17/12/2022
The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the National Election Commission and the National Election Office, organised a post-election webinar following the parliamentary elections and the referendum held in Hungary on 3 April 2022.
Representatives of the National Election Commission, the National Election Office, a non-governmental organisation, OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission participated in the event.
Members of the Venice Commission intervened on the topics of “Effective legal remedies” and on “Decision-making and overall effectiveness of the election administr... read more
19/12/2022
By letter of 25 November 2022, the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft Law “On counterintelligence and external intelligence activity”, as well as on the draft Law “On the Intelligence and Security Service ”. The urgent opinion will be prepared in due time and will subsequently be presented for endorsement by the March plenary of the Commission (Venice, 10-11 March 2023).
19/12/2022
By letter of 22 November 2022, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament requested OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission to jointly prepare an opinion on the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts.
The opinion will be submitted for adoption during the 134th plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 10-11 March 2023)
17/12/2022
Venice – Following the 133rd plenary session, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The participants discussed topics of common interest to both institutions.
16/12/2022 - 17/12/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - The Venice Commission:
• held an exchange of views with Mr Artyom Sujan, Adviser to the Minister of Justice of Armenia, and adopted the joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the amendments to the Judicial Code of Armenia, previously examined by the Sub-Commissions on the Rule of Law and the Judiciary at their joint meeting on 15 December 2022;
• adopted the amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of Armenia on certain... read more
75th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
15/12/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
13/12/2022 - 15/12/2022
Cairo - The Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils (UACCC) held its 16th Scientific Committee & 11th Scientific Symposium in Cairo, Egypt, on 13-15 December 2022.
Mr Zlatko KNEŽEVIĆ, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Co-President of the Commission’s Joint Council on Constitutional Justice, gave an opening speech.
09/12/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the Law on the amendments to the Law on the President of Montenegro.
The request for urgent opinion was made on 9 November 2022 by the President of Montenegro.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the December plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 16-17 December 2022).
08/12/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The President of the Venice Commission Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie participated in the 97th meeting of the Steering Committee for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (CDDH).
08/12/2022 - 09/12/2022
Astana - The Venice Commission and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan organised on 8th and 9th December 2022 in Astana, an international conference entitled “Adversarial trial and equality of arms in criminal proceedings”.
The conference was held in a hybrid format and was opened by the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Zhakyp Asanov. This event saw the participation of high-level representatives from the Venice Commission (Estonia, Georgia, Ireland, Moldova and UK), Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and... read more
05/12/2022
Brussels - Venice Commission President Claire Bazy Malaurie and Vice-President Michael Frendo met with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to strengthen the synergy between the two institutions.
ALGERIA - “The right of citizen to access to constitutional justice in the light of comparative systems” - International Symposium
05/12/2022 - 06/12/2022
Algiers – The Special Representative, President Emeritus of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the International Symposium entitled “The right of citizen to access to constitutional justice in the light of comparative systems”. The event was organised by the Constitutional Court of Algeria.
Mr Buquicchio delivered a speech on “Cross-fertilisation in the Field of Individual Access to Constitutional Justice – the Venice Commission’s Contribution to Justice for Citizens”.
05/12/2022
Brussels - Venice Commission President Claire Bazy Malaurie and Vice-President Michael Frendo met with European Commission Vice President Věra Jurová in Brussels on 5 December 2022 to exchange views on the current rule of law challenges in Europe.
01/12/2022
Brussels – The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament with the support of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments organised a Interparliamentary Committee Meeting. The topic of the event was “the situation of the rule of law in the EU”.
The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, Mr Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, and Mr Mikuláš Bek, Minister of European Affairs of the Czech Republic, President of the Council of the European Union, amongst others, participated in the meeting.
01/12/2022
The Government of Sweden has made a voluntary contribution of SEK 5 000 000 (approximately €455 000) to reduce the European Court of Human Rights backlog of well-founded cases and to support the activities of the Venice Commission. The part of the voluntary contribution earmarked for the Commission constitutes €62.500.
