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.
Seminar on "The Role of the Constitutional Court
in the System of the State Powers" (Tbilisi)
09/12/2005 - 09/12/2005
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.
Conference on the "Limits of constitutional review of ordinary courts´ decisions in the proceedings on the constitutional complaint”
14/11/2005 - 15/11/2005
Brno, Czech Republic - International conference organised by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic in co-operation with the Venice Commission.
11/11/2005 - 12/11/2005
Baku, Azerbaijan - Conference in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Constitution.
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
UniDem Campus Trieste Seminar "The impact of the enlarged European Union on new member states and prospects for further enlargement" (Trieste)
24/10/2005 - 02/10/2005
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
“Influence of the European Court of Human Right's case law on national constitutional jurisprudence” - International conference
14/10/2005 - 15/10/2005
Kiev, Constitutional Court - The President of the Federal Tribunal of Switzerland, the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Germany, Judges from the House of Lords (Court of Appeal) of the United Kingdom, constitutional courts of Belgium and the Czech Republic will exchange their views with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and distinguished scholars of Ukraine on their experience in implementing the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.
The conference is organised by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in co-operation with the Venice Commission.
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.
"The Status of International Treaties on Human Rights" - UniDem Seminar
07/10/2005 - 08/10/2005
Coimbra (Portugal) - This international seminar examines the position which international human rights treaties have in both domestic and international law, and try and determine whether there exist "core" human rights.
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
Azerbaijan – Electoral training
29/09/2005 - 30/09/2005
Baku – The Venice Commission held, in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Directorate General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, a seminar on the role of judges in the settlement of electoral disputes.
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 - 01/10/2005
Yerevan, Constitutional Court - On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Constitution and the Constitutional Court of Armenia the Venice Commission, the Constitutional Court, the International Association of Constitutional Law and the Conference of Constitutional Control Organs of the Countries of Young Democracy (CCCOCYD) organised an international conference on "Legal Principles and Political Reality in the Exercise of Constitutional Control".
Third Conference of Secretaries General of Constitutional Courts and Courts of Equivalent Jurisdiction (Bled)
29/09/2005 - 30/09/2005
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
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.
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.
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
3rd Conference of Global Electoral Organisations organised by ACEEEO (Siofolk)
14/09/2005 - 17/09/2005
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
Electoral Training Seminar for the Trainers of the Central Election Commission (Baku)
07/09/2005 - 08/09/2005
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.
12/08/2005 - 13/08/2005
Windhoek, Namibia - Chief Justices of 15 founding states of the Commission came together to exchange views on the views on the independence of the judiciary and the relations between courts and the media.
Co-organised by the Venice Commission and the Supreme Court of Namibia.
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.
30/06/2005 - 01/07/2005
Vilnius - Conference on the "Law and Facts in Constitutional Jurisprudence" in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Lithuania.
UniDem Campus Trieste Seminar "Legal framework for public administration, legal performance indicators and performance measurement" (Trieste)
27/06/2005 - 01/07/2005
UNIDEM Campus Trieste Seminar "Managing Dirversity: Integration Policies for Minorities and Migrants" (Trieste)
27/06/2005 - 01/07/2005
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
24/06/2005 - 25/06/2005
Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro - the Venice Commission’s UniDem Seminar on the “Organisation of elections by an impartial body” had as a target group Chairs and members of the Central electoral commissions of Central and Eastern European countries.
The Seminar focused on the following main topics:
o composition and functioning of the electoral administration;
o activities and competences of the electoral administration;
o transparency and impartiality of the electoral administration on Election Day, and after the elections.
Around 30 specialists p... read more
Constitutional Justice
16/06/2005 - 17/06/2005
Baku - 4th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice of the Venice Commission
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
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
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.
UniDem Campus
16/05/2005 - 20/05/2005
Trieste -Training seminar on "Managing diversity: Integration policies for Minorities and Migrants"
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
14/03/2005 - 18/03/2005
Trieste, Palazzo del Ferdinandeo - "Administrative justice and inter-ministerial communication within public administration"
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.
“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.
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
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.
Meeting on the Reform of the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Strasbourg)
01/03/2005 - 01/03/2005
Moldova - Constitutional Justice
23/02/2005 - 24/02/2005
Chisinau - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Moldova on "current problems of constitutional justice: perspectives of development".
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
Constitutional justice – European Law
14/02/2005 - 15/02/2005
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, which focuses on the relationship between national courts and the European courts based on the discussion of concrete cases.
10/02/2005 - 11/02/2005
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Venice Commission is organising a Second European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies, following a proposal by different national election administration bodies and supported by the European Commission. This event is a follow-up to a first conference which took place in Palma de Mallorca from 4 to 8 March 2002.
The main focus of the second conference will be such issues as turnout and absentee voting. Representaives of electoral management bodies from 19 countries confirmed their participation in this conference.
A number of i... 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
Seminar UniDem (Universities for Democracy) Campus
24/01/2005 - 28/01/2005
Trieste, Palazzo del Ferdinandeo - The role of media freedom and pluralism in strengthening democracy
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.