OSCE - Council of Europe
13/12/2013
Brussels – The President of the Commission Gianni Buquicchio and Commission’s Secretary Thomas Markert are invited to participate in the Working Party on the OSCE and the Council of Europe (COSCE).
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
06/12/2013 - 07/12/2013
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista - The Commission
- Paid tribute to Nelson Mandela;
- Adopted the opinion on the draft law on making changes and additions to the Civil Code of Armenia (introducing compensation for non-pecuniary damage);
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Nodar Tangiashvili, Head of the International Organizations and Legal Provision Department of the Georgian Ministry for Reintegration and adopted the opinion on draft amendments to the Law on the Occupied Territories as well as to other relevant legal acts of Georgia;
- Adopted... read more
Request for opinion – Azerbaijan
05/12/2013
Head of the Presidential Administration for opinion on the draft law on amendments to the law on the status of municipalities.
46th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
05/12/2013
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista
28/11/2013
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, meets members of the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (which met in Strasbourg from 26 to 29 November) for an exchange of views on the activities of the two bodies and ways of enhancing synergy and cooperation on issues of common interest.
Under the authority of the Committee of Ministers, the CDDH supervises and coordinates intergovernmental work of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights and advises the Committee of Min... 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.
Turkey - Conference on Institutionalisation and Sustainability of Democracy
27/11/2013
Istanbul – The Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert addresses a conference on Institutionalisation and Sustainability of Democracy organised by the Istanbul Policy Centre (at Sabanci University) and by TÜSİAD
Jordan - seminar on preliminary requests before Constitutional courts
27/11/2013
Amman - The Venise Commission organises in cooperation with the Constitutional court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a seminar on preliminary requests before Constitutional courts.
This seminar is organised in the framework of the Joint programme “Support to the Jordanian authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Jordanian justice system”. It is intended to the judges and administrative staff of the Constitutional court and is held in Amman on 27 November 2013.
26/11/2013 - 26/11/2013
Ms Maya Bozhidarova Manolova, Vice-President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria and Chairperson of the ad hoc Committee which prepared the draft new Election Code requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on this draft text.
25/11/2013 - 26/11/2013
The Venice Commission organises a seminar on election observation with the participation of representatives of the Central Electoral Commissions of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and OSCE/ODIHR, as well as of international experts.
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.
OSCE/ODIHR – Venice Commission Joint Guidelines on Freedom of Association
23/11/2013
Paris - In cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR, the Venice Commission organises a meeting concerning the preparation of Guidelines on Freedom of Association with the participation of its members and the OSCE experts.
22/11/2013
Tirana - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates in the international Conference at the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Albania, hosted by the Constitutional Court of Albania.
Study on Children Rights in Constitutions
21/11/2013
Paris - The Venice Commission's Working Group on the Study on Children Rights in Constitutions is holding its second meeting. This study analyses the current state of constitutional protection of children rights and answer the question from PACE : "How can children's rights be included in national constitutions with a view to thus promoting their effective implementation?"
21/11/2013 - 22/11/2013
Brussels – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio participated in the Assises de la Justice Conference on “What role for Justice in the European Union?” organised by the European Commission.
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.
18/11/2013 - 19/11/2013
Following the request for an opinion made by the Council for Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan on the draft Code of Ethics, a delegation from the Venice Commission will be going to Dushanbe on 18 and 19 November 2013 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 the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – forthcoming opinion on the draft constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
18/11/2013 - 19/11/2013
Sarajevo - Following the request for an opinion made by the Chair of the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the constitutional reform, a delegation from the Venice Commission will make a visit to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 and 19 November 2013 to meet with different authorities.
Ukraine- Roundtable on the electoral reform
14/11/2013 - 14/11/2013
Kyiv - A Delegation of the Venice Commission participates in a roundtable concerning the electoral reform. Different stakeholders will discuss the Ukrainian legislation, following the Joint Opinion adopted with OSCE/ODIHR on this issue in the Plenary of October 2013.
