Recent and Current Events
09/08/2023
By letter dated 30.06.2023, Ms Jamila JAMANBAEVA, Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft constitutional law “On Akyikatchy (Ombudsperson) of the Kyrgyz Republic”.
The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).
09/08/2023
By letter dated 23 June 2023, the Minister of Justice of the Lebanese Republic requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the Administrative Judiciary.
The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).
09/08/2023
By letter of 24 July 2023, Mr Igor Grosu, Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova and other related laws concerning ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional.
The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, fund... read more
04/08/2023
By letter dated 28 April 2023, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine which restrict the participation in the state power of persons associated with political parties whose activities are prohibited by law.
The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).
04/08/2023
By letter of 26 May 2023, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amendments to Article 51 of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada on political liability of Members of Parliament of Ukraine associated with political parties whose activities have been suspended.
The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).
02/08/2023
By letter of 17 July 2023 the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova requested a follow-up opinion of the Venice Commission on the recently adopted Law on the Intelligence and Security Service and the Law on Counterintelligence and External Intelligence Activity.
This draft follow-up opinion will be examined, with a view to its adoption, by the Commission at its 136th Plenary Session (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, funded by the European ... read more
26/07/2023 - 26/07/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the Law on the State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence on Internal Security in the Republic of Poland between 2007 and 2022.
The request for urgent opinion was made on 21 June 2023 by the President of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the October plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 6-7 October 2023).
Between 7 and 19 July 2023, the rapporteurs had had online meetings with repre... read more
20/07/2023
On 12 July 2023 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation. The opinion will be prepared jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 136th plenary session of the Commission (6-7 October 2023).
05/07/2023
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2022/3 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law with 247 new precis of key judgments from some 31 national and two international courts.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail thr... read more
30/06/2023
The Venice Commission will hold its plenary sessions in 2024 in Venice, at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, on the following dates:
• 138th plenary session: 14-16 March 2024;
• 139th plenary session: 20-22 June 2024;
• 140th plenary session: 10-12 October 2024;
• 141stplenary session: 5-7 December 2024.
30/06/2023
By letter of 2 June 2023 the Chairperson of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Judicial Act and the independence of the judiciary in the Netherlands.
The draft opinion will be prepared jointly with the Directorate General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe (DG-I) and examined, with a view to its adoption, by the Venice Commission at its 136th Plenary S... read more
21/06/2023 - 22/06/2023
Stockholm - The Stockholm Symposium, organised by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, convened experts from member States, EU Institutions, enlargement countries, EFTA member States, international organisations, media, civil society, academia, and other stakeholders. It provided an opportunity for stocktaking and constructive dialogue on how the EU uses the instruments to navigate towards a stronger rule of law and to counter democratic backsliding.
Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission at this event.... read more
21/06/2023 - 22/06/2023
Issyk-Kul - The Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Venice Commission held an international conference entitled “The Constitution as a foundation for building a democratic state under the rule of law”. The conference took place on 21-22 June 2023 in the Issyk-Kul region and was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The participants discussed different topics related to the constitutional legacy and the significance of constitutional justice in establishing a democratic and lawful state. They also explored the responsibilities ... read more
20/06/2023 - 21/06/2023
Mexico City/online – The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico (Tribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación) held an international congress on effective political participation and fundamental rights entitled “Digital Technologies: Democracy and Regulation in Europe and America” in Mexico City and online. The main aim of the Congress was to develop further the ongoing debates on the regulatory process of digital technologies, social media, and artificial intelligence currently taking place in Europe and Latin America.... read more
20/06/2023 - 21/06/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Nicos Alivizatos, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Greece, participated in two hearings, organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, that took place in Strasbourg on 20 and 21 June 2023.
Mr Alivizatos made a presentation at the hearing of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on “The challenge of far-right ideology to democracy and human rights in Europe” (20 June) and intervened during the joint hearing of this Committee and the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member Stat... read more
16/06/2023
The Venice Commission is seriously concerned about a call for resignation issued by the Assembly of Republika Srpska to the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia, Mr Zlatko Knežević, who is one of the two judges elected by the National Assembly of RS - and also a member of the Venice Commission in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is a fundamental guarantee of independence of a constitutional court that its members may not be recalled nor replaced, nor asked to resign on political grounds by those who appointed them.
In agreement with and in support ... read more
18/06/2023 - 19/06/2023
Stockholm – The Swedish Parliament organised a conference on “Democracy in Europe : How can parliamentarians help safeguard and strengthen democracy and the rule of law?”. This conference is a part of the parliamentary dimension of Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union of 2023.
The overall objective of the conference was to provide an opportunity to discuss how parliamentarians can contribute to safeguarding and strengthening democracy and the rule of law.
Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission a... read more
16/06/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Democratic Governance Division in cooperation with the Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy of the Directorate General DG-II of the Council of Europe organised a Conference on “E-voting and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in elections: taking stock and moving forward”. The aim of the conference was to:
• Take stock of the current implementation of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on standards for e-voting and the use of the Committee of Ministers’ Guidelines on th... read more
14/06/2023 - 15/06/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – A representative of the Venice Commission intervened before the representatives of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training and the Central Electoral Council of ATU Gagauzia, who are on a study visit to the Council of Europe.
The topic of his presentation was “The role and activities of the Venice Commission in the field of the electoral reform in the Republic of Moldova, including political parties financing. “
12/06/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, the President of the Venice Commission, held a constructive meeting with Mr Grigor Minasyan, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The meeting served as a platform for a comprehensive exchange of perspectives and ideas, focusing primarily on pursuing the fruitful cooperation between Armenia and the Venice Commission. The pending electoral and constitutional reforms were notably addressed in the discussions.
11/06/2023
Podgorica - Representatives of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the early parliamentary elections of 11 June 2023 in Montenegro.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
09/06/2023 - 10/06/2023
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - The Venice Commission:
• Adopted the joint opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the draft Law of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on the Special Registry and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organisations;
• Decided to make a public statement in support of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Held an exchange of views with Mr Thomas Godmez, Secretariat General of the Government of France, and adopted the interim opinion on Article 49.3 of the Constitution of France, ... read more