - 06/06/2008
Vilnius - The Commission participates in the XIVth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts on “Problems of Legislative Omission in Constitutional Jurisprudence”, Vilnius
Ukraine - Constitutional reform
30/05/2008
Kyiv - A delegation of the Venice Commission will have a meeting with the National Constitutional Council of Ukraine to discuss the Council's Draft concept paper on constitutional reform.
"The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Legal Advice to the Parliamentary Assembly
30/05/2008 - 02/06/2008
Skopje - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), an expert of Venice Commission took part to the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal advisor during the 1st of June Parliamentary elections. His mandate was to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
29/05/2008 - 29/05/2008
The Venice Commission took part in an Expert meeting organised by the European Commission on Human Rights and democracy issues. It addressed in particular the issue of the amendments to the electoral code and to the law on political parties necessary in order to ensure full compliance with international standards.
Information session
26/05/2008
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission will organise an Information session on its activities for the Diplomatic Corps and Judges of the European Court of Human Rights.
Georgia - Electoral issues
19/05/2008 - 22/05/2008
Tbilisi - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a Venice Commission Member and a member of the Secretariat take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Elections as legal experts. Their mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Accession
15/05/2008
The Committee of Ministers approved the request by the Tunisian Republic to become a member of the Venice Commission and granted special co-operation status to the Palestinian National Authority.
15/05/2008
Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Jan Helgesen, presents the Commission's 2007 annual report to the Ministers' Deputies.
14/05/2008 - 16/05/2008
Warsaw - The Venice Commission participated in the ODIHR Human Dimension Seminar on Constitutional Justice.
Serbia - Electoral issues
10/05/2008 - 12/05/2008
Belgrade - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission advises the PACE delegation observing the parliamentary elections on the legal aspects of elections.
Georgia - Electoral issues - Workshop on the holding and supervision of elections
07/05/2008
Tbilisi - The workshop, organised in co-operation with the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), aims at disseminating the principles of the European electoral heritage, in particular those related to observation on voting day, by training the NGOs involved in the observation process.
Georgia - Electoral issues - Seminar for judges on electoral disputes
06/05/2008
Tbilisi - This seminar, organised in co-operation with the High School of Justice, will give the participants the opportunity to discuss electoral complaints and appeal procedures with judges dealing with electoral disputes.
France - National Assembly : WEU Conference
05/05/2008
Paris - At the invitation of the Interpaliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly and in the framework of the report on the democratic control of the armed forces, a member of the Secretariat will attend the Conference on " Strategic choices for Security and Defence in Europe".
Georgia - Electoral issues - Capacity-building programme for the Central Election Commission
28/04/2008 - 25/05/2008
Tbilisi - This assistance mission to the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) aims to assist the electoral administration, through the CEC, by providing a high-level international electoral expert on legal and technical issues in the preparation of the Parliamentary elections (21 May 2008).
Belarus – Constitutional Justice
24/04/2008
Minsk – Within the Framework of the Slovak Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Constitutional Court of Belarus, the Venice Commission, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Belarus and the Slovak Embassy in Minsk organise a Seminar on “the use of international instruments for protecting individual rights, freedoms and legitimate interests through national legislation and the right to legal defence in Belarus: challenges and outlook”.
Armenia - Law on Rallies
15/04/2008 - 16/04/2008
Yerevan - A delegation of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR will meet with the Armenian authorities to discuss the amendments of 17 March 2008 to the law on rallies.
Moldova - Prosecution service
07/04/2008 - 08/04/2008
Chisinau - The Venice Commission participates in the third meeting of the Working Group on the new legislation governing the Public Prosecutor’s Service in Moldova
Slovakia - Constitutional Justice
03/04/2008
Košice - The Venice Commission organised together with the Constitutional Court of Slovakia a conference on the "Role of the Constitutional Justice in the Vishegrad 4 countries".
02/04/2008
Strasbourg/Warsaw - In a joint legal opinion, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded that recent amendments to Armenia’s assembly law raise serious concerns.
The amendments to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations, passed on 17 March 2008, were reviewed by the ODIHR’s Expert Panel on Freedom of Assembly and the Venice Commission following a request from the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament.
“On the basis of a preliminar... read more
Obituary
31/03/2008
Mr Antti Suviranta, former member of the Commission, has passed away on 31 March. Mr Suivranta was the first Finnish member of the Commission and President of the Sub-commission on constitutional reform. He was a very active member of the Commission and an excellent lawyer.
Serbia - Expert meeting on basic legislation concerning local self-government
18/03/2008 - 19/03/2008
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission took part in an expert meeting on basic legislation concerning local self-governement in Serbia, attended by Mr Bratislav Djukic, assistant minister for public administration and local self-government of Serbia. This meeting addressed in particular the new law on local elections.
Joint meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections and of the Sub-Commission on Protection of Minorities
15/03/2008
Venice - The issue of double vote of persons belonging to national minorities will be discussed with the representatives of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
14/03/2008 - 15/03/2008
The Commission:
- adopted the report on the democratic control of the armed forces;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Bayramov, Adviser in the Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and adopted the interim joint Venice Commission/ODIHR opinion on the amendments to the electoral code of Azerbaijan;
- adopted the opinion on the law on the financing of political parties of Bosnia and Herzegovina and postponed the examination of the law on conflict of interest in that country;
- held an exchange of views with Ms Miglena Tacheva, Minister of Justice of Bulgar... read more
28/02/2008
Podgorica - Human Rights Action and the Foundation Open Society Institute Montenegro organised in co-operation with the Venice Commission a Round table on"International Human Rights Standards and Constitutional Guarantees in Montenegro".
Montenegro - Prosecution Service
27/02/2008
Podgorica - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion 467/2008 on the Amendments to the Law on the State Prosecution service of Montenegro, the Commission's rapporteurs met the drafting group, chaired by the Minister of Justice of Montenegro
21/02/2008
Paris - The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the French Senate, in co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, organised a Conference on "Bicameral Systems and the Representation of Regions and Local Authorities: the Role of Second Chambers in Europe"
Conference on "Bicameral Systems and Representation of Regions and Local Authorities: the role of Second Chambers in Europe" (Paris)
21/02/2008 - 21/08/2008
Bosnia and Herzegovina
18/02/2008 - 19/02/2008
The Venice Commission has received a request from the Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prepare opinions on the amendments to the Election Code and to the Law on Financing of Political Parties. Representatives of the Venice Commission met authorities and discussed possible amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Parties.
Both opinions could be adopted during the next Plenary Session of the Venice Commission in March.
Armenia - Legal Advice to the Parliamentary Assembly
17/02/2008 - 20/02/2008
Yerevan - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a Venice Commission Member and a member of the Secretariat took part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate was to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
New substitute member for Georgia
15/02/2008
Mr Konstantin Vardzelashvili, Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia has been nominated as the substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of Georgia.
Meeting of the working group on amendments to the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan
07/02/2008 - 08/02/2008
Baku -The working group will discuss the amendments submitted by the authorities in December 2007. The working group includes representatives of the authorities, Messrs P. Paczolay and A Endzins, members of the Venice Commission, S. Kouznetsov, Secretariat, Messrs J. Stonestreet and J. Pilgrim, ODIHR; Mr D. Blessington, IFES.
The interim opinion will be adopted during the next plenary session of the Venice Commission in March.
31/01/2008 - 01/02/2008
Athens - The Venice Commission and the Hellenic League for Human Rights organise an international round table on "Art and Sacred Beliefs: from collision to co-existence". In a spirit of openness, tolerance and respect, the participants - journalists, artists, publishers, representatives of religions and cults, lawyers, members of parliament and representatives of international organisations - will discuss about the intersection between freedom of expression and right to respect for one's beliefs. They will explore legal and non-legal means of ensuring the co-existence of these two fundamenta... read more
28/01/2008 - 28/01/2008
Helsinki - A delegation of the Venice Commission held a second meeting with the Finnish authorities in the framework of the evaluation of the Constitution. It met in particular the Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister's Office. The debates focused namely on international and European relations and the role of the Prime Minister.
Armenia – Conference for Free Elections through Law
26/01/2008
Yerevan - The Venice Commission will co-organise with the Constitutional Court of Armenia, the Judicial School of Armenia and the American Bar Association, a Conference on “Free and Fair Elections through Law”. Three Venice Commission experts will intervene in this conference which is organised, inter alia, for judges dealing with electoral disputes and in the context of the forthcoming Presidential Election (19 February 2008), with the financial support of Sweden.
European Court of Human Rights - Opening of the judicial year
25/01/2008
Strasbourg - Mr Peter Paczolay, member of the Venice Commission and Vice-President of the Hungarian Constitutional Court, participated in the official opening of the judicial year at the European Court of Human Rights.
Conference on the European electoral standards and on the development of the electoral legislation in Ukraine
16/01/2008 - 16/01/2008
Kiev - The Venice Commission organises this event in co-operation with the OSCE and the Election Law Institute. The aim of this meeting is to review the electoral process in Ukraine in 2007 and to discuss the possible ways of further improving the electoral legislation and practice in Ukraine.
Georgia – Presidential elections
02/01/2008 - 06/01/2008
Tbilisi - At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr Endzins, Venice Commission Member, and Mr Martin-Micallef, Member of the Secretariat, took part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate was to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Georgia - Training Session on holding and supervision of elections
18/12/2007 - 19/12/2007
In co-operation with the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC), the Venice Commission organised exchanges of views with both the CEC staff and NGOs representatives on the various stages of the electoral process and the difficulties that can arise in these situations.
14/12/2007
Mr Jan Erik HELGESEN was elected President of the Venice Commission. He is the 2nd president in the history of the Commission.
Mr Helgesen has been a member of the Commission for Norway since its creation in 1990.
14/12/2007 - 15/12/2007
The Commission
- Paid tribute to the victims of the terror attack on Algeria of 11 December;
- Elected Mr Jan Helgesen, member in respect of Norway, as President of the Commission for a term of 2 years from the present session;
- Adopted the opinion on the draft law on “freedom of religion, religious organisations and mutual relations with the State” of Albania;
- Endorsed the comments on article 301 of the criminal code of Armenia;
- Held an exchange of views with Messrs Fuad Alesgerov and Chingiz Askarov, Administration of the President of Azerbaijan, and adopted th... read more
Armenia - Training Session on holding and supervision of elections
11/12/2007 - 13/12/2007
In co-operation with the Central Election Commission of Armenia (CEC), the Venice Commission organised exchanges of views with both the CEC staff and NGOs representatives on the various stages of the electoral process and the difficulties that can arise in these situations. This event has been organised with the financial support of Sweden.
Electoral law of the United Kingdom
10/12/2007
London - A delegation of the Venice Commission meets the authorities of the United Kingdom, in particular the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Justice, as well as specialists of elections, in the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the electoral law of the United Kingdom. This opinion was requested by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and addresses in particular the issues of registration of voters and postal voting.
Electoral Questions - Georgia - Assistance to the Central Electoral Commission
07/12/2007 - 07/01/2008
Tbilisi – At the request of the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) and in light of the presidential election in Georgia, the Venice Commission made available a long-term expert in electoral law to the CEC. This expert assisted the CEC in increasing its activities plan related to the conduct of the presidential election of 5 January 2008.
04/12/2007
The Ambassador of Norway, Torbjørn Frøysnes, and the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, signed an agreement on 4 December for the support by the Norwegian government of a co-operation programme between the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils (UACCC) and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
This two-year programme will be financed by a Norwegian voluntary contribution of 180,000€ and will involve the constitutional courts of 13 Arab countries , members of the UACCC - an organisation created in 1997 at the initiative of the Constitutional ... read more
“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” – Seminar on electoral standards regarding proxy and family voting
03/12/2007
Skopje. The Venice Commission participated in a Seminar on electoral standards and international commitments pertaining to ballot secrecy aimed at bringing together key stakeholders to commit to fight illegal proxy and family voting, organised by the UNDP. Mr Vollan, Electoral consultant on behalf of the Venice Commission intervened on this occasion.
Constitutional Justice - French Speaking Countries
28/11/2007 - 30/11/2007
Strasbourg - The Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF) and the Venice Commission organise the Meeting of National Correspondents of the courts members of ACCPUF. The seminar deals with the preparation of contributions of ACCPUF to the CODICES database and communication between the courts and the public.
Human Rights Institutions / Constitutional Justice
16/11/2007 - 17/11/2007
Lisbon – Together with the North South Centre of the Council of Europe and the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Venice Commission organises the Lisbon Forum 2007 on "National Human Rights Institutions - the Cornerstone of the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights". The Venice Commission particularly contributes to the debate on the relations between these institutions (ombudspersons and national human rights commissions) and constitutional and ordinary courts.
10th anniversary of the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine
13/11/2007 - 14/11/2007
Kiev - On the invitation of the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine representatives of the Venice Commission took part in the meeting celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine.
Azerbaijan- Electoral Code
07/11/2007 - 08/11/2007
Baku - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan and IFES, organises a round table on electoral complaints issues.. Representatives of the authorities and lawyers from political parties are expected at this event aimed at discussing the possible improvement of the complaints and appeals provisions of the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Representatives of the Venice Commission also participate in a seminar on the problems of composition of electoral commissions.
Georgia – Electoral Reform
25/10/2007
Vienna. - Representatives of the Parliament of Georgia, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission as well as from the OSCE Mission and the Council of Europe Office in Georgia meet in Vienna to discuss on possible improvements of the Electoral Code concerning constituencies and electoral system.
Constitutional Justice - Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils
20/10/2007
Venice - Within the framework of its 72nd Plenary Session, the Venice Commission organises a mini-conference on the limits of constitutional control in the form of an exchange of views with the member courts of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils.
19/10/2007 - 20/10/2007
The Commission proceeded to a preliminary consideration of the comments on the Constitution of Bulgaria and was informed on the progress made in the evaluation of the Constitution of Finland in view of its eventual revision.
The Commission was also briefed on the recent constitutional developments in Kyrgyzstan, on the draft Constitution of Montenegro and on the implementation of the new Constitution of Serbia.
Another point concerned the preparation of a new Constitution for Turkey: Professor Ergun Özbudun, the chairman of the academic commission drafting the new Cons... read more
Azerbaijan- Constitutional Co-operation
19/10/2007 - 20/10/2007
The Presidential administration of Azerbaijan asked the Venice Commission on 20 April 2007 to carry out an expert study on the "Draft Law on Amendments to 1998 Law on Freedom of Assembly". This will be a follow-up to the Opinion adopted last year by the Venice Commission on the 1998 Law on Freedom of Assembly (CDL-AD(2006)034).
Albania - Electoral systems: meeting of the Ad hoc Committee on electoral reform
10/10/2007
Tirana- The Venice Commission is represented by Mr Michael Krennerich (expert, Germany) and Mr Pierre Garrone (Head of the Division of Elections and Referendums). The meeting focuses on the present electoral system and its shortcomings as well as on European experience in the field of proportional systems.
10/10/2007 - 11/10/2007
Seoul - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates in the 5th Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges in Seoul, which is organised by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Georgia – Electoral issues
05/10/2007
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission meets high representatives of the Parliament of Georgia, including the Vice-Chairman of the Parliament, concerning the reform of the Electoral Code.
On this occasion, the Venice Commission invites the OSCE/ODIHR, the OSCE Mission and the Council of Europe Office in Tblisi to participate in this meeting. Ms Mirjana Lazarova-Trajkovska, Judge at the Constitutional Court of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Member of the Venice Commission, and Ms Lidija Korac, Electoral expert, are the Venice Commission experts on this issue.
Russia - Seminar for international observers and advisers at the elections of public authorities
03/10/2007 - 05/10/2007
St- Petersbourg - Representatives of the Venice Commission take part in a seminar on election observation and assistance to electoral administrations organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Community of Independent States and the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation.
Ukraine – Parliamentary elections
30/09/2007
At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Venice Commission representative takes part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal expert. His mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Ukraine - Election observation
25/09/2007
Kiev- The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Ukrainian branch of the International society of Human Rights organises a training seminar for national observers involved in election observation in the penitentiary facilities during the 30 September 2007 parliamentary elections.
18/09/2007
Astana - In co-operation with the Kazakh Commissioner on Human Rights, the Venice Commission organises a conference on "Development of the Ombudsman Institution in the Republic of Kazakhstan" during which a delegation of the Commission presents the Commission’s opinion on the possible reform of this institution.
Conference "Development of the Ombudsman Institution in Kazakhstan" (Astana)
18/09/2007 - 18/09/2007
Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) - Professional education of electoral actors
18/09/2007 - 19/09/2007
The Venice Commission takes part in the annual Conference organised by Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) and contributes with a report on "The Venice Commission and the training in the electoral field"
Constitutional Justice - Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils
04/09/2007
Algiers - The Venice Commission participates in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils and the Opening of the new seat of the Constitutional Council of Algeria.