Ambassador Mårten Ehnberg, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe, met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, on this occasion.
29/11/2022
On 17 November 2022 the Interim President of Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova requested an Amicus curiae brief on declaring a political party unconstitutional.
The draft amicus curiae brief will be submitted for adoption during the 133rd plenary session (16-17 December 2022).
29/11/2022 - 01/12/2022
Mexico City - Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) organised an international (hybrid) conference entitled “Conventionality control: a dialogue between the Americas and Europe”.
The objective of the event was to learn about other countries’ experiences in the administration of electoral justice, as well as the international principles that are applied both in Latin America and Europe when conventionality control is carried out in rulings, to enrich the legal argumentation of Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) staff. Furthermore, as an additional activity related to the GNEJ’s curr... read more
28/11/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 03/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the plenary session, opinions under preparation, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
25/11/2022
By letter of 11 November 2022 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova requested a follow up Opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the Supreme Court of Justice, which was revised further to the Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the draft law on the Supreme Court of Justice, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 132nd Plenary Session (Venice, 21-22 October 2022).
The draft follow-up opinion will be prepared jointly with the DGI of the Council of Europe and ... read more
24/11/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the draft law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on improving the procedure for the selection of candidates for the position of judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on a Competitive Basis”.
The request was made on 10 October 2022 by Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the December plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 15-16 December 2022).
23/11/2022 - 24/11/2022
Belgrade - In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion on two draft laws implementing the constitutional amendments on the prosecution service of Serbia, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission met with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Prime Minister,
• majority and opposition MPs,
• Minister of Justice,
• Public Prosecutors Office,
• State Prosecutorial Council,
• Association of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors,
• NGOs and international community.
The draft opinion will be submitted ... read more
23/11/2022
Paris – The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, has made the following statement:
"Constitutional courts are the guardians of constitutions.
It is essential and urgent that the Constitutional Court of Montenegro be allowed to exercise its role at this time of deep institutional crisis in the country.
I therefore call on all the political forces sitting on the parliament of Montenegro to show their commitment to the democratic functioning of the institutions of the state and to elect without any further delay the four missing judges ... read more
23/11/2022
By letter dated 15 November 2022, the Minister of Justice of Serbia requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the revised three draft Laws implementing the constitutional amendments on the judiciary: the draft law on the organisation of the courts, the draft law on judges, and the draft law on the Hight Judicial Council.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 133rd Plenary session of the Commission (16-17 December 2022).
23/11/2022 - 24/11/2022
Rabat - The Venice Commission organised the 16th UniDem Med Seminar entitled "The digital transformation of public administration", in co-operation with the Ministry of Digital transformation and administration reform of the Kingdom of Morocco. This seminar took place on 23-24 November 2022 in a hybrid format : online and face-to face in Rabat, Morocco.
Around 70 international experts and senior public officials from the Southern Mediterranean (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia) were invited to present their experience and exchange views during the seminar. The first d... read more
22/11/2022 - 23/11/2022
Rabat and Fes - The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa held its 6th Congress entitled "African Constitutional Courts and International Law".
The Special Representative, President emeritus of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and the Deputy Secretary of the Commission, participated in the event.
18/11/2022
By letter of 9 November 2022, the President of Montenegro requested an urgent opinion from the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Law on the President of Montenegro.
The urgent opinion will be issued in due course and submitted for endorsement at the December 2022 plenary session (Venice, 16-17/12/2022).
18/11/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on three Laws concerning the justice system of Romania: the Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Law on the Judicial Organisation, and the Law on the Status of Judges and Prosecutors.
