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
Electoral Standards Symposium - "Armenia's Proposed Electoral Code an International Perspective" (Yerevan)
22/11/2010 - 23/11/2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
Conference celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Azerbaijan on "Constitutional mechanisms for the protection of Human Rights and Freedoms" (Baku)
12/11/2010 - 12/11/2010
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.
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
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.
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"
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".
Conference on "bodies of constitutional control in conditions of integration of legal systems: the international experience and ptractice of Tajikistan"
04/11/2010 - 05/11/2010
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.
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.
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.
Georgia - Constitutional Justice
17/09/2010 - 18/09/2010
Batumi - Black Sea Region Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Georgia and GTZ on the "Importance of Dissenting and Concurring Opinions in the Development of Judicial Review".
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.
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".
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.
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
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.
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.
13/08/2010 - 14/08/2010
Johanesbourg - the Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum’s (SACJF) conference on “Sustaining the independence of the Judiciary” followed by the SACJF’s annual general meeting.
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.
Conference "Fundamental Constitutional values as a stability factor of the democratic regime" (Chisinau)
22/07/2010 - 23/07/2010
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.
Georgia - Constitutional Justice
13/07/2010 - 14/07/2010
Batumi - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Georgia on "Judicial Activism".
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.
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".
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.
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.
7th conference of the European European Electoral Management Bodies - "Every Voter Counts"
22/06/2010 - 23/06/2010
London - 7th conference of the European Electoral Management Bodies on "Every Voter Counts", in cooperation with the Electoral Commission of the United Kingdom
The Conference will take place on 22 and 23 June 2010 in Dexter House, No.2 Royal Mint Court, Tower Hill, London.
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.
14/06/2010 - 17/06/2010
Trieste, Italy -This seminar, the last of three in 2010, addresses "The quality of law". It discusses principles and practices of good law-making and different aspects of the legislative drafting process. The impact of international and European law on national legislation is also examined.
Thanks to the Joint Programme "Rule of Law Initiative in Central Asia" with the European Commission, this seminar is also open to civil servants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan.
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.
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».
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
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.
03/05/2010 - 04/05/2010
St Gallen - Conference on "Democracy and decentralisation - Strengthening democratic institutions through participation" organised by the Venice Commission in the framework of the Swiss Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
People interested in taking part can still register by clicking on the link below and logging in with
Username: inscription
Password: 20stgallen10
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
19/04/2010 - 21/04/2010
Lima - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Peru on "Constitutional and International Human Rights Justice"
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.
UniDem Campus Seminar on "Administrative discretion and the rule of law"
12/04/2010 - 15/04/2010
Trieste, Italy - This seminar, the second of three in 2010, addresses "Administrative discretion and the rule of law". It presents the concept and guiding principles of the rule of law and tackles issues such as the judicial control of administrative decisions and good administration.
Thanks to the Joint Programme "Rule of Law Initiative in Central Asia" with the European Commission, this seminar is open to civil servants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan.
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.
Conference on "theoretical and practical aspects when dealing with individual constitutional complaints in the European model of constitutional justice"
08/04/2010 - 08/04/2010
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
Conference celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Moldova on "Guaranteeing the Constitution's Supremacy, Basic Function of the Constitutional Court" (Chisinau)
25/02/2010 - 26/02/2010
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.
22/02/2010 - 25/02/2010
Trieste, Italy - The first in 2010 UniDem seminar on “Interregional and transfrontier co-operation: promoting democratic stability and development”
The UniDem Campus, a programme for legal training of the civil servants of Eastern European countries was launched in 2000 by the Venice Commission with the financial support of the Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia government. Since it has been a great success: nearly 3000 civil servants have been trained.
This activity is intended for officials from national administrations of 16 Eastern European countries who are invited, foll... read more
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.
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.
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.
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.
10/01/2010 - 11/01/2010
Tripoli - In co-operation the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils and the Supreme Court of Libya, the Commission organises a Symposium of the Scientific Council of the Union on "the Economic and Political Rights from a Constitutional Point of View"