28/08/2007 - 29/08/2007
Jerusalem / Ramallah - A delegation of the Venice Commission meets the Chief Justice of Israel as well as the Chief Justice and Minister of Justice of the Palestinian Authority, international donors in the field of the judiciary and NGOs within its programme of co-operation with the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils, which is funded by the Government of Norway.
18/07/2007
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Antonio La Pergola, passed away in Rome on 18 July 2007. The Venice Commission was set up at his initiative and he was its President from the outset in 1990. He will be greatly missed.
Conference on “The jurisdiction of the constitutional court and the European Court of Human Rights in conflict zones”
06/07/2007 - 07/07/2007
Batumi, Georgia - This conference celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. It is organised in co-operation with the Technical Co-operation Department of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ, German Society for Technical Co-operation) and the OSCE.
Discussions focus on the difficult issue of conflict zones in the 21st century and the jurisdiction of courts in such zones, notably the discrepancy between the de facto and de jure situations.
Algeria becomes a member of the Venice Commission
04/07/2007
On 4 July, the Ministers' Deputies accepted Algeria's request to join the Venice Commission and invited the country to designate a member to participate at its meetings.
25/06/2007 - 27/06/2007
Graz - The Venice Commission contributes to the work of the Consultative Council of European Judges of the Council of Europe, which prepares an opinion on judicial councils and participates in a conference organised by the Austrian Association of Judges on this topic.
Azerbaijan
22/06/2007
Paris- The Venice Commission will meet representatives of the Presidential administration of Azerbaijan, together with representatives of the OSCE, to examine draft amendments to the the 1998 Law on Freedom of Assembly in Azerbaijan. This is a follow-up to the Opinion adopted by theVenice Commission in october 2006 (CDL-AD(2006)034)
19/06/2007 - 20/06/2007
Skopje – The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe organises in co-operation with the State Election Commission, the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) and the International Foundation for Election systems (IFES) a Regional Meeting of Balkan Election Officials.
International and domestic experts intervene on the following: Civic Education for Voters; Political Party Financing Regulations and Enforcement; Voter List, Civil Registry, Addresses and Mapping.
Ms Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, member of the Venice Commission, Judge at the Constitutional Cou... read more
11/06/2007 - 15/06/2007
The Venice Commission takes part actively in the VIIth World Congress of Constitutional Law, on the theme “Rethinking the Boundaries of Constitutional Law”
In this framework,
- Mr Bianku (member of the Commission, Albania) presents a contribution to workshop 1 (“Popular involvement in Constitution-making?)
- Mr Paczolay (member of the Commission, Hungary), presents a contribution to workshop 3 (“Electoral systems: striking a balance between legitimacy and political instability”)
- Mr Scholsem (deputy member of the Commission, Belgium), presents a contribu... read more
07/06/2007 - 08/06/2007
A delegation of the Venice Commission, including Messrs Bartole (substitute member, Italy), Dimitrijevic (member, Serbia), Jensen (substitute member, Denmark), Paczolay (member, Hungary), Buquicchio (secretary of the Commission) and Garrone (head of division) visits Finland on 7-8 June in the framework of the evaluation of the Finnish Constitution. They meet representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial power as well as of the academic world.
01/06/2007 - 02/06/2007
The Council of Europe’s European Commission for Democracy through Law (the “Venice Commission”) met in Venice on 1 and 2 June (Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista). This was its 71st session since it was set up in 1990.
The Commission examined a number of important legal texts from different countries and the adopted several opinions. For example, the Commission adopted a report on the democratic control of security services in Council of Europe member States that was prepared at the request of the Committee of Ministers, but also an opinion on the video surveillance by... read more
Annual report of activities 2006
23/05/2007
Mr Mifsud Bonnici, Vice–President of the Venice Commission presents the the Commission's Annual report of activities 2006 to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
5th Asia-Europe Roundtable - Singapore
23/05/2007 - 25/05/2007
The Venice Commission takes part in the 5th Asia-Europe Roundtable "Sustaining the Peace through Post-Conflict Reconstruction".
21/05/2007 - 22/05/2007
The Venice Commission takes part in a Conference “on promoting transparence and accountability of political parties in the Republic of Moldova” in Chisinau, Moldova.
This Conference is co-organised by the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs and Venice Commission , the European Commission, the OSCE-ODIHR and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and is welcomed by the Parliament of Moldova.
Messrs Hans Heinrich Vogel, Venice Commission Member, Sweden, and Gael Martin-Micallef, from the Secretariat, are the represen... read more
14/05/2007 - 16/05/2007
Almaty, Astana - Representatives of the Venice Commission will visit Kazakhstan on the invitation of the authorities and discuss the issues of the planned constitutional reform in Kazakhstan, possible reform of the ombudsman institution, as well as some issues of co-operation between the authorities and the Commission in 2007.
Armenia - Parliamentary elections
09/05/2007 - 13/05/2007
At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Venice Commission representatives take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
03/05/2007 - 05/05/2007
Tbilisi – The Venice Commission meets the Working group on the reform of the Electoral Code. This group is composed of members of the parliament from various political forces and tends to improve the Electoral Code, on the basis of the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE.
On this occasion, Ms Lidija Korac, Electoral expert, and Mr Gaël Martin-Micallef, Programme officer of the Venice Commission Secretariat meet the Georgian authorities, -Minister of Justice, Vice-Chairman of the Parliament, Chairman of the... read more
12/04/2007 - 13/04/2007
Athens - The Venice Commission participates in the 10th Round Table of European Ombudsmen and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
Meeting with the authorities on the draft law on amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan
11/04/2007 - 12/04/2007
Baku - Representatives of the Venice Commission, OSCE/ODIHR and IFES met with the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan for an exchange of views on the draft law amending the Election Code of Azerbaijan. The discussion focussed on issues such as complaints and appeals procedures, deregistration of candidates, use of invisible ink and election campaign coverage by the media. The participants agreed to meet in Strasbourg in May 2007 in order to discuss some remaining issues, notably the composition of the electoral commissions.
Electoral Questions - Armenia - Assistance to the Central Electoral Commission
03/04/2007 - 13/04/2007
Yerevan - In the framework of the Council of Europe Action plan for Armenia and in the light of the forthcoming legislative elections in Armenia, the Venice Commission makes available an expert in electoral law to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia. This expert notably helps the CEC to increase its independence and to plan its activities related to the conduct of the legislative elections of 12 May 2007.
30/03/2007
Washington DC, Federal Election Commission - The Venice Commission takes part in a Seminar entitled “Setting Global Standards in Political Finance”, organised by the United States Federal Election Commission (FEC) and IFES. This seminar addresses the following issues:
- Disclosure: How much should the public know?
- Enforcement: What tools are needed?
- Political Finance in Troubled Democracies: State Capture and Post-Conflict Environments.
27/03/2007 - 29/03/2007
Washington DC, Westin Grand - The Venice Commission is represented at the Global Electoral Conference organised by IFES under the title “Every Vote Counts”, to which organisations dealing with electoral assistance in various parts of the world will take part.
The themes to be discussed include:
- Electronic Voting,
- Resolution of Election Disputes,
- Tracking Political Money in Elections,
- Media and Elections and
- Effective Electoral Assistance
Judiciary
26/03/2007 - 27/03/2007
Rome - The Venice Commission participates in the 3rd Conference of European Judges
Electoral questions – Media coverage
26/03/2007 - 27/03/2007
Strasbourg - Representatives of the Venice Commission attends the 7th meeting of the Council of Europe Group of experts on human rights in the information society (MC-S-IS) concerning the revision of the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation R(99)15 on media coverage of election campaigns.
Ukraine- Electoral legislation
20/03/2007
Kiev - Representatives of the Venice Commission will participate in a round table on ‘Ways of optimizing the election system for parliamentary and local elections in Ukraine’ organised by the the Election Law Institute together with the Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government with the support of the OSCE.
16/03/2007 - 17/03/2007
The Council of Europe’s European Commission for Democracy through Law (the “Venice Commission”) has met in Venice (Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista). This was its 70th session since it was set up in 1990.
The Commission adopted a report on blasphemy, religious insults and inciting religious hatred. Another point on the agenda concerned the extent to which video surveillance is compatible with respect for human rights. These questions were submitted to the Venice Commission by the Parliamentary Assembly.
Terry Davis, Council of Europe Secretary General, and Fiore... read more
“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” – Opinion on a draft law
06/03/2007 - 07/03/2007
Skopje - Meeting between the representatives of the Venice Commission and the authorities on the draft law on the legal status of a church, religious community and religious group.
Denmark - new members
01/03/2007
Appointment of Mr Jørgen Steen SØRENSEN as member and Mr Michael Hansen JENSEN as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Denmark.
19/02/2007 - 21/02/2007
Strasbourg- Training for a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Gabon and the Vice-President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt in the preparation of decisions of the member courts of ACCPUF for their inclusion in CODICES.
Ukraine - request for opinion
18/02/2007
The Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the State Voters Register of Ukraine.
Ukraine- Constitutional Reform
16/02/2007 - 18/02/2007
Odessa - Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in a public forum on “Constitutional Reform – The view of the Civil Society”
Parliamentary dimension of election observation: applying common standards - conference
15/02/2007 - 16/02/2007
Strasbourg – Mr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Vice-President of the Venice Commission and former President of the Republic of Malta, delivers a Keynote statement on “The European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in the electoral field”, in the framework of the Conference on the parliamentary dimension of election observation organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Ukraine - Judiciary
12/02/2007 - 13/02/2007
Kyiv – In the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the Ukrainian draft laws on the judiciary and on the status of judges, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission participate in a round table on these subjects.
Electoral issues – international workshop "Strengthening Political Parties for Democracy -
Challenges for International Assistance"
23/01/2007
Stockholm - At the invitation of the International IDEA a Venice Commission representative participates in a workshop hosted by International IDEA and UNDP’s Democratic Governance Group for leading experts and practitioners. The aim of the workshop is to assess the current state of development in international assistance to parties in developing democracies and to seek new ways and platforms to improve the field work.
Serbia – Parliamentary elections
21/01/2007
At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Venice Commission representatives take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate is to advise the PACE delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
Liechtenstein - New members
15/01/2007
Appointment of Mr Harry GSTÖHL as member and Mr Wilfred HOOP as substitute member in respect of Liechtenstein.
15/01/2007
In the light of the request for opinion from the President of the Parliament of Moldova on the Draft Political Parties Act of Moldova, the Venice Commission and the Technical Co-operation Division of the Department of Crime Problems, Directorate General of Legal Affairs of teh Council of Europe, jointly prepare an opinion on this draft.
The above-mentioned joint draft opinion is being prepared in close contact with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE, which should also provide its analysis. The joint draft opinion will be submitted for adoption to th... read more
69th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice)
15/12/2006 - 16/12/2006
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SESSION:
Discussion on the new Montenegrin Constitution - exchange of views with the Speaker of the Montenegrin parliament;
Adoption of studies on:
- non-citizens and minority rights and
- remedies for the excessive length of proceedings;
Adoption of opinions :
- on draft amendments to the Ombudsperson law of Armenia;
- on draft amendments to the Constitution and on the election code of Georgia and
- on the law on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Switzerland - new members
11/12/2006
Appointment of Ms Gret HALLER as member and Ms Monique JAMETTI GREINER as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Switzerland.
“Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”– Request for opinion
08/12/2006
The Ministry of Justice of the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” has requested the Commission’s opinion on the draft law amending the Electoral Code.
Azerbaijan - Election Code
07/12/2006
Strasbourg, Palais de l’Europe - Representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Venice Commission, OSCE/ODIHR and IFES discuss possible amendments to the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Electoral matters – Electoral lists
07/12/2006 - 08/12/2006
Warsaw, OSCE/ODIHR - The Venice Commission takes part in the expert meeting on “Voter Registration and Election Observation”, a gathering of specialists from several governmental and non governmental international organisations. This meeting represents the first step in a process which should culminate in the issuance of Guidelines on Observation of Voter Registration.
Azerbaijan - Consultation Meeting on Freedom of Assembly in Azerbaijan
06/12/2006 - 07/12/2006
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Consultation meeting on Freedom of Association between the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan and the Venice Commission with the participation of the OSCE Baku Office.
05/12/2006 - 07/12/2006
Yaoundé - – Upon invitation by the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF), the Venice Commission presents its CODICES database in the meeting on “Collection, Management and Distribution of Law in the Francophone Space” organised by the Delegation for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights of OIF and the Secretariat general of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon.
Constitutional Justice - 4th Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges
30/11/2006 - 01/12/2006
Manila – The Commission participates in the 4th Conference of Asian Constitutional Court Judges on “Constitutional Jurisdiction between State, Culture and Religion – Striking the Right Balance“, organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Electoral matters – E-voting
23/11/2006 - 24/11/2006
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Venice Commission takes part in the meeting on the developments in the field of e-voting since the adoption of the Recommendation Rec(2004)11 of the Committee of Ministers on Legal, Operational and Technical Standards for E-voting.
23/11/2006 - 24/11/2006
Bucharest– The Venice Commission co-organises with the Constitutional Court of Romania a seminar on “Guarantees for the Independence of Constitutional Judges”.
Georgia – Assistance to the Central Electoral Commission
20/11/2006 - 23/11/2006
Tbilisi - At the request of the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia (CEC), the Venice Commission puts Ms Lidija Korač, Bosnia-Herzegovina, an expert in electoral law, at the CEC’s disposal. Ms Korač assists the electoral administration notably on strengthening the independence of the CEC and on strategic planning for the upcoming Parliamentary and Presidential elections.
Kazakhstan - visit of a delegation of the Venice Commission
16/11/2006 - 18/11/2006
Alma-Ata - Astana - On the invitation of the Kazakh authorities a delegation of the Venice Commission meets the representatives of different authorities in order to discuss the future co-operation between the Commission and Kazakhstan. This visit is carried out in co-operation with the mission of the European Commission to Kazakhstan.
13/11/2006 - 15/11/2006
Paris – The Venice Commission participates in the 4th Congress of ACCPUF on the topic “The jurisdiction of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Bodies”. The Commission presents its CODICES database, to which the member courts of ACCPUF contribute.
30/10/2006 - 01/11/2006
Kyev - A representative of the Venice Commission took part in the Conference on the March 2006 legislative elections organised by the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine in co-operation with OSCE mission to Kiev and USAID. Among other issues it was agreed that there was a need to elaborate a single Election Code.
More than 150 participants including parliamentarians, members of the electoral commissions, local authorities, civil servants, representatives of the civil society and delegates from the Electoral management bodies from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Mexico, ... read more
25/10/2006 - 27/10/2006
Santiago de Chile - The Venice Commission participates in the 5th Ibero-American Conference on Constitutional Justice (CIJC). The Commission invited the member courts of CIJC to contribute to the CODICES database.
“Learning Europe – Continuous training in EU matters” - international conference
13/10/2006 - 14/10/2006
Brijuni (Croatia) - a conference entitled “Learning Europe – Continuous training in EU matters” takes place upon the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In this context, the Venice Commission presents its Programme "UniDem Campus Trieste", which has been launched in 2001 within the Stability Pact for South-East Europe and provides legal training for civil servants from the countries of the region".
13/10/2006 - 14/10/2006
Two texts of general scope are on the agenda of the October 2006 session:
- its new Guidelines on referendums drafted following a request by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - these Guidelines summarise common European standards to be applied in the field of referendums. Based on the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters the Guidelines take account of the specific features of referendums, in particular the content of texts to be submitted to the people’s vote. Following their adoption by the Venice Commission the Guidelines will be submitted for approval to... read more
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Request for opinion
10/10/2006
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has requested the Commission's opinion on "the extent to which video surveillance is compatible with human rights ".
The draft opinion is planned to be adopted at the 74th plenary session.
03/10/2006 - 05/10/2006
Tbilisi - At the request of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), a member of the Venice Commission and a member of the secretariat have provided legal assistance to the observation mission of the CLRAE at the occasion of the local elections in Georgia, held on 5 October 2006.
General elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
01/10/2006
Sarajevo - In the framework of the agreement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, representatives of the Venice Commission take part in the election observation mission as legal advisors to the Ad-hoc Committee on observation of the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the briefings for observers an expert of the Venice Commission informs the members of the Ad-hoc Committee on the legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the organisation of elections.
Electoral issues – CIS Convention – request by the Secretary General
28/09/2006
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has requested the Venice Commission to prepare an expertise on the Convention on standards for democratic elections, electoral rights and freedoms in member States of the Community of Independent States.
Armenia – electoral issues
27/09/2006 - 28/09/2006
Yerevan – In the framework of the current electoral reform process, the Venice Commission was invited by the Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Mr Tigran Tororsyan to participate in a meeting to discuss amendments to the Electoral Code of Armenia.
The main objective of this meeting was to have an exchange of views on possible ways to implement the latest joint OSCE-ODIHR/Venice Commission opinion (CDL-AD(2006)026).
"Bauer Lecture" on extraordinary renditions
25/09/2006
New York - Mr Olivier DUTHEILLET de LAMOTHE, Substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of France, member of the Constitutional Council of France, was selected by the Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University (New York) as a Bauer Distinguished Visitor Speaker.