Ukraine - opinion request
14/11/2013
Strasbourg - The Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Mr Lyovochkin, has requested an opinion on proposals, introduced by 156 members of the Verkhovna Rada, to change draft amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine relating to the Judiciary on which the Venice Commission had given an opinion in June 2013.
13/11/2013 - 14/11/2013
Sofia - Within the framework of the on-going electoral reform in Bulgaria, a delegation of the Venice Commission meets representatives of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, of political parties and of the civil society as well as the parliamentary committees in charge of preparing draft amendments.
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
Armenia – Request for Opinion
12/11/2013
Strasbourg – The Ministry of Justice of Armenia requested the Venice Commission for an opinion on the draft law “On amending and supplementing the Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia”.
Request for opinion - Republic of Moldova
08/11/2013
The Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Igor Corman, asked for the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft electoral reform. The draft opinion is foreseen for adoption at the March 2014 plenary session.
Lisbon Forum
08/11/2013
Lisbon - The Venice Commission has participated in the Lisbon Forum: "Giving civil society means to act in the southern neighborhood of Europe."
The Forum was attended by representatives of the civil society from different countries of the Southern Mediterranean: Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan.
Ms Slavica BANIC, Croat substitute member who represented the Commission, was a member of the panel: "The players in governance."
07/11/2013 - 08/11/2013
Paris - The Venice Commission will participate in the Seminar of the national correspondents of the Association of the Constitutional Courts using the French language (ACCPUF).
Kosovo*– request for opinion - draft legislation on freedom of religion
07/11/2013
The Head of the European Union Office / Special Representative (EUSR) in Pristina, Mr Samuel Zbogar, requested Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft law introducing amendments to the existing legislation on freedom of religion.
The draft opinion is planned for adoption at the 98th Plenary Session in March 2014.
*All references to Kosovo shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
06/11/2013 - 08/11/2013
Quito - International Seminar on Constitutional Processes and Legitimacy of Constitutional Justice, held on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador.
International Conference - "The political changes in the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East: the role of representative institutions"
06/11/2013 - 07/11/2013
Lisbon - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni BUQUICCHIO intervened in the conference organized by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which was held on November 8, 2013 in Lisbon on the theme: "the political changes in the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East: the role of representative institutions."
The following countries participated in the conference: Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Egypt.
30/10/2013 - 31/10/2013
Skopje - At the invitation of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, an election expert of the Venice Commission takes part in international conference on Political Party and Campaign Financing. This Conference is organised by the OSCE Mission, the European Union Delegation and the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption.
Ukraine - Judiciary
29/10/2013
Kyiv – The Venice Commission participated in the International Conference on "the legal status of the high qualification commission of judges of Ukraine".
25/10/2013 - 28/10/2013
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 the Assembly in the context of the presidential election of 27 October 2013.
A 36-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Ms Meritxell Mateu Pi (Andorra, ALDE), visits Georgia from 25 to 28 October to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside inter alia observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation is due to meet the cand... read more
24/10/2013 - 24/10/2013
Mexico City - the Sub-Commission on Latin America met for the first time in Mexico. Participants not only from the members of the Sub-Commission, but also from other countries from Latin America took part in the event.
24/10/2013 - 25/10/2013
Tashkent – On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 20th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Venice Commission is invited to take part in a Conference on “The role and place of the national system for the protection of human rights during the country’s modernisation: international practice and experience of Uzbekistan”. This Conference is organised by the National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 24-25 October 2013.
This activity brings together representatives of ... read more
Agreement on VOTA database
23/10/2013 - 23/10/2013
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, will sign an agreement on the VOTA database with the Electoral Tribunal of Mexico, which will improve the database and will allow to include more updated electoral legislation
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.
Fourth Training session of collaborators of the Mediators Members of the AOM
22/10/2013 - 24/10/2013
In the framework of the EU-South Program, the Venice Commission contributes to a training session organised by the President of AOM and Mediator Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco. The general theme of the session was "The role of the Obudsman institutions in simplifying administratives procedures and access to public services".