The request was made on 15 September 2022 by the Chair of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Members States of the Council of Europe. On 25 October 2022, the Minister of Justice of Romania asked for this opinion to be dealt with under the urgent procedure. The Bureau of the Ven... read more
17/11/2022 - 18/11/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion on the constitutional and legal framework governing the functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia as regards elections and political parties, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, met with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Republican Electoral Committee,
• Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Parliamentary Groups and independent MPs,
• Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Administ... read more
15/11/2022 - 16/11/2022
Tbilisi – In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion on the amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, met with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Central Election Commission,
• Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Head of the Working Group on the Revision of Electoral Code of the Legal Issues Committee, and other representatives of majority and opposition political groups and parties,
• Parliamentary Secretary of the ... read more
14/11/2022 - 15/11/2022
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - "Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Integrity" was the topic of this year’s European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies, organised by the Venice Commission at the Council of Europe and online.
By linking the concepts of artificial intelligence and electoral integrity, the 19th EMBs Conference assessed:
- the impact of the use of AI systems in the organisation and conduct of electoral processes,
- the impact of the AI systems on the work of electoral administrations, and
- the lessons to be learned.
The Conferenc... read more
10/11/2022
By letter dated 11 October 2022 the Minister of Justice of Montenegro requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 133rd Plenary session of the Commission (16-17 December 2022). It will be prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism (ECM) in the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey (Horizontal Facility II) 2019-2022 ”.
08/11/2022 - 10/11/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the urgent opinion on the draft law “On amendments to certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on improving the procedure for the selection of candidates for the position of judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on a competitive basis”, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the following interlocutors:
• Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy,
• Office of the President of Ukraine,
• Constitutional Court,
• Council of Judges,
• the international organisations present in Ukraine and NGO... read more
08/11/2022 - 09/11/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Directorate General of Democracy (DG II) of the Council of Europe organised a High Level Dialogue activity entitled: “GOOD DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN UKRAINE: ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD IN POST-WAR PERIOD”.
This event took place within the framework of the joint initiative “Good democratic governance in Ukraine: moving forward in post-war context”.
The objective of the activity was to discuss perspectives for good democratic governance reforms in Ukraine and reach broad agreement among the key national stakeholders as ... read more
04/11/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the amendments to the Judicial Code of Armenia, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met online with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Ministry of Justice,
• Supreme Judicial Council,
• Court of Cassation,
• National Assembly,
• civil society organisations.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 133d Plenary session of the Commission (16-17 December 2022).
03/11/2022
Today, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commission made the following statement, on behalf of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, in support of the Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic:
“On behalf of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, I fully support the Statement of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa defending the independence of the Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic who have come under undue pressure from the Government when the Court adopted decisions ... read more
27/10/2022 - 28/10/2022
Gatineau - Mr Martin Kuijer, substitute member of the Venice Commission for the Netherlands, and the Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission, Ms Granata-Menghini, participated in the international conference on the rule of law and the judiciary, which took place on 27 and 28 October 2022 in Gatineau (Quebec, Canada).
The event brought together several hundred francophone judges from Canada and 22 international participants from the Network of the Francophone Judicial Councils.
The conference discussed modern challenges to the independence of the judiciary in the l... read more
27/10/2022
By letter of 10 October 2022 the Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament Mr Shalva Papuashvili requested a joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia.
The relevant draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 133rd Plenary Session on 16-17 December 2022.
This opinion 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 Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
25/10/2022
Vilnius - The Constitutional Court of Lithuania in cooperation with the Venice Commission held an international conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Constitution of 1922 and the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of 1992 of the Republic of Lithuania.
The Conference was opened by:
• H. E. Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania
• Ms Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
• Ms Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania
• Ms Danutė Jočienė, President of the Constitu... read more
25/10/2022
On 7 September 2022 the Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested the Venice Commission to examine the draft Law on the Courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 19 September 2022 the Venice Commission received a request for an amicus curiae brief from the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the current Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The relevant draft opinion and draft amicus curiae brief will be submitted for adoption at the 133rd Plenary Session on 16-17 December 2022.
25/10/2022 - 26/10/2022
Tbilisi – The Central Election Commission of Georgia organised the 10th Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies.