Mr DUTHEILLET de LAMOTHE has given a lecture entitled “Extraordinary renditions – a European perspective”.
Armenia – Electoral issues - Request for an amicus curiae opinion
19/09/2006
The Constitutional Court of Armenia has requested the Venice Commission for an amicus curiae opinion on the compatibility of the participation of judges in the electoral commissions with international standards.
Azerbaijan - Round Table on the Freedom of Assembly
19/09/2006
The Government of the Azerbaijan has requested the the Venice Commission to give a legal opinion on the 1998 Law on freedom of Assembly. In this context, the Venice Commission participates in a Round Table on the Freedom of Assembly in Azerbaijan on 19 September 2006. This event, which is organised by the OSCE Office in Baku, offers an opportunity to review the relevant legislation and its implementation in practice, in the light of the last parliamentary elections.
Armenia – Political parties - Request for an amicus curiae opinion
19/09/2006
The Constitutional Court of Armenia has requested the Venice Commission for an amicus curiae opinion on the constitutionality of the provisions of the law on political parties, according to which the political parties are dissolved if they do not participate in the parliamentary elections twice or in the case of their participation gain less than one per cent of votes.
Elections et referendums - Roundtable on the Draft Law on the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns
11/09/2006
Zagreb, Parliament of Croatia - The Venice Commission is invited to participate in a round table on the Draft Law on the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns co-organised by the Central State Administration Office, the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Transparency International Croatia (TIH) and GONG.
Following this exchange of views the Venice Commission in co-operation with OSCE/ODIHR will prepare an opinion on the text of the draft law. The Prime Minister of Croatia, Dr. Ivo Sanader, participates in the roundtable.
07/09/2006
Vilnius/Lithuania – The Venice Commission participates in the preparatory meeting for the XIVth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts
Parliamentary elections in Montenegro
07/09/2006 - 12/09/2006
Podgorica - In the framework of the agreement between the Venice Commission and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, representatives of the Venice Commission took part in the election observation mission as legal advisors to the Ad-hoc Committee on observation of the Parliamentary elections in Montenegro.
At the briefings of observers, Mr Peter Paczolay, Member of the Venice Commission, Hungary, and Mr Gaël Martin-Micallef, from the Secretariat, informed the members of the Ad-hoc Committee on Montenegrin legislation on the organisation of parliamentary elections.
31/08/2006 - 02/09/2006
Riga/Jurmala (Latvia) - The Venice Commission’s secretariat takes part in the 15th Anniversary General Assembly Meeting and Conference of the ACEEEO (Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials), which addresses in particular the issues of National Referendum – Technical and Legal Aspects, and of E-voting and E-democracy.
Elections and referendums
12/07/2006
Brussels - the Venice Commission takes part in the OSCE Chairmanship Conference entitled “Building Democracy through OSCE Electoral Assistance and Observation”
Ukraine - request for opinion
05/07/2006
The Minister of Justice has requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft law on freedom of religion.
Iceland - members
04/07/2006
Reappointment of Mr Hjörtur TORFASON as member and Ms Herdis THORDEIRSDÓTTIR as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Iceland.
Annual “Tripartite-Plus” Meeting between the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the UN and partner organisations
04/07/2006 - 05/07/2006
Geneva – The topic of this year’s Tripartite meeting was: “Peace building from a European regional perspective: avoiding the recurrence of conflict”.
The Venice Commission was represented by a member of the Secretariat. The participants were informed about the activities of the Venice Commission notably in the field of electoral matters.
Constitutional reform - Kyrgyzstan
04/07/2006 - 05/07/2006
Bishkek – Upon the invitation by the Kyrgyz authorities, a Venice Commission delegation discussed the planned constitutional reform with the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Head of the Presidential Administration as well as with members of the Working Group and representatives of NGOs. The delegation also met with representatives of the international community in Bishkek.
Germany - new members
02/07/2006
Appointment of Mr Georg NOLTE as member, and of Ms Angelika NUSSBERGER as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Germany
Ukraine - request for opinion
30/06/2006
The Minister of Justice has requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft law on the Cabinet of Ministers.
Ukraine - request for opinion
30/06/2006
The Minister of Justice has requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft law on the Cabinet of Ministers.
Constitutional Justice - Bulgaria
30/06/2006 - 01/07/2006
Sofia – the Venice Commission participates in the Conference on "The Constitutional Court in a Democratic State" organised by the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria at the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Court.
Round Table on "Non-citizens and Minority Rights" (Geneva)
16 June 2006
16/06/2006 - 16/06/2006
Azerbaijan – request for opinion
14/06/2006
The Office of the President has requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the 1998 law on freedom of assembly.
09/06/2006 - 10/06/2006
The Speaker of the parliament of Montenegro Mr Krivokapich participated in the plenary and informed the Commission on the possibilities of future cooperation in view of the preparation of the new Constitution for Montenegro following the referendum on the independence.
With respect to the “Draft Law of Georgia on the compensation and restitution of property of victims of the conflict in the former autonomous region of South Ossetia“, the Commission exchanged views with the Georgian authorities and adopted its opinion on the latest version of the draft law.
The draft le... read more
Ukraine - request for opinion
02/06/2006
The Minister of Justice has requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft law on peaceful assemblies.
Albania - new member
01/06/2006
Beginnig of the mandate of Mr Ledi BIANKU as member of the Commission in respect of Albania
Constitutional justice - international seminar in Slovakia
01/06/2006 - 02/06/2006
Kosice – In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, the Venice Commission organises a seminar on the “Review by the Constitutional courts of proceedings before ordinary courts applying community law”. Representatives of old and newly established constitutional courts will exchange their views and experience in this field.
Constitutional Justice – Slovakia
01/06/2006 - 02/06/2006
Kosiče – In co-operation with the Slovak Constitutional Court, the Venice Commission organises a seminar on the “Constitutionality of the proceedings before ordinary courts applying the Community Law in practice of the Constitutional Courts”
Romania - new members
23/05/2006
Beginning of the mandate of Mr Bogdan AURESCU as member and Mr Lucian MIHAI as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Romania.
Self-determination referendum in Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro
19/05/2006 - 22/05/2006
Podgorica - In the framework of the agreement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, representatives of the Venice Commission take part in the referendum observation mission as legal advisors to the Ad-hoc Committee on observation of the self-determination referendum in Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro.
At the briefings of observers an expert of the Venice Commission will inform the members of the Ad-hoc Committee on the legislation in Montenegro concerning the organisation of referendums.
15/05/2006 - 16/05/2006
Skopje, Holiday Inn Hotel - The Venice Commission takes part in a Round Table on “the new Electoral Code and the relevant legislation in view of upcoming elections”, organised by the Programme against corruption and organised crime in South-Eastern Europe (PACO; Legal Affairs Directorate of the Council of Europe) and the Venice Commission, in co-operation with the State Election Commission of the “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.
The Venice Commission expert intervenes mainly on: the new provisions of the Electoral code; the main rules on financing of political parties a... read more
Moldova – electoral issues
11/05/2006 - 12/05/2006
Chisinau, Hotel “Codru” - The Venice Commission takes part in an international conference on “Election systems and proceedings – International practice”, organised by the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova.
The Venice Commission expert intervenes on voters' registration, supplementary voters’ lists and on residence requirements for voters.
Ireland - members
10/05/2006
Reappointment of Ms Finola FLANAGAN as member and Mr James HAMILTON as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Ireland.
Italy - members
10/05/2006
Reappointment of Mr Antonio LA PERGOLA as member and Mr Segio BARTOLE as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Italy.
San Marino - membres
10/05/2006
Reappointment of Mr Piero GUALTIERI as member and Ms Barbara REFFI as substitute member of the Commission in respect of San Marino.
Azerbaijan – Request for cooperation activities in electoral matters
05/05/2006
The authorities of Azerbaijan requests the Venice Commission to resume co-operation on the improvement of the electoral legislation and practice in Azerbaijan. The proposals include the work on the further improvement of the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and of legislation related to the freedom of assembly.
Annual address by the Venice Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
03/05/2006
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Hugo Mifsud Bonnici, Vice President of the Venice Commission, addresses the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Mr Mifsud Bonnici presents the activities conducted by the Commission in 2005.
28/04/2006
Baku - The Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Political Affairs of the Council of Europe organise a Round table on the “Results of the 6 November 2005 elections and perspectives of co-operation in the field of electoral legislation and practice”.
The main objective of this activity that involves representatives of Milli Majlis, the Presidential administration, the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan and other institutions is to have an exchange of views on possible ways to improve the electoral practice for the 13 May by-elections and on future co-operation be... read more
Belarus – Request for opinion
11/04/2006
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe invites the Venice Commission to make suggestions on how to amend the Belarusian Electoral Code, with particular reference to the issues of the role of independent observers, the composition of the electoral commissions and the practice of early voting. If necessary the Commission may liaise with the appropriate Belarusian authorities.
Constitutional justice – European Law
10/04/2006 - 11/04/2006
Budapest – In co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Hungary, the Venice Commission organises a Round Table on the “Relationship between Constitutional Law and European Law in the Member States of the European Union”.
The focus is on data protection issues based on the discussion of concrete cases. Representatives of the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, Constitutional courts and courts of equivalent jurisdictions in the European Union exchange their views and experience in the field of data protection.
07/04/2006
The Venice Commission expresses its satisfaction at the establishment by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) of a Human Rights Advisory Panel in Kosovo, which the Commission recommended in its opinion on “Human Rights in Kosovo: Possible Establishment of a Human Rights Mechanism” (link below).
Any person in Kosovo who claims that his or her fundamental rights have been violated by UNMIK will from now on be able to apply, after exhaustion of domestic remedies, to this Advisory Panel, which will express an opinion as to whether or not UNMIK has committed a human rights breac... read more
03/04/2006 - 03/04/2006
The Venice Commission is organising in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Romania a Conference on « Remedies for unduly lengthy proceedings : a new approach to the obligations of Council of Europe member states ».
The Conference will give an opportunity to present an analysis of an assessment and the perspectives of lengthy proceedings at the level of the European Court’s case-law, the Committee of Ministers , the CEPEJ’s activities as well as at the level of the legislation and judicial practice in Romania.
The Venice Commission will also present its innovative... read more
30/03/2006 - 01/04/2006
Vladikavkaz - In the framework of the preparation of the Venice Commission's follow up opinion on the Georgian draft law on the rehabilitation and restitution of property of the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, the Secretariat of the Venice Commission participated in the round table on “Compensation, restitution and restoration of rights for the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict”. This event was organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based international research NGO.
The event, held under Chatham House rules, was attended ... read more
Armenia – Request for opinion
28/03/2006
The Chairperson of the National Assembly of Armenia has requested the Venice Commission and
the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to deliver a joint opinion on draft amendments to the Electoral Code.
Parliamentary elections in Ukraine
24/03/2006 - 27/03/2006
Kiev - In the framework of its agreement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe the representatives of the Venice Commission took part in the election observation mission as legal advisors to the Ad-hoc Committee on observation of parliamentary elections in Ukraine.
At the briefings of observers an expert of the Venice Commission informred the members of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Venice Commission's opinion on the Law on the elections of the people's deputies of Ukraine (CDL-AD(2006)002rev) and the latest legal developments in Ukraine in the field of elections.
Opinion on secret detentions and inter-state transport of prisoners
22/03/2006
Strasbourg - the Venice Commission publishes its opinion on the international legal obligations of Council of Europe member states in respect of secret detentions and inter-state transport of prisoners.
The opinion was adopted at the Commission’s 66th plenary session on 17 March 2006.
17/03/2006 - 18/03/2006
Secret detentions and transport of prisoners, election of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, property restitution to the victims of the South Ossetian conflict – the legal aspects of these issues were on the agenda of the 66th plenary session of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe held on 17 and 18 March in Venice (Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista).
The Venice Commission adopted an opinion on the international legal obligations of Council of Europe member States in respect of secret detentions and inter-state transport of prisoners. This opinion, requested by... read more
15/03/2006 - 17/03/2006
Paris – A Delegation of the Central Election Commission of Georgia visits Paris from 15 to 17 March 2006 in order to study the functioning of voters’ lists in France, at national and municipal levels.
Bosnia-Herzegovina - request for opinion
06/03/2006
The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina asked the Venice Commission on 2 March 2006 to provide an opinion on three different proposals for the election of the Presidency of the country. The opinion was asked for as a matter of urgency since this issue has to be resolved in order to reach overall agreement on constitutional reform. A draft Opinion under the responsibility of the rapporteurs will be sent to the Presidency on 7 March 2006. The draft will then be presented to the Commission at its forthcoming plenary session on 17 to 18 March 2006.
Slovenia - new substitute member
01/03/2006
Beginning of the mandate of Mr Miha POGAČNIK as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Slovenia.
Slovenia - member
01/03/2006
Reappointment of Mr Peter JAMBREK as member of the Commission in respect of Slovenia
08/02/2006 - 09/02/2006
Tbilisi - A delegation of the Venice Commission visits Georgia in view of the opinion on the Draft Law on Rehabilitation and Restitution of Property of Victims of Georgian-Ossetian Conflict.
08/02/2006 - 09/02/2006
Tbilisi, Parliament - Mr Pierre Garrone, Head of the Elections and Referendums Division of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission, participated in the National workshop on the decentralization strategy of Georgia, which took place in the Parliament of Georgia, on 8-9 February 2006.
The workshop falls within the framework of the current electoral reform in Georgia.
Around 30 participants attended this workshop, inter alia, members of Parliament, representatives of the government, the Central Election Commission, non governmental organisations, as well as the international co... read more
Mexico - new observer
20/01/2006
Appointment of Mr María AMPARO CASAR PÉREZ as a new observer at the Commission in respect of Mexico
Secret detention centres and irregular transfer of prisoners - Request by PACE for an opinion
16/01/2006
The Venice Commission is to prepare an opinion on the legality of secret detention centres and on the legal obligations of Council of Europe member States in respect of the transport of prisoners by other States through their territory. The Commission is expected to adopt its opinion at the next plenary session on 17-18 March 2006 in Venice.
This request for opinion, dated 15.12.2005, comes in the framework of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly inquiry into alleged CIA detention centres in Europe.
13/01/2006
Following a request from the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Mr Marian Lupu, to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission was asked to provide its opinion on the revised Law on the Information and Security (Intelligence) Service.
This Law, already adopted in 1999, was substantially amended by Parliament on 22 July 2005.
The expertise will be carried out jointly with an expert designated by the Directorate General of Legal affairs.
The Venice Commission is due to adopt its opinion at its 66th session to take place on 17-18 M... read more
Albania - Parliamentary immunity - request for opinion
19/12/2005
The Albanian government requests the Venice Commission's opinion on the draft decision of Parliament on the limitation of parliamentary immunity and the conditions for the autorisation to initiate investigation in relation with corruption offences and abuse of duty.
Ukraine - Constitutional Court
17/12/2005
The Venice Commission adopted a declaration expressing its its concern that following the expiry of the mandate of a number of judges from the Constitutional Court of Ukraine the number of judges is no longer sufficient to ensure the continued effective functioning of the Court.
16/12/2005 - 17/12/2005
Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - The Commission is to be informed on follow-up to:
- Amicus Curiae opinionon the nature of the proceedings before the Human Rights Chamber and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- final opinion on constitutional reform in the Republic of Armenia;
- opinion on the constitutional situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the powers of the High Representative.
The Commission is invited to examine with a view to adoption the draft opinions on:
- standards applicable to the referendum in M... read more
Russian Federation -New members
15/12/2005
Appointment of Mr Valeriy ZORKIN as member and Mr Valeriy MUSIN as substitute member of the Commission in respect of the Russian Federation
Croatia - new substitute member
13/12/2005
Appointment of Mrs Jasna OMEJEC as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Croatia.
13/12/2005
In the framework of request n° 71251/01 Parti nationaliste Basque – Organisation régionale d’Iparralde v. France, the European Court of Human Rights invited the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the following questions:
Is the financing of political parties by foreign political parties commonly prohibited or limited by the member states of the Council of Europe? If this is the case, which of those countries adopted such a measure?
To what extent may the prohibition of a foreign political party financing a political party be considered as “necessary in a democrat... read more
VIIIth International Forum on Constitutional Justice
09/12/2005 - 10/12/2005
Moscow – A member of the Commission’s Secretariat participates in the VIIIth International Forum on Constitutional Justice on “the Implementation of the Rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in European Constitutional Courts’ Practice”.
The conference is organised by the Institute of Law and Public Policy under the aegis of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.
Georgia – South Ossetia – request for opinion
05/12/2005
Tbilisi - The Ministry of Justice of Georgia requests an opinion on the Draft Law on Rehabilitation and Restitution of Property of Victims of Georgian-Ossetian Conflict.