Italy – forthcoming opinion on the legislation on the protection against defamation
21/10/2013 - 22/10/2013
Roma - A delegation of the Venice Commission visits Rome on 21 and 22 October 2013 to meet with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Parliament, the Court of Cassation, the National Association of Magistrates as well as representatives of journalists’ associations.
These meetings take place in the context of the preparation by the Venice Commission, at the request of the Parliamentary Assembly, of an opinion on the Italian legislation on the protection against defamation.
18/10/2013 - 19/10/2013
Bucharest – the Venice Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania organise the 3nd Intercultural Workshop on Democracy
“Political parties – key factors in the political development of democratic societies”.
This activity brings together representatives of national parliaments and academics from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen who will exchange their experiences on international standards and national legislation and practice in the field of political parties. Among other issues, they will compare the approach... read more
17/10/2013
Belgrade - On the occasion the 50th Anniversary of its founding, the Constitutional Court of Serbia is organising, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, a conference on “Position and Perspectives of constitutional Justice”. The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Buquicchio, will participate.
15/10/2013 - 17/10/2013
Seoul - The Venice Commission takes part in the 6th Conference of the Global Elections Organization (GEO) and the Inugural Assembly of the Association of World Electoral Management Bodies (A-WEB).
11/10/2013 - 12/10/2013
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista - At its third plenary session of 2013, the Commission:
- Paid tribute to the late Mr Peter Schieder, former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- Elected Mr Peter Paczolay, former member in respect of Hungary, as Honorary President of the Venice Commission;
- Adopted the opinion on legislation pertaining to the Protection from Defamation of Azerbaijan, following its consideration by the Sub Commission on Fundamental Rights on 10 October 2013;
- Adopted the amicus curiae brief ... read more
Bosnia and Herzegovina – request for opinion - draft constitution of the Federation
11/10/2013
By a letter dated 11 October 2013, the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested an opinion from the Venice Commission on the draft constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Commission will make a visit to the Federation on 18 and 19 November 2013.
08/10/2013 - 09/10/2013
Venice - 12th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice and mini-conference on "Children's Rights".
Netherlands - Symposium on the work of the Venice Commission
07/10/2013 - 07/10/2013
The Hague - Mr Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, is invited to participate in the Symposium on the work of the Venice Commission organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Senate of the Dutch States General.
Romania – parliamentary immunity
03/10/2013
Strasbourg - A delegation of the Romanian Parliament meets representatives of the Venice Commission and GRECO in order to discuss legislation on parliamentary immunities in Romania
01/10/2013 - 30/10/2013
Tbilisi - In view of the 27 October Presidential election, an election expert of the Venice Commission is providing legal and technical advice to the Central Election Commission of Georgia.
Spain - Forum on "The future of democracy in Europe"
29/09/2013 - 29/09/2013
Segovia - Ms Paloma Biglino Campos, Member of the Venice Commission, is invited to participe in the Forum on "The future of democracy in Europe" in the framework of the annual Hay Festival of Segovia.
26/09/2013 - 27/09/2013
Riga - International Conference on the “Jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court: Limits and Possibilities of Expansion”
23/09/2013 - 23/09/2013
Harvard University - Mr Jan Helgesen, First Vice-President of the Venice Commission, is invited to participate in the Conference on "Divided by a Common Heritage : Human Rights in Europe and the United States" organised by Harvard University and the Council of Europe.
18/09/2013 - 20/09/2013
St.Gallen, Switzerland – The Venice Commission takes part in a workshop organised by the “Global Democratic Governance” Profile Area of the University of St.Gallen on “Political Rights in the Age of Globalization”. It addresses “Challenges of Organizing Elections beyond Territory and Membership”.
16/09/2013 - 18/09/2013
Moscow - In the framework of the opinion on the amendments to the Law on non-commercial Organisations and the Law on Treason and Espionage, a delegation met with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Prokuratura, the Douma, the Ombudsman's office, Supreme court and the civil society.
13/09/2013 - 16/09/2013
Strasbourg - A delegation from the Federal Electoral Court of Mexico visits the Venice Commission in order to discuss the implementation of the VOTA database.