The following topics were dealt with by the meeting:
• Perspectives of using electoral technologies in the electoral processes,
• Sharing expertise and knowledge on challenges and positive aspects of using electoral technologies in the electoral processes,
• Influence of disinformation in electoral processes and the tools/strategies to combat disinformation.
Representatives of eleven countries as well as of the USAID, IFES and OSCE/ODIHR parti... read more
24/10/2022 - 25/10/2022
Maputo – The Southern African Chief Justices' Forum will hold its annual conference on “Judicial accountability and the role of the judiciary in the fight against terrorism”.
21/10/2022 - 22/10/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - The Venice Commission has ended its October plenary session. The Venice Commission:
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Joan Forner Rovira, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Andorra to the Council of Europe, and adopted the opinion on the law on the creation and functioning of the Ombudsman of Andorra;
- Adopted the final opinion on constitutional reform in Belarus and its compliance with Council of Europe standards;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Emil Dechev, Deputy Minister of Jus... read more
74th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
20/10/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
12/10/2022
In its Resolution of 19 May 2022, the European Parliament requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the “key principles of democracy in Union governance, in particular the separation of powers, accountability and checks and balances”.
On 12 October 2022 the EP President Ms Roberta Metsola forwarded the request to the Venice Commission.
10/10/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 02/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the June 2022 plenary session, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the Newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
09/10/2022
Bali, Indonesia - The Venice Commission has been selected as the winner in the general category "Specific progress towards the main objectives of the GNEJ" of the 2021 edition of the Global Network of Electoral Justice (GNEJ) Awards.
The Jury, presided by the Scientific Committee of the GNEJ, evaluated numerous nominations, projects and articles from all over the world, and concluded that the Venice Commission and its key documents on electoral reform and justice stand out in this field.
Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commi... read more
07/10/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Joint Opinion on the draft amendments to the Penal Code of Türkiye regarding the provision on “false or misleading information”. This Urgent Opinion was prepared jointly with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI).
The Commission concluded that the draft criminal provision on “false or misleading information” interferes with freedom of expression (Article 10 ECHR).
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the forthcoming plenary session of the Commission (... read more
04/10/2022 - 07/10/2022
Bali, Indonesia - The Constitutional Court of Indonesia and the Venice Commission held the 5th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice in Bali, Indonesia, from 4 to 7 October 2022. The theme of the Congress is "Constitutional Justice and Peace". A total of 94 delegations from constitutional courts and equivalent institutions participated in the Congress making a total of 583 participants.
The notion of peace was tackled by the 5th Congress in the broad sense of social peace within the state and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, rather than as a concept of pub... read more
02/10/2022
Sofia – A representative 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 parliamentary elections of 2 October 2022 in Bulgaria.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
02/10/2022
Sarajevo – A representative 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 general elections of 2 October 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
29/09/2022 - 30/09/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft constitutional law “On the Commissioner for Human Rights", the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met online with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights,
• Members of the Senate and the Mazhilis (the upper and lower houses of the Parliament, respectively),
• Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights,
• Ministry of Justice,
• civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 132nd Plenary session o... read more
29/09/2022 - 30/09/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft legislation implementing the constitutional amendments on the judiciary of Serbia (draft law on judges, draft law on the organisation of the courts and draft law on the High Judicial Council), the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met online with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Supreme Court of Cassation
• High Judicial Council
• Association of Judges of Serbia
• Parliamentary majority and opposition
• Ministry of Justice
• Academics and civil society representat... read more
28/09/2022
The Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (Madrid) has published online a book “Rule of law, democracy and globalization. An approach to the Venice Commission on its XXX anniversary”.
The preparation of this volume was a joint initiative of the Venice Commission, the Permanent Representation of Spain to the Council of Europe and the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies to promote in the Spanish speaking world the knowledge of the Venice Commission and its approach to the challenges of the rule of law, democracy and globalisation.