Conference on "Council of Europe Standards in the Electoral Field and funding Political Parties" (Chisinau)
29/11/2005 - 30/11/2005
29/11/2005 - 01/12/2006
Chisinau - the Programme against corruption and organised crime in South-eastern Europe (PACO) and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe organise a conference on the Council of Europe standards in the electoral field and funding of political parties, in co-operation with the Centre for fighting economic crime and corruption, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Moldova.
Professor Hans-Heinrich Vogel, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Sweden and Mr Richard Ghevontian, Venice Commission expert, deliver reports on “Financi... read more
24/11/2005 - 25/11/2005
Bishkek - Representatives of the Venice Commission took part in an international conference to review the constitutional reform in Kyrgyzstan.
Key issues such as division of state powers, independence of the judiciary and protection of human rights were addressed by a broad circle of participants ranging from representatives of Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament), presidential administration, political parties, judges, Ombudsman and civil society. Most of them are members of the Constitutional Conference, a body responsible for the constitutional reform in Kyrgyzstan.
A final ... read more
Albania – constitutional issues
18/11/2005
Tirana - A delegation of the Venice Commission meets inter alia Mr S. Berisha, Prime Minister, and Ms J. Topalli, Speaker of the Parliament, in order to discuss a possible constitutional revision, concerning in particular the reform of the electoral system, parliamentary immunity and on the office of the prosecutor general.
04/11/2005 - 07/11/2005
At the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Venice Commission representatives take part in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. Their mandate is to advise the delegation on the legal aspects of the elections.
The Venice Commission welcomes the Presidential Decree of 25 October 2005 on the preparation of parliamentary elections on 6 November. The introduction of inking and the abolition of restrictions to all NGO's to observe the vote are a positive step which goes in line with the recommendations of the Final op... read more
Estonia - New members
25/10/2005
Appointment of Mr Oliver KASK as member and Ms Liina LUST as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Estonia
21/10/2005 - 22/10/2005
The Commission will provide an assessment of the amendments to the Armenian constitution which will be submitted to a national referendum on 27 November 2005. The adoption of a constitution providing for an appropriate system of checks and balances is a key step for Armenia to meet European standards.
The Commission will also try to offer a viable solution to the complex issue of reviewing the decisions taken by the United Nations before its departure in 2003 to withdraw the licence to a number of police officers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The recommendations on the fir... read more
Cyprus - new substitute member
11/10/2005
Nomination of Mr Myron Michael NICOLATOS as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Cyprus.
Iraq - Constitution
07/10/2005 - 10/10/2005
Amman, Jordan – The Venice Commission participates in the fourth seminar on “Constitution Building in Iraq” organised by the German Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany on the topic “Iraq’s Constitutional Settlement: Past, Present and Future". A member of the Commission discusses different aspects of the draft constitution with the participants from Iraq.
Georgia - request for opinion
03/10/2005
Georgian parliament has requested the Venice Commission to deliver its opinion on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code concerning the election of Tbilisi municipal Council (Sacrebulo). The draft amendments are on the agenda of the autumn 2005 session of the Georgian Parliament.
The Venice Commission plans to adopt its opinion on these amendments at its 65th Session on 16-17 December 2005.
Chile - nomination of members
01/10/2005
Nomination of Mr José Luis CEA Egaña, President of the Constitutional Court of Chile as member and Mr Juan COLOMBO Campbell, judge of the Constitutional Court as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Chile
30/09/2005
Yerevan, premises of the National Assembly - On 30 September, from 16:00 to 19:00, the Venice Commission representatives and other European constitutional experts have discussed with the representatives of the Armenian authorities, the media and the civil society the main changes under the new proposed constitution.
This text will be the subject of the referendum scheduled at the end of November 2005.
Open to the press
Moldova - New member
29/09/2005
Nomination of Mr Nicolae EŞANU as member of the Commission in respect of Moldova.
"The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Reform of the judiciary
29/09/2005
Skopje - At an expert meeting on the reform of the judiciary organised by the Ministry of Justice, a member of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission presented a preliminary opinion of the Commission on this subject.
The Commission plans to adopt its opinion on the draft amendments on the reform of the judiciary at its 64th Session on 21-22 October 2005.
29/09/2005 - 30/09/2005
Bled, Slovenia - The aim of the Conference is to bring together the Secretaries General of Constitutional Courts and equivalent bodies and to provide an opportunity for contacts to be made between them as well as to provide a forum for discussion between old and newly established Constitutional courts and equivalent jurisdictions.
20/09/2005 - 20/10/2005
Tbilisi - At the request of the newly composed Central Electoral Commission of Georgia (CEC), the Venice Commission puts Mr Bernard Owen, an expert in electoral law, at their disposal. Mr Owen assisted the electoral administration on the legal and technical aspects of the preparation of the elections. Mr Owen also observed the legislative by-elections held on 1st October 2005.
In addition, Mr Gaël Martin-Micallef of the Venice Commission’s Secretariat took part in this mission. Messrs Owen and Martin-Micallef met with representatives of CEC, as well as with the representatives of p... read more
Sweden - new members
16/09/2005
Appointment of Mr Hans-Heinrich VOGEL as member and Mr Iain CAMERON as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Sweden.
Iceland - Referenda and the public’s access to political decision making
16/09/2005 - 17/09/2005
Reykjavik - The Icelandic Lawyers’ Association in collaboration with a government-appointed Committee to Review the Constitution of the Republic of Iceland held a symposium on “Referenda and the public’s access to political decision making”. A member of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission gave a presentation on referenda in Europe, on the basis of the comparative work of the Venice Commission in the relevant field. He also took part in a broader discussion on the constitutional revision in Iceland.
14/09/2005 - 15/09/2005
Siofok, Hungary - The Venice Commission is invited to participate in an international conference on “Legal remedies in election processes and standards of electronic voting”.
The event is organised by the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO) and the National Electoral Office of Hungary in co-operation with the following organisations:
• “Elections Canada”,
• International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES),
• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA),
• Institute of Federal Ele... read more
European Parliament’s public hearing on media pluralism
13/09/2005
Brussels, European Parliament - The European Parliament – Committee on Culture and Education – held a public hearing on the topic: “No freedom without pluralism”.
Ms Simona Granata-Menghini on behalf of the Venice Commission intervened in the framework of the discussion on the “Promotion of pluralism and cultural diversity”.
Azerbaijan - Forthcoming legislative elections
07/09/2005 - 08/09/2005
Baku - The Venice Commission organised in co-operation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan a training on various technical aspects of organisating elections.
Pre-electoral campaign, voters' lists, electoral disputes and the role of the observers were the main topics of the training. Participants would have to organise, with the assistance of the Central Electoral Commission, training sessions for the members of electoral commissions in regions.
07/09/2005 - 08/09/2005
Ulan Bator - the Secretariat of the Venice Commission participated in the 3rd Seminar of Asian Constitutional Court Judges organised by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Constitutional Court of Mongolia.
07/09/2005 - 08/09/2005
Bucharest – A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Bucharest at the invitation of the Romanian Government.
The visit took place in the light of the examination by the Commission of the Draft Law on the Statute of National Minorities living in Romania, which the government submitted for opinion in June 2005.
The delegation met representatives of the Government and the Parliament, including its Committee on Human Rights, Cults and National Minorities. Further meetings were organised with the Council of National Minorities and the National Council for Combating Discrimin... read more
Elections and referendums - Additional commitments of the OSCE member states
06/09/2005 - 07/09/2005
Warsaw, OSCE/ODIHR Office – The Venice Commission participated in a meeting of experts in the electoral field in order to examine possible additional commitments of the OSCE participating states aimed at ensuring free and fair elections. The resulting list would complement the 1990 Copenhagen document.
30/08/2005 - 31/08/2005
Astana - Conference on "Constitution: Individual, Society and State" on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Constitution of Kazakhstan. The Commission was represented by a member of the Secretariat.
Ombudsperson - Kazakhstan
29/08/2005
Astana - the IIIrd August Readings on Human Rights of the Ombudsman of Kazakhstan. The Venice Commission was represented by a member of the Secretariat.
Hungary - new members
12/08/2005
Appointment of Mr Péter PACZOLAY as member of the Commission and Mr László TROCSANYI as substitute member in respect of Hungary.
New observer member - Israel
28/07/2005
Mr Dan Meridor is appointed as a new observer member to the Commission in respect of Israel.
Constitution building in Iraq
21/07/2005 - 23/07/2005
Amman, Jordan – As a further event in the series of seminars on the constitution of Iraq, the Venice Commission participates in the seminar on “Comparative constitutional Rights and the Iraqi Constitution”. As an input to the constitution drafting process in Iraq, a member of the Commission presents international human rights standards to the participants from Iraq. The seminar is organised by the German Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
Iraq - Constitution
10/07/2005 - 16/07/2005
Gummersbach, Germany - As a follow up to the first successful first seminar in Amman (1 - 3 June), the Venice Commission will participate in the seminar on “Constitution Building in Iraq - Federalism: Structures and Principles”. As an input to the constitution drafting process in Iraq, members of the Commission will present different federal and regional systems of government. The seminar is organised by the German Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
Annual address by the Venice Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
07/07/2005
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Antonio La Pergola, President of the Venice Commission, addresses the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Mr La Pergola will present the activities conducted by the Commission in 2004.
Albania - Parliamentary elections
30/06/2005 - 04/07/2005
Tirana - In the framework of the co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, Mr Oliver Kask, substitute Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Estonia, and Mr Pierre Garrone, Head of the Division of Elections and Referendums, assist the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly as legal experts. They advise the members of the delegation on the electoral legislation and its implementation.
26/06/2005 - 27/06/2005
Bogor - Upon invitation by the German Hans-Seidel Foundation the Secretariat of the Commission participated in the Workshop on Comparing Access to Justice in Asian and European Transitional Countries
Constitutional reform in Kyrgyzstan
15/06/2005 - 17/06/2005
Bishkek - the Venice Commission is invited to assist the Constitutional Commission, in developing proposals to amend the current Constitution.
The Constitutional Council is chaired by the Speaker of Kyrgyz Parliament and comprises representatives of various political forces, judiciary and civil society.
10/06/2005 - 11/06/2005
On the agenda:
• exchange of views with Mr Tigran Torossian, Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly;
• adoption of the second interim opinion on constitutional reforms in Armenia;
• amendments to the law on the procedure of conducting gatherings, meetings, rallies and demonstrations in the Republic of Armenia;
• adoption of the joint opinions by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the revised draft amendments to the Electoral Codes of Armenia and Azerbaijan which was examined within the framework of the report on the meeting of the... read more
Romania – request for opinion
02/06/2005
Romanian government has requested the Venice Commission to deliver its opinion on the draft "Law on the Statute of National Minorities" adopted by the Government of Romania on 19 May 2005
01/06/2005 - 03/06/2005
Amman, Jordan - Venice Commission contributes to this conference which is taking place within the project “Consultancy and support for national, regional and local political elites in the process of the development of a constitution in Iraq”. The project is run by the German Friedrich Naumann Stiftung funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
Electoral reform in Azerbaijan
31/05/2005
Strasbourg, Palais de l'Europe - The representatives of the authorities of Azerbaijan, the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR meet to discuss the proposed changes to the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan which were submitted for opinion on 25 April 2005. The discussion will be based on the draft opinion prepared by the experts of the Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR in May 2005 as well on the earlier 2004 joint Recommendations.
31/05/2005 - 01/06/2005
Bucarest - Conference of Heads of Institutions of the Association of Constitutional Court using the French Language (ACCPUF) on the independence of judges and courts.
Serbia and Montenegro - members
27/05/2005
Reappointment of Mr Vojin DIMITRIJEVIC as a member and Mr Srdja DARMANOVIC as a substitute member of the Commission in respect of Serbia and Montenegro
Participation of non-citizens in elections – international round table
27/05/2005
Moscow - This event is organised by the Venice Commission in co-operation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation. The discussion will focus on the participation of foreigners in public life and the experience of such countries as Norway, Switzerland and United Kingdom in providing resident foreigners with the right to vote in local elections. Special attention will be paid to the European Convention on participation of foreigners in public life. The participants are members of the electoral commissions, MPs and representatives of different public authorities.
Chile joins the Venice Commission as 48th member state
27/05/2005
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has agreed to the request of Chile to become a full member of the Commission.
The revised statute of the Venice Commission adopted by the Committee of Ministers in February 2002, allows non-European states to become full members of the Commission. Kyrgyzstan was the first Commission’s non-European member.
Round Table on the participation of foreigners in elections (Moscow)
27/05/2005 - 27/05/2005
Constitutional Justice
15/05/2005 - 19/05/2005
Nicosia - XIIIth Conference of European Constitutional Courts on the Criteria of the Limitation of Human Rights.
Scientific Conference: Republika Srpska - 10th Anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords
12/05/2005 - 13/05/2005
Banja Luka, Banski Dvor - A representative of the Venice Commission will present the opinion of the Commission on “the constitutional situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the powers of the High Representative” (CDL-AD(2005)004) at this conference which is organised by the Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republika Srpska.
Monaco - member
11/05/2005
Nomination of Mr Dominique CHAGNOLLAUD as member of the Commission in respect of Monaco.
15th anniversary of the Venice Commission
10/05/2005
"Challenges of election technologies and procedures" - OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension meeting
21/04/2005 - 22/04/2005
Vienna, Hofburg - The Venice Commission is invited to this conference which focuses on the following three areas:
- new election technologies, such as electronic voting, as well as the comparison of the main systems in use;
- ongoing challenges to implementation of existing OSCE commitments for democratic elections;
- election observation: challenges to enhancing electoral integrity.
Spain - membres
14/04/2005
Nomination of Mr Carlos CLOSA MONTERO as member and Mr Ángel José SÁNCHEZ NAVARRO as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Spain.
Denmark - members
01/04/2005
Reappointment of Mr Henrik ZAHLE as a member and Mr John LUNDUM as a substitute member of the Commission in respect of Denmark
11/03/2005 - 12/03/2005
The Commission has been informed on the follow-up given to the opinions on:
- Amicus curiae Opinion 312/2004 on the interpretation of articles 125 and 126 of the Constitution of Albania (appointment of highest judges)
- Opinion 296/2004 - introduction of the individual complaint to Turkish Constitutional Court;
- Opinion 315/2004 - introduction of the individual complaint to the Constitutional Court of Moldova
With regards to individual members states, the following opinions have been adopted on:
- the draft law amending the law on... read more
Meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections (Venice)
10/03/2005
Parliamentary elections in Moldova - Participation in the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
04/03/2005 - 07/03/2005
Chisinau - In the framework of the co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, Mr Dimitri Constas, Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Greece, and a member of the Secretariat, participated in the Observation Mission for the Parliamentary elections in Moldova as legal experts. They advised the members of the delegation on the electoral legislation and its implementation.
03/03/2005 - 04/03/2005
Yerevan - Representatives of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will pay a joint visit to Yerevan on 3-4 March 2005, in order to discuss progress in the revision of Armenia’s electoral legislation, based on the Joint Recommendations issued by the two organisations in relation to the ongoing electoral reform in Armenia.
The visit is part of the co-operation programme between the Council of Europe and the Armenian authorities, in the framework of Armenia’s monitori... read more
“Federalism: Turning diversity into harmony, sharing best practices”
03/03/2005 - 05/03/2005
Brussels – Venice Commission is invited to preside one of the working groups on resolution of conflicts in the course of the Third International Conference on Federalism. This forum is a joint initiative of federal and federated authorities (Communities and Regions) of Belgium.
The Conference is timed to coincide with a series of events aiming to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Belgium’s independence, and the 25th anniversary of federalism in the country.
Electoral issues – Azerbaijan
01/03/2005
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Representatives of the Venice Commission and ODIHR Secretariats will meet with representatives of the Azeri authorities in order to outline further co-operation in the field of electoral law and practice. This meeting is organised as a follow-up to the joint recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR adopted in 2004.
21/02/2005 - 23/02/2005
Sarajevo - A joint OSCE/ODIHR - Venice Commission delegation visits Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to resume the co-operation on the revision of the electoral law. The revision of the electoral legislation, in co-operation with the Venice Commission, is a commitment taken by Bosnia and Herzegovina upon accession to the Council of Europe.
The joint delegation is to meet representatives of the international community, including the Office of the High Representative (OHR), of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the legislative and executive branches of p... read more
04/02/2005 - 05/02/2005
Entebbe - In co-operation with the Southern African Judges Commission and the Supreme Court of Uganda, the Venice Commission organised a conference on Modernising the Judiciary. Chief Justices from Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe participated in the conference, which was opened by the Prime Minister of Uganda, Mr. Nsibami, the Chief Justice of Uganda, Mr Odoki, and the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Mr. Buquicchio.
During the Conference, the subject of the modernisation of the judiciary was ... read more
Ukraine - new member
03/02/2005
Nomination of Mr Serhiy HOLOVATY as member of the Commission in respect of Ukraine
Request for opinion amicus curiae - Bosnia and Herzegovina
02/02/2005
Sarajevo - the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has requested an amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission relating to coat of arms, flag, anthem of the entities.