12/09/2013 - 14/09/2013
Warsaw - The Venice Commission takes part in the 22nd Annual Conference of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO), dedicated to "the role of information and communication technology and social media in elections".
Ukraine - Roundtable on electoral reform
11/09/2013
Kyiv - A Delegation of the Venice Commission participates in a roundtable concerning the electoral reform. The participants will discuss the possible codification of the electoral legislation on the basis of recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR.
06/09/2013
Kyiv – A delegation of the Venice Commission and experts from the Programme for Support to Criminal Justice Reform in Ukraine held meetings with Ukrainian authorities, opposition and NGOs in the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the Draft Law on the Public Prosecutors Office of Ukraine.
Tirana- Meeting on the strategic action plan of the Council of Europe in Albania
05/09/2013 - 05/09/2013
A Delegation of the Venice Commission participates in a meeting on the strategic action plan to be developed in Albania, particularly concerning the long term assistance given to the Central Electoral Commission and the future steps.
Lithuania - Constitutional Justice
05/09/2013
Vilnius - International Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Lithuania on the topic “Present Tendencies of Constitutional Justice: the Relation between national and international Law”.
03/09/2013
Kiev - a consultative roundtable on the guidelines of the OSCE / ODIHR on the "Recognition of religious communities" was organised by the OSCE / ODIHR with the participation of the Venice Commission. The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the revision of the above guidelines and make suggestions for amendments.
13/08/2013
Kyev - A delegation from the Venice Commission participated in a roundtable in Ukraine concerning the electoral reform.
Ukraine - Opinion request
02/08/2013
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission received a request from the Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Mr Lyovochkin, for an opinion on the Draft Law on the Public Prosecutors Office of Ukraine.
02/08/2013 - 03/08/2013
Livingstone - the Southern African Chief Justices Forum (SACJF) held its Annual Conference on the topic "The quest for an efficient judicial system as a key to democratic and economic development".
Georgia – request for opinion
30/07/2013
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Georgian authorities requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on draft constitutional laws amending two constitutional Laws Amending the Constitution (CDL-REF(2013)024). This draft opinion will be discussed at the next plenary session (Venice, 10-11 October 2013)
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."
04/07/2013 - 05/07/2013
Bucharest – a delegation of the Venice Commission, led by its Secretary Mr Thomas Markert will hold meetings with the Constitutional Committee of the Parliament, the political forces represented in Parliament and the Superior Council for Magistracy.
This visit takes place in the framework of the assistance requested by the Romanian authorities in the process of the revision of the Romanian Constitution.
03/07/2013 - 04/07/2013
Yerevan - Within the framework of the Chairmanship of the Republic of Armenia in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Armenia and the European Court of Human Rights, the Venice Commission will organise the Pan-European Conference on “the European Standards of Rule of Law and the Scope of Discretionary Powers in the Member-States of the Council of Europe”. The Conference is to explore the necessary limits of discretionary powers within the principle of the rule of law. Delegations from some 30 countries are expected to partici... read more
Ukraine - request for an opinion on the revised electoral legislation
01/07/2013
On 1 July 2013, Mr O. Lavrynovych, Minister of Justice of Ukraine, asked for an expertise of the Venice Commission on the revised Draft Law of Ukraine on "Amendments to Particular Laws of Ukraine on Improvement on Holding of Elections".
Georgia - Constitutional Justice
29/06/2013 - 30/06/2013
Batumi - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Georgia on "Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Reviewing the Constitutionality of the Constitutional Norms".
World Conference on Human Rights – 20 years
27/06/2013 - 28/06/2013
Vienna – The First Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Jan Helgesen, is invited to participate in the conference on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights organised by the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs of Austria which will take place in Vienna.
26/06/2013 - 27/06/2013
Chisinau - The tenth Conference of the Electoral Management Bodies, jointly organised with the Central Election Commission of Moldova, started on 26 June 2013.
At the opening of the Conference, President of the Republic of Moldova Timofti encouraged the strengthening of independent and efficient electoral management bodies as a key-factor to democratic elections. He also praised the co-operation with the Venice Commission in the electoral field as well as in other fields of reforms.