26/01/2005 - 28/01/2005
Tbilisi - A delegation from the Venice Commission visited Georgia from 26 to 28 January 2005 to discuss possible legal solutions to the South Ossetian conflict. The visit followed a request by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia to help the Georgian Working Group in its preparation of a legal document on the status of South Ossetia.
During their visit, members of the delegation met Georgian experts and institutions involved in defining the status of South Ossetia, such as the ministries of Justice, Conflict Resolution and Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister and Presidents o... read more
19/01/2005
Ljubljana - National Assembly of Armenia and the Venice Commission, in co-operation with the NGO “LINKS”, organised an international conference entitled “Our choice – European integration”. The event took place during a session of the so-called “South Caucasus Parliament Initiative” (18 – 20 January 2005) and in the framework of the Armenian presidency of this forum.
MPs of the three Caucasian countries, with the relevant input of European experts, discussed various aspects of the European integration, including the honouring of obligations and commitments taken up by their countri... read more
Seminar on "Our choice - European Integration" (Ljubljana)
19/01/2005 - 19/01/2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina - request for an opinion on electoral legislation
18/01/2005
The Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina asked the Venice Commission for assistance in the framework of the revision of the state’s electoral law. Co-operation between the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Venice Commission in the field of electoral legislation is a part of the commitments taken by Bosnia and Herzegovina upon accession to the Council of Europe.
13/01/2005 - 14/01/2005
Rome - A delegation of the Venice Commission met with the Italian authorities in the context of the preparation of an opinion on the compatibility of the Italian laws "Gasparri" (on the media) and "Frattini" (on the conflicts of interest) with the European standards on media pluralism and freedom of expression. The opinion was requested by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Venice Commission Delegation:
Members:
Mr Kaarlo Tuori
Mr Jan Helgesen
Mr Christoph Grabenwarter
Mr Peter Paczolay
Secretariat:
Mr Gianni Buqui... read more
Observation of the elections of the President of the Palestinian Authority
06/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
In the framework of the co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, Mr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Malta, participated in the Election Observation Mission of the PACE as a legal expert. He advised members of the delegation on matters concerning conformity of the electoral legislation with international standards.
Ukraine – Preparation of the new elections scheduled for 26 December 2004
08/12/2004
A representative of the Venice Commission participates in the Council of Europe expert mission to Ukraine. The experts are meeting with the Ukrainian authorities, representatives of the two presidential candidates, the media and civil society.
61st Plenary session of the Commission
(Venice)
03/12/2004 - 04/12/2004
The Commission has in particular adopted opinions on constitutional reform in Armenia and on President Putin’s proposal for a reform of federalism in Russia.
In addition, upon the recommendation of the Council of Democratic Elections, a tripartite body of the Council of Europe, the Commission has examined inter alia with the view to adoption the draft joint Venice Commission – OSCE/ODIHR opinion on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code of Armenia.
Constitutional Justice / ACCPUF
01/12/2004 - 03/12/2004
Paris - Seminar for national correspondents of the Association of Constitutional Court using the French Language (ACCPUF) on "the Status, Financing and the Role of Political Parties: Stakes for Democracy". The Secretariat of the Venice Commission presents the activities of the Commission in this field.
Opinion 317/2004 – Constitutional Reform in Montenegro
01/12/2004 - 03/12/2004
Podgorica - Expert meeting with the representatives of the institutions of Montenegro on the Preliminary report on alternatives of constitutional changes in Montenegro (prepared by the Council for Constitutional Matters of the Assembly of Montenegro)
South Ossetia, Georgia – Request for assistance
23/11/2004
Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested the Venice Commission to join the Georgian expert group drafting a document on the status of South Ossetia.
22/11/2004
Belgrade - Upon request by the Minister of Public Administration and Local authorities of Serbia, the Venice Commission, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Directorate General of the Council of Europe prepre an joint opinion on the draft Law on the Ombudsman of Serbia. The Secretariat of the Venice Commisison and the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner present a preliminary version of the opinion at a round table organised by the Ministry, OSCE and the Council of Europe.
Croatia - Round table on the Election Legislation Reform
18/11/2004 - 19/11/2004
Zagreb - On the invitation on the OSCE mission to Croatia, the Venice Commission will participate in the roundtable on Election legislation reform. Among the issues concerning the technical aspects of organisation of elections, the participants will discuss the possibility of establishment of a Permanent Electoral Commission in Croatia, different aspects of minorities' participation in electoral process, voters’ lists and out-of-country voting.
The Declaration on Criteria for Free and Fair Elections: Ten Years On - International Roundtable on Electoral Standards
18/11/2004 - 19/11/2004
Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva, Switzerland - The Venice Commission is invited by the Inter-Parliamentary Union to participate in a round table on Electoral standards. This conference will focus on such issues as the principle of free and fair elections, evaluation of the outcome and electoral practice.
Elections in Ukraine - Participation to the Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
12/11/2004 - 13/11/2004
Following the agreement of cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, the experts of the Commission are invited to act as legal advisers in the observation of the Presidential Elections in Ukraine on 31 October 2004. Their task will be to assist the observers and advise them on legal aspects of electoral legislation and practice.
Moldova - request for opinion
04/11/2004 - 05/11/2004
The Constitutional Court of Moldova requested an amicus curiae opinion relating to a draft constitutional amendment introducing the individual complaint to the Constitutional Court.
Request for an opinion on Russian federalism
26/10/2004
At its meeting on 25-26 October 2004 the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly decided to ask the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the draft law establishing new procedures for the election and revocation of heads of the regional executive proposed by President Putin. The opinion of the Commission should be adopted at its 61st Plenary Session in Venice on 3 to 4 December 2004.
07/10/2004 - 09/10/2004
The Commission adopted proposals for improving human rights protection in Kosovo, examined the constitutional situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the presence of the High Representative, Lord Ashdown, and started considerating two projects for amending the constitution of Armenia in the presence of the Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr T.Torosyan.
The Commission also adopted a number of opinions on laws of member states including: the law on public meetings of Armenia, draft law of Georgia on restitution of housing and property to the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian c... read more
Elections support - Achievements and Challenges
04/10/2004
Brussels - The Venice Commission took part in a Conference 'Election support: Achievements and Challenges' organised by the European Commission. This event brought together over 150 representatives of international organisations, NGOs and EU officials who exchanged their views on election observation and assistance programmes.
The participants focused on such issues as election observation methodology, including election assessment in conflict zones, election assistance and follow-up to election observation as well as regional and local actors.
04/10/2004 - 08/10/2004
Trieste, Palazzo del Ferdinandeo - 4ème réunion des coordinateurs nationaux d'UniDem Campus
01/10/2004
The Conference of Constitutional Control Organs of the Countries of Young Democracy (CCCOCYD), based at the Constitutional Court of Armenia, in cooperation with the Venice Commission organised an international conference on the “Ensuring the principle of rule of law in the practice of constitutional justice”. Presidents and judges from the courts participating in the CCCOCYD and from other European countries participated in the event.
28/09/2004 - 29/09/2004
Sarajevo, Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina - The budget of a constitutional court constitutes one of the guarantees of the independence of constitutional justice. The experience of old and newly established Constitutional Courts (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia) was presented and discussed.
Constitutional Justice - international round table
16/09/2004 - 17/09/2004
Aix-en-Provence - International round table on “Constitutional Justice, European Justice, Ordinary justice” , in co-operation with the Research and Studies Group, National Centre for Research and Science of France
13/09/2004 - 17/09/2004
Donetsk & Kherson - The Venice Commission organised an electoral training workshops in two regions of Ukraine, Donetsk and Kherson. These workshops target territorial election commissioners, representatives of NGOs and media, in view of the Presidential election, to be held on 31 October 2004.
Electoral questions - E-governance
13/09/2004 - 17/09/2004
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission is taking part in the Second meeting of the Group of Specialists on e-governance, in view of adoption of a draft Recommendation to member states on e-governance. This text will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Italy - request for opinion by the Parliamentary Assembly
09/09/2004 - 10/09/2004
In its Resolution 1387(2004), the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE has requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the compatibility of the Italian "Gasparri law" (on the media) and the "Frattini Law" (on conflicts between public duty and private interests of public officials) with the standards of the Council of Europe in the field of freedom of expression and media pluralism.
After preliminary discussions to be held in October 2004, the Commission plans to adopt an opinion on this matter at its Plenary Session of March 2005.
09/09/2004 - 10/09/2004
Minsk - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Belarus on "Social Rights / Freedom of Expression"
Electoral questions - ACEEEO conference
09/09/2004 - 11/09/2004
Tirana – The Venice Commission will take part in the annual ACEEEO (Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials) conference on “Voter turnout with special regards to first time voters”. The Commission co-operates regularly with ACEEEO, namely in the framework of the Council for Democratic Elections; in addition, the commission contributed to the conference organised by the Council of Europe in November 2003 on electoral participation of young people.
Bulgaria - New members
01/09/2004 - 03/09/2004
Appointment of Mr Anton STANKOV as member of the Commission and Mr Todor TODOROV as substitute member in respect of Bulgaria.
Georgia – request for opinion
02/08/2004
The Georgian authorities asked the Venice Commission for an opinion on the draft law on “Restitution of Property and Housing of Victims of Georgian-Ossetian Conflict” prepared by the Young Lawyers’ Association of Georgia.
15/07/2004 - 16/07/2004
Vienna – The Venice Commission took part in the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Electoral Standards and Commitments. This meeting aimed in particular to study the potential need for additional commitments. In this field, the Venice Commission drafted the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, which was approved by the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and supported by the Committee of Ministers in a relevant Declaration.
08/07/2004 - 10/07/2004
Baku - Upon the request of the Azeri authorities the Venice Commission organised , in co-operation with IFES office in Baku and the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan, an electoral training workshop. The participants discussed different aspects of the organisation of elections such as the registration of candidates, the work of electoral commissions before and during the E- Day, including ballot counting. The main objective of this activity was to train the staff of the precinct and regional electoral commissions before the local elections which are to take place in December 200... read more
06/07/2004 - 23/07/2004
Pristina - At the request of UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) an official from the Venice Commission Secretariat assisted the Working Group on Local Government Reform set up in Kosovo. The Working Group has as its task to prepare proposals for decentralisation in Kosovo.
05/07/2004 - 06/07/2004
Strasbourg - The Council for Democratic Elections, of which the Venice Commission is a member, participated in the 4th meeting of the working Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting, and took part in the drafting of a relevant recommendation. This text will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Round table on combating extremism
01/07/2004 - 02/07/2004
Alma-Aty - An official from the Venice Commission participated in a roundtable on combating extremism organised by the OSCE/ODIHR and presented the Commission's "Guidelines on Prohibition and Dissolution of Political Parties and Analogous Measures".
23/06/2004
Pristina & Mitrovica - A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Kosovo in relation with the preparation, at the request of the Parliamentary Assembly, of the opinion on the Human Rights situation in Kosovo.
Members of the Venice Commission Messrs Helgesen, Scholsem and Nolte met with the President of the Supreme Court of Kosovo, the Ombudsperson and representatives of UNMIK, KFOR, OSCE, UNHCR and UNICEF.
The opinion on the human rights situation in Kosovo will be discussed at the next Plenary Session of the Venice Commission, which will be held in Venice on 8... read more
17/06/2004 - 19/06/2004
The Commission has adopted an opinion on the draft constitutional law of Georgia on the status of the autonomous Republic of Adjara. Shortly after the session, the opinion was transmitted to the Georgian Parliament, which rescheduled its debates on the issue in order to study the conclusions of the Commission. The request for the opinion had been submitted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26 May 2004.
Other opinions on the agenda concerned a number of laws in different member states, including:
• the law on public meetings in Armenia... read more
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - New members
15/06/2004
Appointment of Ms Mirjana LAZAROVA TRAJKOVSKA as member of the Commission and Mr Borce DAVITKOVSKI as substitute member in respect of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
07/06/2004 - 23/06/2004
On the occasion of the regional elections, which took place on 20 June 2004 in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia, and according to the request of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Georgia, the Venice Commission made available to the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) of Adjara an expert in the electoral law Bernard OWEN. Mr Owen assisted the electoral administration of the Republic in the legal and technical aspects of the preparation of the elections.
In addition, Gaël Martin-Micallef of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission took part in the Council of Eu... read more
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - Constitutional justice
03/06/2004
Skopje - Conference on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" on "Constitutional protection - current state of affairs and perspectives"
Albania – request for opinion
02/06/2004
The Albanian Constitutional Court asked the Venice Commission for an amicus curiae opinion on the interpretation of constitutional provisions relating to the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court.
Southern African Judges Commission - Conference of the Presidents of highest courts of the Southern African Region
31/05/2004 - 01/06/2005
International Conference for the Chief Justices of the Arab countries
29/05/2004 - 31/05/2004
Cairo - The United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) Division of Policy Development and the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt convene a Regional Assessment Meeting for the Chief Justices of the Arab countries in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development.
The Secretary of the Venice Commission address this meeting.
Ukraine - Request for opinion
28/05/2004
The Commission has received a request for an opinion on the draft law on the status of indigenous (autochthonous) peoples of Ukraine
Estonia - New members
28/05/2004
Appointment of Mr Taavi ANNUS as member of the Commission and Mr Oliver KASK as substitute member in respect of Estonia
28/05/2004
Strasbourg - Upon the initiative of the Venice Commission, an international brainstorming on minority protection took place at the Council of Europe. Representatives of the following main international bodies, dealing with minorities’ protection, participated in the meeting:
- Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities;
- UN Sub Commission on Human Rights - Working Group on Minorities;
- Council of Europe:
* Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;
* Committee of ... read more
Romania – request for opinion
21/05/2004
The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly asked the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the conformity of principles set by Romania’s Law on local elections with the Council of Europe’s basic legal instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Local Self-Government.
18/05/2004 - 19/05/2004
Tbilisi - Conference on “The Constitutional Organisation of the State”, organised in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Georgia.
The conference in particular addressed issues of the separation of powers in the light of the recent constitutional amendments in Georgia as well as territorial organisation following the restoration of Georgian government authority in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
OSCE Contact Group and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation
14/05/2004
Vienna - The Secretary of the Venice Commission addressed the meeting of the OSCE Contact Group with the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation.
13/05/2004
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - At the 114th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Ministers (of Foreign Affairs) adopted a Declaration on the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters drawn up by the Venice Commission. They reaffirmed the importance they attached to ensuring that elections are held in conformity with the principles of the European electoral heritage: universal, equal, free, secret and direct suffrage. They underlined that the principles of Europe's electoral heritage may be implemented only if certain conditions are fulfilled, in particul... read more
04/05/2004 - 07/05/2004
Tirana - The Venice Commission, the Directorate General of Social Cohesion of the Council of Europe and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE (ODIHR) take part in meetings with the Albanian authorities on the revision of electoral law and voter registers in Albania. The aim of this activity is to ensure the full conformity of Albanian electoral law and administration with the principles of the European electoral heritage. The joint recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the electoral law and the electoral administration in Albania serve ... read more
Poland - Reappointment of the Member
26/04/2004
Reappointment of Ms Hanna SUCHOCKA as member of the Commission in respect of Poland
26/04/2004 - 27/04/2004
Ankara - Symposium on "The organisation of the court and the introduction of the individual complaint", on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Turkey.
Restructuring Ombudsman institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina
19/04/2004
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Working meeting of representatives of the Venice Commission and of the working group set up within the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees.
United Kingdom - Membres
15/04/2004
Reappointment of Mr Jeffrey JOWELL as member and Mr Anthony BRADLEY as subsitute member of the Commission in respect of the United Kingdom
Annual address by the Venice Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
13/04/2004
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Professor Jeffrey Jowell, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, addressed the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on behalf of the Commission. Professor Jowell presented the activities conducted by the Commission in 2003.
E-voting
25/03/2004 - 26/03/2004
Las Palmas, Spain - The Council for Democratic Elections, of which the Venice Commission is a member, participates in the third meeting of the working Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting, and takes part in the drafting of a relevant recommendation. This text will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Georgia - adoption of an opinion
13/03/2004
Venice - Adoption of the amicus curiae opinion on the relationship between the freedom of expression and defamation with respect to unproven defamatory allegations of fact as requested by the Constitutional Court of Georgia
Legislation on political parties in Europe
13/03/2004
Venice - Adoption of the guidelines on the legislation on political parties
11/03/2004 - 13/03/2004
Venice - The Commission adopted an opinion on recent constitutional amendments in Georgia and exchanged views with the Speaker of the Georgian parliament, Ms Burjanadze, on future co-operation with this country.
The Commission discussed the constitutional reforms in Armenia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and examined the electoral legislation of Armenia and Moldova. The Commission also adopted guidelines on legislation on political parties.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Schieder, took part in the session and the... read more
10/03/2004
Venice - The Joint Council, composed of members of the Venice Commission and representatives of constitutional courts and equivalent bodies discusses the co-operation between the courts and with similar bodies in other regions as well as the development of the Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law and the database CODICES.