Opening remarks were also delivered by the Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim, who also und... read more
Freedom of assembly – meeting of the OSCE / ODHIR panel
26/06/2013 - 27/06/2013
Warsaw – The Venice Commission, represented by its Irish member Ms Finola Flanagan, participates in the meeting of the OSCE/ ODHIR Panel on freedom of assembly.
The agenda includes an exchange of views on the most recent developments in the field, discussions on specific topics related to the freedom of assembly and modalities for revising the joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODHIR Guidelines on freedom of assembly.
Kiev: Roundtable on election legislation
20/06/2013 - 20/06/2013
The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine and the Embassy of the United States of America to Ukraine, in co-operation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE, are organising a Round Table aimed to discuss the current and future reform of electoral legislation in Ukraine, in the light also of the December 2012 European Council Conclusions and the February 2013 EU-Ukraine Summit Declaration.
Albania- Observation of elections
20/06/2013 - 24/06/2013
Tirana- A delegation of the Venice Commission provides legal assistance to the Ad Hoc Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which observes the parliamentary elections in Albania of 23 June 2013.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – request for Amicus Curiae opinion
20/06/2013
Bosnia and Herzegovina – request for Amicus Curiae opinion by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the issue of the choice of a National Day in the Republika Srpska and its potentially discriminatory character.
Ukraine - Constitutional justice
20/06/2013 - 22/06/2013
Yalta – The Venice Commission will participate in the International Conference on "the Protection of Human and Citizens' rights by bodies of Constitutional Jurisdiction in the current context", organised in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
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.
18/06/2013
Warsaw - The Venice Commission, represented by the Dutch member Mr J. Vermeulen and the Irish member F. Flanagan, will participate in the first working meeting of the new Advisory Panel of Experts on freedom of religion and conscience from ODIHR. Mr Vermeulen and Ms Flanagan are designated as Observers in the new panel.
The revision of the joint Venice Commission - OSCE / ODIHR Guidelines on the freedom of religion and conscience is on the agenda.
14/06/2013 - 15/06/2013
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista
Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) - 7th Meeting of the AOM
10/06/2013 - 11/06/2013
Amman - the Venice Commission takes part as an Observer in the annual meeting of the AOM chaired by the Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Morocco.
This activity is funded by the Norwegian Fund.
11/02-06/07/2013
Tirana - In view of the 23 June 2013 parliamentary elections, two experts of the Venice Commission successively:
1) Provide legal and technical advice to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), notably:
a. Provide technical advice/support to the CEC for the standardisation and simplification of election procedures and documents, in particular candidacy documents, working documentation of the Commissions of Election Administrative Zones (CEAZ) and Vote Centre Commissions (VCC);
b. Provide assistance to the CEC training unit and develop and deliver a programme of training for tra... read more
06/06/2013
In a letter to the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio dated 3 June 2013 the President of the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia Mr Mustapha Ben Jaafer requested the Commission’s opinion on the draft Constitution which was finalised by the Assembly a few days ago.
29/05/2013 - 31/05/2013
Arequipa, Peru – the Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Peru organise a regional conference on the topic of “Individual access to constitutional justice”.
A Venice Commission delegation headed by its President, will participate in the event. The Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Latin American countries are invited to attend. The following countries are represented: Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru as well as non-members of the Venice Commission such as Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, U... read more
Tunisia – High Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom - forthcoming Opinion on the 2008 law
23/05/2013
Tunis - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the 2008 Law on the High Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, a representative of the Venice Commission participated in discussions on applicable international standards and best practices in the field.
"Children Rights in Constitutions" - First meeting of the Working group on the study
23/05/2013
Paris - As a contribution to the Council of Europe programme " "Building a Europe for and with children" the Venice Commission launches a study on "Children rights in Constitutions".
This is the first meeting of the working group of the rapporteurs.
Hungary – Forthcoming opinion on the 4th constitutional amendment
15/05/2013
Vienna - In the framework of the preparation of the Venice Commission’s opinion on the 4th amendment to the Hungarian Constitution, a delegation of the Commission will meet with the Hungarian authorities in Vienna.