Georgia parliamentary elections - Long-term deployment of a Venice Commission expert
01/03/2004 - 30/03/2004
On 28 March 2004, the proportional part of the Georgian parliamentary elections will be repeated. Mr Bernard OWEN, expert of the Venice Commission, co-operates with the Central Election Commission on legal issues, in particular on voter registration/voters lists, the voting procedure and results tabulation.
In addition, Mr Owen participates in negotiations with the authorities of the Adjarian Autonomy in order to make the holding of the fair and free elections in this region fo Georgia possible.
(Tbilissi - Batumi )
24/02/2004 - 27/02/2004
Following the joint recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the electoral law and the electoral administration in Armenia, the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR organise, in co-operation with the Erevan offices of the Council of Europe and of the OSCE, a seminar on electoral reform in Armenia. This seminar aims at underlining the points which should be changed in order to ensure that electoral law and electoral administration is in the future in conformity with the European standards. Co-operation with the Armenian authorities in the field of elections is linked to... read more
12/02/2004
Organised by the Romanian Association for international law and international relations, the seminar aims to debate the lessons learned from the involvement of the Hungarian state in the protection of its kin-minorities in the neighbouring countries. The Venice Commission’s Austrian member Professor Franz Matscher and members of the Secretariat are invited to participate in the discussions. The seminar is also attended by, inter alia, representatives of the Council of Europe's Directorate General of Human Rights, and the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorit... read more
09/02/2004
The national co-ordinators of the 11 countries participating in the Venice Commissions’ UNIDEM Campus Trieste programme meet in Paris. They will work on the programme of the UniDem Campus for the coming year, and will decide on how to improve the procedure of nomination of participants.
The UniDem Campus is aimed at the officials from the following countries of the South East Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, and Serbia and Montenegro. In 2003 the Campus was enlarged to include ... read more
Georgia - Opinion on the Constitution
06/02/2004
On 28.01.2004 the newly elected President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, announced before the Parliamentary Assembly the request of Georgia to the Venice Commission to urgently examine the proposed amendments to the Constitution of Georgia. The relevant text was transmitted to the Commission on 29 January. The Venice Commission provided its opinion on 6 February.
05/02/2004 - 13/02/2004
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina deals as of 1 January 2004 with human rights complaints, since the mandate of the Human Rights Chamber (a quasi international body provided for by the Dayton Agreement) ended last year.
At the request of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina the Venice Commission has organised two trainings sessions for lawyers of the Constitutional Court in order for the Court to be operational as soon as possible. Lectures on the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Strasbourg Court case-law and various... read more
30/01/2004 - 03/02/2004
In the course of its January 2004 session, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) said it may challenge the credentials of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation – and subsequently recommend the suspension of Ukraine from the Organisation – if further attempts are made to push through political reforms “by amending the Constitution in a manner which is not prescribed by law and by unconstitutional means”, or if Ukraine should fail to guarantee free and fair elections on 31 October 2004.
Following an urgent debate on the issue on 29 January, while adopting a re... read more
Electoral matters - Armenia
23/01/2004
The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission officially transmit their recommendations on the electoral law and the electoral administration in Armenia to the Armenian authorities. This is an opportunity to discuss a calendar for the reform of the Armenian Electoral Code and the necessary improvement of electoral law and practice in Armenia.
(Yerevan)
E-voting
21/01/2004 - 23/01/2004
The Venice Commission and the Council for Democratic Elections participate in the fourth meeting of the Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting, and take part in the drafting of a relevant recommendation to be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Group should discuss a draft opinion by the Venice Commission on the compatibility of remote and electronic voting with the Council of Europe standards.
(Strasbourg)
Georgia - New substitute member
19/01/2004
Appointment of Mr Levan BODZASHVILI, Head of the International Relations Department of the Constitutional Court, as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Georgia
Andorra - Member
14/01/2004
Reappointment of Mr François LUCHAIRE as member of the Commission in respect of Andorra.
01/01/2004
As of 1 January 2004 Venice Commission counts 46 member states: the application by Kyrgyzstan to become full member of the Commission has been accepted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This is the first time that a non member state of the Council of Europe has become full member of the Venice Commission. The enlargement of the geopolitical scope of the Commission has been made possible by the revision of the Commission's statute in 2002. Hitherto non-European states could only apply for observer states with the Commission.
Ms Cholpon Baekova, the Presid... read more
18/12/2003 - 19/12/2003
The Venice Commission organised in Strasbourg, in collaboration with the Directorate of Political Affairs, an electoral training seminar, which focused on two main topics: transparency of the electoral process and electoral disputes in Georgia. In view of the presidential election of 4 January 2004, five experts mandated by the Venice Commission shared their international expertise with a high-level Georgian participants, including the Chairman of the Constitutional Court, the Chairman of the Supreme Court, members of the Central Electoral Commission and from Districts commissions, judges fro... read more
Electoral assistance to the Central Electoral Commission - Georgia
15/12/2003 - 10/01/2004
Two electoral experts of the Venice Commission assisted the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), in view of the presidential elections of 4 January 2004. The experts advised the CEC on the preparation of the Election Day, in particular concerning the voters’ lists and in the preparation of the CEC instructions; then, they assisted the CEC with view to a fair count of the results.
(Tbilisi)
12/12/2003 - 13/12/2003
The Commission will finalise its reply to the question by the Parliamentary Assembly whether the Geneva Conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war and the protection of civilians should be amended in the light of post September 11 developments, in particularly taking into account the debate around the detainees kept in Guantanamo Bay.
The Commission will also round up its discussions on the impact of the future European Constitution on human rights protection in Europe. The coexistence of the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Hum... read more
07/12/2003
The Venice Commission achieved a major step in its co-operation with constitutional courts and equivalent bodies in the Southern African region when the Southern African Judges Commission (SAJC) was established last Sunday in Johannesburg. The SAJC is composed of Chief Justices of constitutional and supreme courts from English and Portuguese speaking countries in the southern part of Africa ranging from Uganda to Republic of South Africa.
This Commission has been primarily established to foster close ties between the courts of the region in view of supporting each other in case of ... read more
Electoral standards
03/12/2003 - 05/12/2003
The Venice Commission and the Council for Democratic Elections will take part in the second meeting of the Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting, and will take part in the drafting of a relevant recommendation to be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Southern Africa - Constitutional Justice
28/11/2003 - 29/11/2003
2nd seminar of Liaison Officers of Constitutional and Supreme Courts of the Southern African Region
(Windhoek)
Symposium "Young people and democratic institutions: from disillusionment to participation"
27/11/2003 - 29/11/2003
This event, organised by the European Youth Centre of the Council of Europe, will aim at a better understanding of the behaviour of young citizens vis-à-vis democratic institutions and at improving youth political participation. The Venice Commission is invited to intervene on the participation of young people in elections.
(Strasbourg)
Reform of civil service in Europe - UniDem Campus
24/11/2003 - 28/11/2003
The seminar focusses on the role of public administrations in a democracy, the principles established in ethical codes for public officials, the availability of information in the public sector, as well as human resources management and methods to improve the performance of civil servants.
(Trieste)
Third Seminar of the national correspondents of the Association of the Constitutional Courts using the French language (ACCPUF)
17/11/2003 - 19/11/2003
The Venice Commission will attend this seminar where it will present the role and the functioning of constitutional courts during elections.
The ACCPUF co-operates with the Venice Commission on the CODICES database, which compiles about 4500 decisions in 26 languages of 65 constitutional courts or similar bodies in Europe and elsewhere.
(Paris)
electoral assistance, Bosnia-Herzegovina
11/11/2003 - 18/11/2003
Further to the request of the High Representative of the United Nations (OHR) in Mostar, the Venice Commission sent an electoral expert to assist the Commission for Reforming the City of Mostar, set up in September 2003 by the OHR, in order to improve the city electoral system.
(Mostar)
Georgia - Parliamentary elections and Referendum of 2 November 2003
02/11/2003
The Venice Commission has stated in its opinion No 261/2003 that the (possible positive) result of the referendum, aiming at reducing the number of seats in the Georgian parliament, should not have any impact on the legislative elections conducted on the same day.
The number of seats in the parliament may only be reduced after the necessary changes are made to the Constitution and the relevant laws: only the parliament which will be elected in 2007 will thus be affected by this reform.
26/10/2003 - 08/11/2003
Prof. Bernard Owen, electoral expert from the Venice Commission, is assisting the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia from 26 October to the 8 November 2003. This assistance concerns the preparation of the parliamentary elections held on 2 November 2003. More specifically, professor Owen is providing legal advice on regulations with regard to the functioning of the lower electoral commissions, counting of the ballots, and post E-day matters.
Professor Owen is closely working with the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Georgia, Mr Plamen ... read more
Electoral issues
23/10/2003 - 25/10/2003
Participation in the annual conference of the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials on “Media and Elections and e-Voting”.
(London)
17/10/2003 - 18/10/2003
The Venice Commission held its 56th plenary session on 17-18 October at its seat in Venice (Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista).
At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe the Commission has discussed in the presence of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Peter Schieder, two reports. The first report concerns the question whether the Geneva Conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war and the protection of civilians should be amended to take account of post 9/11 developments. The other report deals with the impact of the future... read more
16/10/2003
The most important item on the agenda of the next meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections will be a report on “electoral systems: table of available solutions and selection criteria “.
The Council for Democratic Elections includes representatives of includes of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. The OSCE/ODIHR, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO) have observer status.
(Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni... read more
Constitutional Justice
16/10/2003 - 18/10/2003
XIIIth Conference of the European Constitutional Courts - preparatory meeting
(Nicosia)
07/10/2003
The Commission have been closely involved in the constitutional reforms in Serbia and Montenegro since the beginning of the process. Currently, the Constitutional Commission of Serbia is preparing a draft of a new Constitution for the entity.
Nenad Canak, who chairs the constitutional sub-commission on the territorial organisation of Serbia, is quoted by Novi Sad’s Dnevnik newspaper on Tuesday as saying that differing views taken by the members of the Sub-commission could not be coordinated without the help of the Venice Commission, Belgrade media reported.
"After all,... read more
The Netherlands - members
03/10/2003
Reappointment of Mr Pieter VAN DIJK as member and Mr E. LUKACS as substitute member of the Commission in respect of the Netherlands
03/10/2003 - 04/10/2003
The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Information Centre of the Council of Europe in Moscow and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations organises a UNIDEM seminar "Direct democracy: referendum as a tool of citizens' participation in public life". This seminar will be attended by participants from the Russian Federation, Albania, France, Switzerland and Italy who will examine such issues as organisation of national, regional and local referendums, the experience of different countries and the organisation of referendums in countries-candidates for the EU membership. The s... read more
03/10/2003 - 04/10/2003
Limitations of human rights was the theme of the VIIIth Yerevan international conference organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Constitutional Court of Armenia on 3 and 4 October. The event was organised within the framework of the constitutional justice activities of the Venice Commission. On this occasion a co-operation agreement between the Venice Commission and the Conference of the Constitutional Control Organs of the Countries of Young Democracy (CCCOCYD) was signed.
The conference brought together presidents and judges of 19 European court... read more
Romania
01/10/2003
The Prime Minister of Romania Mr Adrian NASTASE, addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, expressed his gratitude for the work done by the Venice Commission in relation to the Romanian Constitution and the Commission's contribution to the setting of standards with regard to the treatment of kin-minorities in Europe.
(Strasbourg, Council of Europe)
Georgia - New member
30/09/2003
Appointment of Mr John KHETSURIANI, President of the Constitutional Court, as member of the Commission in respect of Georgia
Japan - New observer
22/09/2003
Appointment of Mr Naoyuki IWAI, Consul, Consulate General of Japan in Strasbourg, as observer to the Commission in respect of Japan
21/09/2003 - 23/09/2003
This international workshop aims to facilitate the participation of citizens with disabilities in elections. It is co-organised by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and Inclusion International. The Venice Commission is invited to share its expertise on electoral issues.
After a first step in Sigtuna, Sweden (14 – 17 September 2002), where participants endorsed the Bill of Electoral Rights for Citizens with Disabilities, this 2nd workshop will aim a... read more
Electoral issues
18/09/2003 - 19/09/2003
The Venice Commission and the Council for Democratic Elections will take part in the second meeting of the Group of Specialists on legal, operational and technical Standards for e-enabled voting.
(Strasbourg)
Latvia, Member
11/09/2003
Reappointment of Mr Aivars Endziņš as member of the Commission in respect of Latvia
Moldova - federalism
11/09/2003 - 12/09/2003
Participation in the conference on
“Frozen conflicts in Europe - the approach of democratic security: the case of Transnistria”.
The event is organised by the Government of the Republic of Moldova in the framework of the Moldovan Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
(Chişinau)
Electoral matters - Azerbaijan
08/09/2003 - 10/09/2003
The Venice Commission in co-operation with Directorate General of Human Rights, Directorate General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe and the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan is organising an Electoral training workshop with the participation of members of the central electoral commissions, members of lower electoral commissions, judges dealing with election matters, representatives and delegates of political parties and candidates, election observers, and media.
(Baku)
Armenia
02/09/2003 - 03/09/2003
The draft law on Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) was discussed in the National Assembly. The event was co-organized by the National Assembly, OSCE and Council of Europe (Yerevan)
Electoral issues
02/07/2003 - 03/07/2003
The Venice Commission and the Council for Democratic Elections will take part in the second meeting of the Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting.
(Strasbourg)
Constitutional Justice
18/06/2003 - 20/06/2003
Participation in the 3rd Congress of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF) on the principle of Fraternity
(Ottawa)
13/06/2003 - 14/06/2003
The Venice Commission holds its 55th Plenary Session in Venice in the presence of Mr Peter Schieder, President of the Parliamentary Assembly. This time the Commission examines the proposed constitutional reform in Ukraine and adopt conclusions on the constitutional aspects of judicial reform in Bulgaria. The opinion on the draft law of Georgia on prohibition of activities of extremist organisations is also on the agenda as well as the Commission’s further involvement in the process of adopting new constitutions in Moldova and Serbia.
On the same occasion, the Council for Democrati... read more
San Marino - New members
20/05/2003
Appointment of Mr Piero GUALTIERI as member of the Commission and Ms Barbara REFFI as substitute member in respect of San Marino
Bosnia and Herzegovina
19/05/2003
Participation in the colloquy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on "Bosnia and Herzegovina on the road to European integration"
(Sarajevo)
Electoral issues
19/05/2003 - 20/05/2003
The Venice Commission will take part in the third meeting of the expert group on international election standards, organised by the OSCE/ODIHR. One of the main objectives of the meeting is to ensure compatibility of electoral standards emanating from different international organisations, including those from the Venice Commission (Code of good practice in electoral matters).
Vienna
Portugal - New members
14/05/2003
Appointment of Mr José CARDOSO da COSTA as member of the Commission and Ms Assunção ESTEVES as substitute member in respect of Portugal
Constitutional Justice
09/05/2003
2nd meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice
(Oslo)
Constitutional Justice
08/05/2003
Training session for liaison officers from constitutional courts and equivalent bodies on the use of CODICES, the entry masks and the Systematic Thesaurus
(Oslo)
Constitutional Justice
08/05/2003
Meeting of the Working Group on the Systematic Thesaurus
(Oslo)
United Kingdom - New substitute member
29/04/2003
Nomination of Professor Anthony BRADLEY as substitute member of the Commissioni in respect of the United Kingdom
14/04/2003
The Head of the Legal Department of the Presidential Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr Shahin Aliyev, and the Head of the Presidential Administration Mr Safa Mirzoyev are in Strasbourg, at the invitation of the Venice Commission, for the final round of discussions on the future Electoral Code of Azerbaijan.
The implementation of the experts’ new recommendations concerning the draft Electoral Code of Azerbaijan constitutes the focus of the meeting. The composition of the Central Electoral Commission and its decision-making procedures are equally on the agenda.
OSC... read more
Request for opinion by PACE - Geneva conventions - new categories of combatants that have emerged recently
11/04/2003
The Venice Commission received from the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly a request for an opinion "regarding the possible need for a further development of the Geneva conventions, in light of the new categories of combatants that have emerged recently".
Electoral issues
10/04/2003 - 11/04/2003
As decided in the first meeting of the Group of Specialists on legal, operational and technical Standards for e-enabled voting (IP1-S-EE), the Venice Commission takes part, as an observer, in the first meeting of the Group of Specialists on Legal and Operational Standards for e-enabled voting (EE-S-LOS).
Bulgaria - Request for opinion
09/04/2003
Request by the Minister of Justice of Bulgaria for an opinion on the reform of the judicial system.
Ukraine - Request for opinon
02/04/2003
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has requested the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the draft law entitled "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine", proposed by the President of Ukraine Kuchma.
The Venice Commission is to discuss the opinion at its next plenary session on 13 -14 June 2003 in Venice.
Electoral issues - Armenia
26/03/2003 - 29/03/2003
Venice Commission is assisting the Constitutional Court of Armenia in dealing with the applications lodged in connection with the last presidential elections. Two experts and one member of the Secretariat of the Commission are sharing their expertise with the judges, who are to find precise legal answers to the questions regarding electoral issues raised by the applications.
(Yerevan)
Electoral issues - Albania
24/03/2003 - 26/03/2003
Participation in the final meeting of the Bipartisan Committee for Electoral Reform. The meeting will focus in particular on complaints and appeals, voters’ lists and simplification of the election system.
(Tirana)
54th Plenary session of the Commission
(Venice)
14/03/2003 - 15/03/2003
The Commission examines, at the request of the Parliamentary Assembly, the text of the draft Constitution of the Chechen Republic as submitted to referendum on 23 March 2003. Other topics include the laws on political parties of Armenia and Moldova, the draft Electoral Code of Azerbaijan, laws on national minorities in Croatia and Lithuania and the intended revision of the constitution of Ukraine.
Azerbaijan - electoral issues
26/02/2003 - 27/02/2003
The Venice Commission is invited by the Baku OSCE office to participate in a Conference on the Election Law in Azerbaijan.This conference is a further step in the co-operation between OSCE-ODIHR, Azeri authorities and the Venice Commission with a view to implement better electoral standards.
Ukraine - Constitutional reform
25/02/2003 - 26/02/2003
Upon the invitation of the President of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine representatives of the Venice Commission will have an exchange of views with an Ad-hoc Commission on Constitutional Reform in Ukraine established by the Parliament.
Kyiv
Serbia and Montenegro
17/02/2003
At the occasion of the meeting of experts on the Draft Charter on Human and Minority Rights of Serbia and Montenegro, Mr. Markert, Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission, gave an interview to the FoNet news agency expressing the Commission's willingness to assist in the drafting of the new Serbian Constitution.
Azerbaijan - Electoral issues
13/02/2003 - 14/02/2003
Mr. Shahin Aliyev, Head of the Legal Department of the Presidential Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is invited to Strasbourg by the Venice Commission, to participate in discussions regarding the draft Election Code of Azerbaijan. The OSCE/ODIHR, co-organiser of this meeting, is the Venice Commission partner in this legal expertise. The meeting aims at the implementation of the Commission and OSCE/ODIHR recommendations on the draft Election Code of Azerbaijan.
Strasbourg
06/02/2003
On 4 February, with the adoption of the Constitutional Charter of the State union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia formally seized to exist. The Venice Commission assisted the Commission for Drafting of Constitutional Charter of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro - better known as the Constitutional Commission - in its work and followed closely the process of the adoption of the text.
The next legal text of a constitutional significance to be adopted by the new state union of Serbia and Montenegro is the Human Rights Charter. On 6 February 2003 the... read more
Electoral issues
30/01/2003 - 31/01/2003
The Commission was invited to a meeting on electoral standards in Europe, organised by the OSCE/ODIHR. The participants prepared the final version of the OSCE/ODIHR document on international standards and commitments concerning the right to democratic elections. One of the main objectives of the meeting was to ensure compatibility of electoral standards emanating from different international organisations, including those from the Venice Commission (Code of good practice in electoral matters).
Vienna
UniDem Campus - Trieste, Italy
27/01/2003 - 31/01/2003
35 civil servants from 11 countries will attend the regular UniDem Campus organised by the Venice Commission. This time the theme is "EU legislation: effectiveness and impact on national legal systems"
Draft constitution for Chechen republic - Request for opinon
17/01/2003
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Peter Schieder, asked on 17 January 2003 the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the draft Constitution of the Chechen Republic. This draft will be submitted to a referendum on 23 March 2003.
The Venice Commission is to discuss the opinion at its next plenary session on 14 -15 March 2003.
Armenia - request for opinon
17/01/2003
On 17 January 2003 the Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Mr T.Torosyan, asked the Venice Commission for its opinion on:
- the amendments to the proposed reform of the Armenian Constitution;
- the recently adopted law on political parties;
- the draft law on the Human Rights Defender
These opinions will be discussed with a view to adoption at the next plenary Session in Venice on 14-15 March 2003.
Electoral issues - Azerbaijan
15/12/2002 - 16/12/2002
Round table on the draft revised election code, co-organised with OSCE/ODIHR
Venice Commission
14/12/2002
Adoption of the Revised Rules of Procedure
Azerbaijan
14/12/2002
Endorsement of the Joint Assessment of the Revised Draft Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 28 November 2002 by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE and the European Commission for Democracy though Law (Venice Commission, Council of Europe)
ECHR
14/12/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Implementation of the Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Kyrgyzstan
14/12/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Draft Amendments to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan
Liechtenstein
14/12/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Amendments to the Constitution of Liectenstein Proposed by the Princely House of Liechtenstein
13/12/2002 - 14/12/2002
The Commission, following a request from the Parliamentary Assembly, examines the constitutional situation in Liechtenstein where two initiatives for amending the Constitution have been launched, one by the Princely House and the other by a citizens’ initiative.
Following a request from the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Commission will also examine the constitutional amendments proposed for Kyrgyzstan.
Other issues include future co-operation with Ukraine and Serbia and Montenegro on revising their constitutions and the draft law on national minorities of Croatia. The Comm... read more
UniDem Campus
06/12/2002
Meeting of national co-ordinators
Strasbourg
Latvia
04/12/2002
At a Conference on the Judicial System in Latvia, sponsored by the Latvian Ministry of Justice and UNDP, Mr. Lavin (member, Sweden)) presents the Commission’s Opinion on the Draft Law on Judicial Power and Corresponding Constitutional Amendments (Riga)
Hungary, Members
28/11/2002
Reappointment of Mr Lászlo SÓLYOM as member and Mr Péter Paczolay as substitute member of the Commissioni in respect of Hungary
Constitutional Justice - Albania
25/11/2002
Colloquium on "The Constitutional Court as a guarantor of the Respect of the Constitution: Problems and Perspectives" at the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Court (Tirana)
Electoral issues - Albania
22/11/2002 - 23/11/2002
Round table on complaints and appeals in electoral matters, co-organised with OSCE/ODIHR. This round table implied the bipartisan commission which works on electoral matters and then allowed a dialogue between the various political groups
Constitutional justice - Kyrgyzstan
21/11/2002 - 22/11/2002
Seminar on the protection of human rights; in co-operation with the Constitutional Court (Bishkek)
Constitutional Justice - Estonia
01/11/2002 - 02/11/2002
Seminar on "Topical Issues of Constitutional Review: Experience and Development of the First Decade"
This activity is organised in co-operation with the Supreme Court of Estonia. This is a regional conference, which will be attended by representatives of Constitutional courts and similar jurisdictions from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. (Otepää, Tartu region)
Moldova
19/10/2002
Endorsement of the Opinion on the Draft Law on Political Parties and Socio-Political Organisations of the Republic of Moldova
Moldova
19/10/2002
Endorsement of the Opinion on the Law on Assemblies of the Republic of Moldova
Moldova
19/10/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Law on the Statute of a Deputy of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
Romania
19/10/2002
Adoption of the Supplementary Opinion on the Revision of the Constitution of Romania
Luxembourg
19/10/2002
Adoption of Draft Law no 4832 on the Creation of an Ombudsman in Luxembourg
Bosnia and Herzegovina
19/10/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Implementation of Decision U5/98 ("Constituent Peoples") of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Amendments to the Constitution of the Republika Srpska
Electoral issues
19/10/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Code of Good Practice in Electorial Matters: Guidelines and Explanatory Report
52nd Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
18/10/2002 - 19/10/2002
The Commission will examine draft opinions on recent amendments to the Constitution of one of the two Entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska, on the electoral laws of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Croatian law on protection of minorities, the draft Law on the Judicial system of Latvia, the Ombudsman law of Luxembourg as well as several laws of Moldova. It will also discuss proposals to amend the constitutions of Mexico and Romania and the proposed Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro.
Constitutional Justice - Armenia
04/10/2002 - 05/10/2002
Seminar on "International Experience and Perspectives of Human Rights Protection before the Constitutional Court"; in co-operation with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (Yerevan)
Constitutional Justice - Romania
03/10/2002 - 05/10/2002
10th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Romania (Bucharest)
Romania - constitutional revision
01/10/2002 - 02/10/2002
The working group of the Venice Commission on the constitutional revision in Romania will meet in particular with Ms Rodica Stanoiu, Minister of Justice, Mr Valer Dorneanu, President of Parliament, and the members of the Commission for the revision of the Constitution. (Bucharest)
27/09/2002 - 29/09/2002
Seminar "Continuity of the Estonian Constitution over the Past Ten Years"; organised in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of Estonia
The Ministry of Justice of Estonia organises this conference on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Estonian Constitution. The first part of the event will deal with the evolution of the constitutional institutions; the second part will open a debate on possible developments of the main legal text of the country.
10 years ago the Venice Commission provided its expertise on the first draft of the Constitution of Estonia. Tt... read more
26/09/2002 - 28/09/2002
Annual Conference of the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO) on "International legal standards and practice in Europe in the domain of elections".
This 11th annual conference is organised by ACEEEO, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).
Remodeling of the existing European electoral standards in a single international document seems to be in full conformity with the political spirit of nowadays. Such a text could represent a fresh impetus to the efforts to... read more
UniDem Campus -
Trieste
23/09/2002 - 27/09/2002
Seminar on "Human Rights protection in Europe: the Council of Europe, the EU, the OSCE and the UN systems"
The UNIDEM campus in Trieste is meant for civil servants of 9 countries of South-East Europe. Each country sends 3 legal professionals, working in areas that will be dealt within the framework of the seminar. This session is devoted to different mechanisms of protection of fundamental rights and will focus on their complementary character as well as on their implementation on the national level.
Electoral issues
17/09/2002 - 18/09/2002
The Venice Commission is represented at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, more precisely in the discussion regarding the current status of international standards for democratic elections. (Warsaw)
Democratic institutions - Azerbaijan
16/09/2002 - 17/09/2002
Seminar on the Importance of the creation of the institution of Ombudsman in Azerbaijan and its role in the general mechanism of the Azerbaijani democracy; in co-operation with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (Baku)
14/09/2002 - 17/09/2002
Global workshop on universal electoral rights of the handicapped (Sigtuna, Sweden)
Handicapped people are among the most politically, economically and socially marginalized in the world. This workshop seeks to identify clear guidelines articulating the universal voting rights of citizens with disabilities.
The event is co-organised by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). It is sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and is carried out ... read more
30/07/2002
Representatives of the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with members of the Constitutional Commission charged with drafting the Charter for the future union of Serbia and Montenegro. The Charter is being elaborated under the March 2002 agreement between the FRY's two entities. The initial draft, prepared by the Venice Commission following the EU's request, has already been accepted as one of the basic texts for the Constitutional Commission's work. The first exchange of views took place on 16 July this year.
The Commission played an important role in developing the cons... read more
UniDem - Campus Trieste
15/07/2002 - 19/07/2002
Seminar on "Access to information and human rights"
Campus UNIDEM in Trieste is meant for civil servants of 9 countries of South-East Europe. Each country sends 3 legal professionals, working in areas that will be dealt within the framework of the seminar.
Moldova
06/07/2002
Endorsement of the Comments on the Draft Law on Modification and Amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova
Romania
06/07/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the draft revision of the Constitution of Romania
"The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"
06/07/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the "Draft Proposal for Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia"
Georgia
06/07/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Unified Election Code of Georgia
Moldova
06/07/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Law on Modification and Addition in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova in Particular Concerning the Status of Gagauzia
Luxembourg
06/07/2002
Endorsement of the Comments on the Draft Law on Freedom of Expression in the Media in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
06/07/2002
Endorsement of the Comments on the Draft Law on Protection of Persons in Respect of Processing of Personal Data of Luxembourg
Electoral Issues
06/07/2002
The Venice Commission adopted the Guidelines on Elections (CDL-AD (2002) 13). This document has been previously adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 2nd meeting (3 July 2002).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
06/07/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on Certain Issues Related to the Ombudsman Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the Interpretation of Certain Commitments Undertaken by Bosnia and Herzegovina upon Accession to the Council of Europe
51st Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
05/07/2002 - 06/07/2002
Electoral issues
03/07/2002
2nd meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections (including representatives of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE) (Italy, Venice)
The Council for Democratic Elections will be invited in particular to adopt guidelines in electoral matters, realising the European electoral heritage.
14/06/2002 - 15/06/2002
Seminar on "The Resolution of Conflicts between the Central State and Entities with Legislative Power by the Constitutional Court" in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Italy (Rome)
The unitary state is becoming less and less a conventional model and federalism and regionalism are thus high on the agenda of the Commission. So too are the issues of constitutional justice, without which any Constitution would today be considered a lex imperfecta. In federal and regional states and other states comprising entities with legislative powers (autonomous regions), the Constituti... read more
07/06/2002 - 08/06/2002
International colloquium on the protection of national minorities by their kin-State (Greece, Athens).
Experts from several countries, where legislation on kin-minorities exists, as well as representatives of institutions such as the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Advisory Committee for the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, have discussed this sensitive issue together with members of the Venice Commission in the course of a two-day colloquium. The event came as a follow-up to the Venice Commission's report on the same topic, adopted in Oct... read more
Cyprus - New members
06/06/2002
Appointment of Mr Panayiotis KALLIS as member, and of Mr Petros CLERIDES as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Cyprus
31/05/2002
19th meeting of the Sub-Commission on Constitutional Justice (Larnaca)
The Venice Commission held the 19th meeting its Sub-Commission on Constitutional Justice together with liaison officers from constitutional courts and equivalent bodies on 31 May in Larnaca hosted by the Supreme Court of Cyprus. The main topics of the meeting have been the co-operation with constitutional courts in other regions (francophone countries, Southern Africa, Latin America), the publication of the Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law and the evaluation of a new, expanded version of the Commission's CODI... read more
Belgium - Member
23/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Jean-Claude SCHOLSEM as member of the Commission in respect of Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
23/05/2002 - 24/05/2002
Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on "Effective remedies for the protection of human rights : the role of the constitutional court" (Sarajevo)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
17/05/2002
Publication of the Opinion on the Status and Rank of the Ombudsman Institution in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the comments of the rapporteurs
Georgia - new substitute member
16/05/2002
Nomination of Mr Konstanitn KORKELIA as substitute member of the Commissioni in respect of Geogia
Electoral issues
16/05/2002 - 17/05/2002
Participation in a round table on Electoral Legislation Reform in Armenia, organised by the OSCE, the Council of Europe and National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) (Yerevan). Please see document CDL-AD(2002)7.