The opinion will be adopted by the Commission at its June plenary session in Venice (14-15 June 2013).
The former yugoslav Republic of Macedonia- Meetings on the electoral reform
15/05/2013 - 16/05/2013
A joint Delegation of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR met with different stakeholders to discuss the electoral reform before the submission of the Joint Opinion on the Electoral legislation in the Plenary of June 2013.
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
Bulgaria - Observation of elections
09/05/2013 - 13/05/2013
Sofia - A delegation of the Venice Commission provides legal assistance to the Ad Hoc Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which observes the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria of 12 May 2013.
09/05/2013 - 11/05/2013
Cotonou, Benin - 2nd Congress of the Conference of African Constitutional Jurisdictions and seminar on "Constitutional Justice in Africa".
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
Request for opinion – Belarus
07/05/2013
Strasbourg – The President of the PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy Pietro Marcenaro requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the 2012 Law on the Bar Association and the Profession of Defence Lawyer in the Republic of Belarus.
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
25/04/2013
Kyiv – A delegation of the Venice Commission met with a group of experts of the Ministry of Justice and discussed draft amendments to the electoral legislation of Ukraine. Representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR and the EU Delegation to Ukraine also participated in this meeting.
25/04/2013 - 26/04/2013
Rabat - A delegation of the Council of Europe meets the Moroccan authorities and civil society in the framework of the establishment of the Anti-discrimination Authority and the Fight Against All Forms of Discrimination and the Advisory Council for the Family and Childhood.
This visit follows the request by Ms Hakkoui, Minister for Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, for assistance from the Venice Commission in the establishment of the Anti-discrimination Authority and the Fight Against All Forms of Discrimination and the Advisory Council for the Family and Child... read more
Constitutional Justice - Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions
24/04/2013
Ankara - preparatory meeting of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions.
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
19/04/2013 - 19/04/2013
Tbilisi State University - At the invitation of the European Law Students' Association in Georgia (ELSA-Georgia), an election expert and a member of the Secretariat are delivering a lecture on "new technologies and social media versus the European Electoral Heritage".
17/04/2013 - 18/04/2013
Tbilisi - Fourth Eastern Partnership Facility Seminar entitled “the use of administrative resources during electoral campaigns” organised in co-operation with the Central Election Commission of Georgia.
This activity falls in the framework of the Joint Programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Support to free and fair elections in the Eastern Partnership countries”.
Representatives from the electoral management bodies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova are taking part in this Seminar.
Hungary - Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law - country visit
12/04/2013
In the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary a delegation of the Venice Commission will visit Budapest.
ISO - electoral standards
11/04/2013 - 12/04/2013
The Venice Commission will attend the technical committee preparing ISO 17582, the draft quality management standard directed for electoral bodies.
Azerbaijan – drafting the law on defamation – country visit
10/04/2013 - 11/04/2013
Baku - At the request of the Azerbaijani authorities and the Committee of Ministers, the Venice Commission provides legal assistance in the drafting of the law on protection against defamation.
A delegation from the Commission went to Baku to discuss the legislative process with the authorities, representatives of civil society and the media with the view to improve the national legal framework regulating the protection against defamation, in conformity with the ECHR and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
10/04/2013 - 12/04/2013
A delegation of the Venice Commission visited the Principality of Monaco from 10 to 12 April 2013 in the framework of the preparation an opinion on the Constitution of Monaco, which was requested by the Parliamentary Assembly.
The delegation was composed as follows:
• Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission,
• Mr Jorgen Steen SORENSEN, Member in respect of Denmark,
• Mr Lazlo TROCSANYI, Member under Hungary,
• Ms Simona GRANATA MENGHINI – Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission and
• Ms Charlotte BROUTELLES, legal advisor.
... read more
Morocco – Mediators members of the AOMF - training for staff
09/04/2013 - 11/04/2013
Rabat - The Venice Commission contributes to the 11th training session for staff of Mediators members of the AOMF. The topic of the training is “Processing of complaints and means of intervention by Mediators and Ombudsmen”.
This activity is funded under the Joint EU - Council of Europe programme "Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern Neighbourhood.”
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
05/04/2013 - 08/04/2013
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 the Assembly in the context of the presidential election of 7 April 2013.
A 11-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Roman Jakič (Slovenia, ALDE), visits Montenegro from 5 to 8 April to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside inter alia observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation is due to meet the candidates in t... read more
Ukraine - request for opinion - Draft amendments to the Constitution regarding the judiciary
02/04/2013
In a letter to the Venice Commission, Leonid Kravchuk, President of the Constitutional Assembly of Ukraine, requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the amendment of the Constitution of Ukraine regarding the judiciary, in respect of international standards and obligations deriving from the membership of Ukraine at the Council of Europe.
02/04/2013 - 03/04/2013
Tunis - Representatives of the Venice Commission participate in the seminar on "Trade on the normative and institutional guarantees of freedom of expression", organised by the Council of Europe in partnership with the Arab Institute of Human Rights (AIHR) and the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
This activity provides for an opportunity to discuss constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom of expression in order to provide evidence that can inform the work of the new Constitution. A working session is devoted to the creation of new regulatory authority of T... 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.
26/03/2013
Strasbourg - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates in Council of Europe High-level consultations on the principles of further reform of the Public Prosecution Service of Ukraine with the Government, Parliament, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
25/03/2013
Strasbourg – the Prime Minister of Romania, Mr Ponta, invited the Venice Commission to co-operate in the process of amending the Romanian Constitution.
25/03/2013 - 26/03/2013
Brussels - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates on 25 and 26 March 2013 in an inception seminar co-organised by the European External Action Service, the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments and the Election Observation and Democratic Support project (EODS). The seminar aims at discussing current and future challenges facing election observation missions, testing ideas for strengthening EOM members knowledge and expertise, and reflecting upon the development of EOMs methodology.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) - Co-operation with the Venice Commission
18/03/2013
The Venice Commission has been accepted as a Category A Liaison to the working group discussing ISO 17582, the draft quality management standard directed for electoral bodies.
Category A Liaisons are organisations that make an effective contribution to the work of a technical committee or subcommittee.
17/03/2013 - 18/03/2013
Manama - A delegation of the Venice Commission will participate in the 8th Symposium of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils on the topic "Direct and Indirect Interpretation of the Constitution".
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
13/03/2013
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Following the joint statement from the President of the European Commission Barroso and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Jagland of 11 March 2013, the latter has requested an opinion on the compatibility of the Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary with the Council of Europe standards.
Hungary – Request for opinion by the Hungarian authorities - Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law
13/03/2013
In a letter to Mr Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Martonyi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, requested an opinion from the Venice Commission on the Fourth Amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary, with regard to the international commitments deriving from Hungary’s membership in the Council of Europe.
13/03/2013 - 14/03/2013
Tunis - Representatives of the Venice Commission will participate in the symposium entitled "Together for a reform of the justice that takes into account applicable international standards" organized in the framework of the “Days of dialogue and reflection on the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia to the edge of the adoption of the Constitution”.
The themes of this symposium concern the reform of the judiciary in Tunisia:
- Legal framework for the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia;
- State of play of the reform of the judiciary in Tunisia since the revolution... read more
08/03/2013 - 09/03/2013
The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Alexandre Baramidzé, Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Mr Konstantin Kublashvili, Chairman of the Supreme Court, Ms Tinatin Khidasheli and Mr Akaki Minashvili, Members of Parliament, and adopted
• the opinion on the draft amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Courts of General Jurisdiction, following its consideration by the Sub-Commission on the Judiciary on 7 March 2013; and
• the opinion on the Provisions relating to Political Prisoners in the Amnesty Law of Georgia, following its consideration by th... 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.
16/02/2013 - 19/02/2013
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 the Assembly in the context of the presidential elections of 18 February 2013.
A 27-member delegation of the PACE, headed by Ms Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG), visits Armenia from 16 to 19 February 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 the ... read more
Turkey - EU Joint parliamentary committee
14/02/2013 - 15/02/2013
Ankara, Grand National Assembly of Turkey – President of the Venice Commission Gianni BUQUICCHIO is invited to address the Turkey - EU Joint parliamentary committee on the topic of the “New Constitution in the framework of Fundamental Rights and Freedom”.