Germany - Members
15/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Helmut STEINBERGER as member and Mr Georg NOLTE as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Germany
Austria - new substitute member
14/05/2002
Nomination of Mr Christoph GRABENWARTER as substitute member in respect of Austria
Austria - Member
14/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Franz MATSCHER as member of the Commissioni in respect of Austria
Lithuania - New substitute member
13/05/2002
Nomination of Ms Živilė LIEKYTE as substitute member of the Commission for Lithuania
Lithuania - Member
13/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Kęstutis LAPINSKAS as member of the Commission in respect of Lithuania
Iceland - New substitute member
10/05/2002
Nomination of Mr Magnus K. HANNESSON as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Iceland
Iceland - Member
10/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Hjörtur TORFASON as member of the Commission in respect of Iceland
Electoral issues
10/05/2002 - 11/05/2002
Participation in a conference" E-voting and European Parliamentary Elections", organised by the European University Institute and the University of Geneva (Florence)
Ireland - New Substitute member
06/05/2002
Nomination of Mr James HAMILTON as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Ireland
Ireland - New Member
06/05/2002
Nomination of Ms Finola FLANAGAN as member of the Commission in respect of Ireland
Albania - Member
05/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Luan OMARI as member of the Commission in respect of Albania
Turkey - New substitute member
02/05/2002
Nomination of Mr Erdal ONAR as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Turkey
Turkey - Member
02/05/2002
Reappointment of Mr Ergun ÖZBUDUN as member of the Commission in respect of Turkey
Romania - New members
30/04/2002
Nomination of Ms Rodica-Mihaela STĂNOIU as member and of Mr Alexandru FARCAŞ and Mr Bogdan AURESCU as substitute members of the Commission in respect of Romania
Luxembourg - New member
30/04/2002
Nomination of Ms Lydie ERR as member of the Commission in respect of Luxembourg
Finland - Members
30/04/2002
Reappointment of Mr Kaarlo TUORI as member and of Mr Matti NIEMIVUO as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Finland
France - New members
29/04/2002
Appointment of Mr Olivier DUTHEILLET DE LAMOTHE as member, and of Mr Alain LANCELOT as substitute member of the Commission in respect of France
Norway - Member
29/04/2002
Reappointment of Mr Jan HELGESEN as member of the Commission in respect of Norway
Switzerland - New substitute member
26/04/2002
Nomination of Mr Heinrich KOLLER as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Switzerland
Switzerland - Member
26/04/2002
Reappointment of Mr Giorgio MALINVERNI as member of the Commission in respect of Switzerland
Spain - New substitute member
25/04/2002
Nomination of Mr Pedro GANZALEZ TREVIJANO as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Spain
Spain - Member
25/04/2002
Reappointment of Ms Carmen IGLESIAS CANO as member of the Commission in respect of Spain
Greece - Members
24/04/2002
Nomination of Mr Dimitri CONSTAS as member and Ms Fani DASKALOPOULOU LIVADA as substitute member in respect of Greece
Italy - Members
April 2002
Reappointment of Mr Antonio LA PERGOLA as member and of Mr Sergio BARTOLE as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Italy
Sweden - Members
12/04/2002
Reappointment of Mr Rune LAVIN as member and of Mr Hans-Heinrich VOGEL as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Sweden
UniDem
05/04/2002 - 06/04/2002
Seminar on "The Post-Communist State : the Construction of an Idea" (Paris)
Romania
18/03/2002 - 19/03/2002
Meeting of the Working Group on the revision of the Romanian Constitution (Bucharest)
Lithuania
15/03/2002 - 16/03/2002
Baltic-Nordic regional conference on "Interpretation and Direct Application of the Constitution" (Vilnius)
14/03/2002
On 14 March 2002 the President of Yugoslavia, Mr Kostunica, the Prime Minister of Serbia, Mr Djindjic, the President of Montenegro, Mr Djukanovic, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr Vujanovic, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, Mr Labus, signed "Proceeding Points for the restructuring of relations between Serbia and Montenegro". This documents contains the main principles for transforming the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into "Serbia and Montenegro". The signing was witnessed by EU High Representative, Javier Solana, who initiated the negotiations and had a key role for ensuring... read more
Ukraine
09/03/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Resolution on the Principles of the State Policy of Ukraine in the Sphere of Human Rights Adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 17 June 1999
Bosnia and Herzegovina
09/03/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on the Draft Law on Civil Service in Governmental Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
09/03/2002
Adoption of the Consolidated Opinion on the Law on the Election of Members of the Representative Bodies of Local and Regional Self-Government Units of Croatia
Belgium
09/03/2002
Adoption of the Opinion on Possible Groups of Persons to which the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities could be applied in Belgium
50th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
08/03/2002 - 09/03/2002
The Venice Commission has invited European Commission President Romano Prodi to participate in its 50th session. On 9 March, he will give a speech on cooperation between the two institutions and on the future European Constitution. The participants will examine in particular the situation of minorities in Croatia, in the presence of the Deputy Justice Minister, as well as recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Moldova.
Electoral issues
07/03/2002
First meeting of the working group on electoral issues (Venice)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
01/03/2002
Meeting on Minority protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Paris)
Statute
21/02/2002
Adoption of the Revised Statute of the European Commission for Democracy through Law by the Committee of Ministers
Slovenia - Member
19/02/2002
Reappointment of Mr Peter JAMBREK as member of the Commission in respect of Slovenia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
30/01/2002
Request for an opinion by the Ombudsman of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the rank and status of the ombudsman
Constitutional Justice
25/01/2002 - 27/01/2002
Meeting of the Presidents of the courts members of the Association of Constitutional Courts Using the French Language - ACCPUF. Signature of the Protocol to the Co-operation Agreement between the Venice Commission and ACCPUF (Djibouti).
Belgium
19/01/2002
Meeting on "Possible Groups to which the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities would be applicable in Belgium" (Brussels)
Russia - accession
01/01/2002
Accession of the Russian Federation to the Venice Commission. Appointmemt of Mr Marat V. Baglay as member of the Commission
Azerbaijan
15/12/2001
Adoption of the Interim Opinion on the Draft Law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
15/12/2001
Adoption of the Opinion on the Draft Constitutional Law on Regulation of the Implementation of Human Rights and Freedoms of Azerbaijan
Slovakia
15/12/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the Act of 4 July 2001 on Elections To Bodies of Self-Government Regions and on Amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure of the Slovak Republic
Armenia
15/12/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the ratification of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms under the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia of 1995
49th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
14/12/2001 - 15/12/2001
Mexico - accession
12/12/2001
Accession of Mexico as observer to the Commission
Bosnia and Herzegovina
04/12/2001
Demand for an opinion on the draft Law on Civil Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Azerbaijan
29/11/2001 - 30/11/2001
Meetings on the constitutional reform and the draft Law on the Constitutional Court (Strasbourg)
UniDem Campus Trieste
26/11/2001 - 30/11/2001
Seminar on he guarantee of property rights in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe, in particular in the context of privatisation and restitution.
Azerbaijan
14/11/2001 - 15/11/2001
Seminar in co-operation with the Constitutional Court on the Law on the Constitutional Court (Baku)
UniDem seminar
09/11/2001 - 10/11/2001
UniDem seminar on "Constitutional implications of accession to the European Union" (Ankara)
Constitutional Justice
05/11/2001 - 06/11/2001
Meeting of liaison officers from constitutional and supreme courts from the Southern African region (Mangochi)
Russia
01/11/2001 - 02/11/2001
Celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation - Conference on Constitutional Justice at the Turn of the Century (Moscow)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
20/10/2001
Adoption of the Proposal for a Law on the Merger of the Human Rights Chamber and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
20/10/2001
Adoption of the Opinion on the Electoral Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ukraine
20/10/2001
Adoption of the Opinion on the Ukrainian Law on Elections of People's Deputies, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 13 September 2001
Yugoslavia
20/10/2001
Adoption of the Interim Report on the Constitutional Situation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Minorities - public international law
20/10/2001
Adoption of the Report on the Preferential Treatment of National Minorities by their Kin-State
48th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
19/10/2001 - 20/10/2001
Ukraine
18/10/2001 - 19/10/2001
Celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine - Conference on "Current problems of constitutional jurisdiction: current situation and prospects of development" (Kyiv)
South Africa
12/10/01
Intergovernmental relations winter school programme
South Africa
08/10/2001 - 12/10/2001
Intergovernmental relations Winter School programme
Armenia
05/10/2001 - 06/10/2001
Erevan - VIIe Conférence de Erevan sur la "Protection des Droits de l'Homme par la Cour constitutionnelle".an International Conference was “Guarantees of independence of constitutional justice and influence of decisions of the Constitutional Court on public practice” (Yerevan)
UniDem Campus Trieste
24/09/2001 - 28/09/2001
Seminar on "Control of administrative bodies: judicial control, parliamentary control, the Ombudsman"
Minorities - public international law
18/09/2001
Meeting of a group of rapporteurs from the Venice Commission in order to prepare a report on preferential treatment accorded by one state to citizens of another state who belong to a national minority. The rapporteurs will meet with representatives of the Hungarian and Romanian Governments who requested this report from the Commission (Paris)
Southern Africa
10/08/2001 - 12/08/2001
Colloquium of Constitutional and Supreme Courts of the Southern African Region on the relations between the courts and the public (Willowpark, South Africa)
Slovakia - Member
27/07/2001
Renewal of Mr Jan Klucka's mandate as member of the Commission in respect of Slovakia.
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"
10/07/2001
The European Union's special representative in Macedonia, François Léotard, has asked for assistance from the Venice Commission in the process of constitutional reform. A Venice Commission representative took part in the expert talks for a political settlement from 4 to 20 July 2001.
Electoral Law
07/07/2001
Adoption of the Guidelines for Constitutional Referendums at National Level
Ukraine
07/07/2001
Adoption of the consolidated opinion on the Ukraine Constitutional Reform Project
Bosnia and Herzegovina
07/07/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the Draft Law on Rights of National Minorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
07/07/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the Draft Law on the Rights of Ethnic and National Communities and Minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia
07/07/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities in Croatia
Croatia
07/07/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the Amendments of 9 November 2000 and 28 March 2001 to the Constitution of Croatia
Armenia
06/07/2001 - 07/07/2001
Adoption of the Report on the Revised Constitution of the Republic of Armenia
Switzerland
06/07/2001 - 07/07/2001
Adoption of the Opinion on the Electoral Law of the Tessin Canton
47th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
06/07/2001 - 07/07/2001
United Kingdom - liaison officers
26/06/2001
Nomination of Lord Justice Konrad Schiemann and Mr Nick de Marco as liaison officers with the Court of Appeal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
11/06/2001 - 12/06/2001
Meeting of Venice Commission experts to consider practical issues concerning a possible merger of the Constitutional Court and the Human Rights Chamber (Bled, Slovenia)
UniDem Campus Trieste
11/06/2001 - 15/06/2001
Seminar on the Principle of Non-Discrimination and the Protection by the Public Administration of the Rights of Ethnic, Cultural and Linguistic Minorities
Ukraine - new liaison officers
05/06/2001
Nomination of Judge Stanislav Yatsenko and Mr Ilia Shevliak, Head of International Relations, as liaison officers with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
Armenia
05/06/2001 - 06/06/2001
Meeting of the Venice Commission Working Group on the Revision of the Constitution of Armenia (Strasbourg)
Slovakia - new substitute member
31/05/2001
Nomination of Mr Peter Kresak, University Professor as Substitute Member of the Commission
South Africa
30/05/2001 - 01/06/2001
Seminar on the Management of Provincial Government in a Constitutional State (Stellenbosch)
Electoral law
29/05/2001 - 31/05/2001
Participation in "The human dimension seminar on human rights: elections processes" organised by OSCE/ODIHR (Warsaw).
UniDem Campus Trieste
14/05/2001 - 18/05/2001
Seminar on Public Administration and the Individual in the light of the European Convention of Human Rights
Moldova - new members
07/05/2001
Appointment of Mrs Maria Postoico, Member of Parliament, as member of the Commission and of Mr Vasile Rusu, Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Questions, as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Moldova
Constitutional Justice
04/05/2001 - 04/05/2001
18th meeting of the Sub-Commission on Constitutional Justice with the liaison officers from constitutional courts and equivalent bodies (Kosice, Slovak Republic)
Albania
07/04/2001
Training course on electoral disputes at the School of magistrates (Tirana)
Albania
05/04/2001 - 06/04/2001
Seminar on the role of the constitutional Court in settling electoral disputes (Tirana)
Hungary - new substitute member
29/03/2001
Appointment of Mr Péter Paczolay, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary, as substitute member of the Commission
Bosnia and Herzegovina
26/03/2001 - 27/03/2001
Meeting on the Merger of the Chamber of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Paris)
Denmark - new member
23/03/2001
Appointment of Mr Henrik Zahle, Judge at the Danish Supreme Court, as member of the Commission
Georgia
19/03/2001
Request for an opinion on the draft amendments to the Constitution and the draft constitutional agreement between the State and the Orthodox Church
Political Parties
10/03/2001
Adoption of the guidelines on the financing of political parties
Constitutional Justice
10/03/2001
Adoption of the summary report on the decisions of constitutional courts and the execution thereof
Autonomous territories of Palestine
10/03/2001
Adoption of the report on the legal regime of the autonomous territories of Palestine and decided to forward it to the Parliamentary Assembly
Bosnia and Herzegovina
10/03/2001
Adoption of the opinion on the implications of Partial Decision III of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Case U 5/98 on the Issue of the "Constituent Peoples"
Bosnia and Herzegovina
10/03/2001
Adoption of the Memorandum on the Organic Law on the Institution of the Ombudsman of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Armenia
10/03/2001
Request by the Armenian Parliament for an opinion on the draft Law on Political parties
46th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
09/03/2001 - 10/03/2001
Bosnia and Herzegovina
06/03/2001
The international Task Force on the implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court on the issue of the constituent peoples, composed of representatives of OHR, OSCE and the Venice Commission, issued its recommendations. In its report it asks for wide-ranging constitutional and legislative changes in both Entities.
Kosovo
06/03/2001
First meeting of the UNMIK Working Group with the participation of the Venice Commission (Messrs. Matthew Russell and Thomas Markert to rotate) on the interim Legal Framework which will define provisional self-government for Kosovo, as foreseen in UN SCR 1244(1999)
Kosovo
06/03/2001 - 11/03/2001
At the request of Mr Hans Haekkerup, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Kosovo, the Venice Commission takes part in the Joint Working Group for the preparation of the Interim Legal Framework in Kosovo. The Working Group, composed of representatives of UNMIK and of the local political forces, is preparing a text defining the powers of the institutions of self-government in Kosovo following the elections foreseen in autumn 2001.
Albania
22/02/2001
Request by the Albanian Parliament for an opinion on the Draft Law on the Parliamentary Investigation Commissions
Azerbaijan
19/02/2001
Azerbaijan becomes full member of the Venice Commission. Mr. Khanlar Hajiyev, Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan, appointed member of the Commission
Greece
14/02/2001
Nomination of Mr Dimitri Constas as substitute member of the Commission in respect of Greece
Armenia
13/02/2001 - 14/02/2001
Third meeting of the Working Group on the revision of the Constitution of Armenia (Paris)
Seminar on state-legal aspects of the settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia (Pitsunda)
12/02/2001 - 13/02/2001
Organised in co-operation with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Mission to Georgia and with the support of OSCE - in Sukhumi, the capital of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia
Yugoslavia
09/02/2001
Nomination of Mr. Vojin Dimitrijevic as associate member and Mr Vladimir Djeric as substitute associate member of the Commission in respect of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Armenia
09/02/2001 - 10/02/2001
Roundtable on the amendments to the Electoral Code of Armenia (Yerevan). Discussion of amendments to the Electoral Code. Organised on the initiative of the OSCE. Participation of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, representatives of the political parties, NGOs, ODIHR, UNDP and IFES.
Ukraine -
02/02/2001
Nomination of Ms Suzanna Stanik, Minister of Justice, as Member of the Commission in respect of Ukraine. Nomination of Mr Volodymyr Vassylenko, Ambassador of Ukraine in the United Kingdom, as Substitute Member.
Yugoslavia
01/02/2001
Decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to accept the request by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to participate in the activities of the Venice Commission as an associate member
Croatia - Member
31/01/2001
Reappointment of Mr Stanko Nick as member of the Commission in respect of Croatia.
Seminar
29/01/2001 - 31/01/2001
Participation in "The human dimension seminar on human rights: election processes" organised by OSCE/ODIHR (Warsaw)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
12/01/2001
Meeting on the revision of the Organic Law on the Ombudsmen of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Strasbourg)
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
11/01/2001 - 12/01/2001
Meeting on the Law on Minorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Belgrade)
Croatia
04/01/2001 - 05/01/2001
2nd meeting of the Working Group on the Draft Constitutional Law on Rights of National Minorities in the Republic of Croatia (Zagreb)
21/12/2000
Request by the Parliamentary Assembly on the implications of the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the issue of the constituent peoples. The opinion has to be given by March 2001 to enable the Assembly to take it into account in the procedure for Bosnia’s accession to the Council of Europe. According to the decision of the Court, it is no longer admissible that only Bosniacs and Croats are regarded as the constituent peoples of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and only Serbs as constituent people of the Republika Srpska but all three peoples have equal ... read more
International Criminal Court
16/12/2000
Adoption of the report on constitutional issues raised by the ratification of the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court
Council of Europe
16/12/2000
Adoption of the opinion on a general judicial authority
45th Plenary Meeting of the Commission (Venice)
15/12/2000 - 16/12/2000
Azerbaijan
30/11/2000 - 01/12/2000
Visit by a delegation of the Venice Commission to Azerbaijan to continue the work of the Commission on the introduction of an individual complaint to the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan in accordance with the Assembly Opinion No. 222 (2000) and to establish contacts and a programme of co-operation with the authorities of Azerbaijan further to the Committee of Ministers’ decision to invite the Venice Commission to provide assistance with a view to reforming the Constitution, the electoral law and the media law in conformity with Council of Europe standards.
Armenia
15/11/2000 - 18/11/2000
Visit by a delegation of the Venice Commission to Armenia in order to continue work on the revision of the Constitution of Armenia and to establish contacts and draw up a programme of co-operation with the Armenian authorities, further to the Committee of Ministers’ decision to invite the Venice Commission to assist the Armenian authorities in reforming the judicial system and the law on the media and remedying the loopholes in the electoral law, in accordance with Council of Europe standards.
Slovenia
16/10/2000
Opinion on constitutional amendments in Slovenia. This opinion, which had been requested by Prime Minister Andrej Bajuk, concludes that the amendments adopted on 25 July 2000 are not in conflict with European democratic standards
Ukraine
14/10/2000
Opinion on Referendum in Ukraine. At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) adopted, at its meeting of 13 and 14 October 2000, an opinion on the implementation of the constitutional referendum in Ukraine. The Commission had already earlier adopted an opinion on the referendum itself.
Conference on Federalism (Moscow)
15/02/1994 - 18/02/1994
Scientific workshop on the draft Constitution of Moldova (Chisinau)
27/05/1993 - 28/05/1993
CSCE Seminar of Experts on Democratic Institutions (Oslo)
04/11/1991 - 15/11/1991