Parliamentary immunity - request for a study by the Secretary General
14/02/2013
On 14 February 2013, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe invited the Venice Commission, in co-operation with an expert of GRECO, to develop criteria and guidelines on the lifting of parliamentary immunity in order to avoid the misuse of immunity as well as selective and arbitrary decisions and in order to ensure adequate transparency of the procedure.
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.
OSCE-ODIHR/Venice Commission - Draft Joint Guidelines on Freedom of Association
08/02/2013
Paris - representatives of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR are meeting in order to start discussing the content of the draft Joint Guidelines on Freedom of Association.
Georgia - forthcoming opinions on the judiciary and on the Amnesty Law- country visit
06/02/2013 - 07/02/2013
Tbilissi - A delegation of the Venice Commission is visiting Tbilissi on 6 and 7 February 2013 to meet with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the President of the Supreme Court, the vice president of the Constitutional court, the Judges’ Association of Georgia and representatives of the civil society.
These meetings have been organised in the context of the Venice Commission’s preparation of opinions on the draft amendments to the organic Law on courts of general jurisdiction and on the Amnesty Law.
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.
Request for opinion - RUSSIA – laws on NGOs and on treason and espionage
05/02/2013
PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights decided to request an opinion from the Venice Commission on two recent Russian laws: the Federal Law on Non-Commercial Organisations of 13 July 2012, and the Federal Law on Treason and Espionage of 23 October 2012.
Armenia - Seminar with judges
04/02/2013 - 05/02/2013
Yerevan - At the request of the Judicial School of Armenia, the Venice Commission co-organises a seminar with judges on the topic of electoral disputes that may arise in the context of the presidential election of 18 February 2013. For this purpose, a Venice Commission expert meets around 25 judges during 1.5 day of working sessions.
04/02/2013
At the end of his two-day visit to Georgia, the President of the Venice Commission presented his views on the current situation in the country at a press conference.
After meeting with the highest authorities of Georgia, Mr Buquicchio expressed his satisfaction at the willingness expressed by all his interlocutors, notably the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament, to pursue the co-operation with the Venice Commission and to consult it in the preparation of the new constitution. He welcomed that a liaison officer would be appointed by parliament in order to... read more
31/01/2013 - 01/02/2013
Belgrade - A delegation of the Venice Commission is visiting Belgrade on 31 January and 1 February 2013 to meet with representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, several working groups, the Judges’ Association of Serbia, the Prosecutors’ Association of Serbia and the Parliamentary Committee on the Judiciary, Public Administration and Local Self-government. These meetings have been organised in the context of the Venice Commission’s preparation of opinions for Serbia on the draft amendments to the Law on Judges, to the Law on the organisation of courts and to the ... read more
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
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.
Strasbourg - Meeting with a Moroccan delegation of the Ministry of Solidarity, Woman, Family and Social Development
24/01/2013 - 25/01/2013
First meeting concerning the assistance's request to the Venice Commission by Mrs Hakkoui, Minister of the of Solidarity, Woman, Family and Social Development of Morocco, in the drafting process of the laws concerning the Consultative council of Family and Childhood and the Autority in charge of Parity and Fight against Discrimination, as provided for by the Constitution.
24/01/2013
Brussels - The Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission acted as moderator at the exchange of views on «Being a woman in politics: the cross-experience of women MPs from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya” at the Joint Meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs, Security, and Human Rights and the Committee on Women's Rights in Euromed countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
Moldova - Electoral Code and the Law on financing of political parties and electoral campaigns
23/01/2013 - 24/01/2013
Chisinau – A delegation of the Venice Commission visits Chisinau, jointly with a delegation of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in preparation of an opinion on amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on financing of political parties and electoral campaigns, requested both by the Parliament and the Central Election Commission of Moldova.
The opinion is expected to be adopted at the 94th plenary session of the Venice Commission (8-9 March 2013).