The book focusses o... read more
26/09/2022 - 27/09/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft Urgent Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) on the draft amendments to the Turkish Penal Code regarding the provision on “false or misleading information”, the rapporteurs and the experts met online with the representatives of the major political parties and other stakeholders.
The Urgent Joint Opinion will be issued on 7 October 2022. It will be submitted for endorsement at the 132nd Plenary session of the Commission (21-22 October 2022).
26/09/2022 - 27/09/2022
Sofia - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft amendments to the Judicial System Act concerning the Inspectorate at the Supreme Judicial Council and the draft opinion on the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and other draft amendments to the Judicial System Act, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Ministry of Justice,
• Supreme Judicial Council,
• Prosecutor’s Office,
• Political Parties (We Continue the Change, GERB, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Bulgarian... read more
22/09/2022 - 23/09/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) on the draft law on the Supreme Court of Justice, the rapporteurs and experts met online with the representatives of the following stakeholders:
• Minister of Justice and the representatives of the Ministry of Justice
• Supreme Court of Justice
• Parliamentary Legal Commission on Appointments and Immunities, parliamentary majority and opposition
• Pre-vetting Commission
• Association of Judges
• Inte... read more
22/09/2022 - 23/09/2022
Chisinau - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on amendments to the Audiovisual Media Services Code and to some normative acts including the ban on symbols associated with and used in military aggression actions, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met with the following interlocutors:
• the President of Parliament;
• the Parliamentary Committees on culture, education, research, youth, sports and mass-media and on national security, defence and public order;
• the Parliamentary Faction of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists ;
• the Audiovisual Counc... read more
22/09/2022 - 23/09/2022
Andorra la Vella - In the framework of the preparation of the Opinion on the Law on the Creation and Functioning of the Ombudsman, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met with the following interlocutors:
• Ombudsman of Andorra,
• President and Vice-President of the Parliament,
• Presidents of the Legislative Commissions of Interior and Foreign Affairs of the Parliament,
• Minister of Social Affairs, Youth and Equality and other representatives of the Ministry of Territory and Housing,
• Minister of Justice and Interior,
• Representatives of UNICEF Andorra... read more
21/09/2022 - 22/09/2022
Mexico City - In the framework of the preparation of the Opinion on the draft constitutional amendments concerning the electoral system of Mexico, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the following interlocutors:
• Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Mr Santiago Creel Miranda,
• Senator Mr Héctor Vasconselos and a group of senators from MORENA,
• Mr Lorenzo Cordova Vianello, Councilor-President of the National Electoral Institute,
• Mr Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón President of the Electoral Tribunal of Mexico,
• representatives of academia, NGOs and o... read more
21/09/2022
As the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has reminded in her statement of 15 September 2022, in 2014 the Venice Commission adopted an opinion on the organisation by the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine of a referendum on becoming a constituent territory of the Russian Federation.
The Venice Commission found that the circumstances prevailing in Crimea had not allowed for the holding of a referendum in line with European democratic standards. The Commission also warned that any referendum on the status of a territory should be preceded by serious negotiations among ... read more
16/09/2022
Bishkek - The Venice Commission and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan organised on 16 September 2022 an international conference entitled “Judicial independence in the context of constitutional reforms”.
This event was attended by high-level representatives from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Participants discussed such issues as judicial independence and the interaction of the judiciary with other branches of state power in the context of the recent constitutional reforms.
Venice Commission experts from Georgia, North Macedonia, the Re... read more
15/09/2022 - 16/09/2022
Chisinau – a delegation of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission rapporteurs visited Chisinau in the context of the preparation of the Joint Opinion on the draft electoral code of the Republic of Moldova.
The delegation held meetings with the following interlocutors:
• the Minister of Justice;
• the Central Election Commission;
• the Audio-Visual Council;
• the Judicial Committee for Appointments and Immunities;
• the parliamentary factions of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, the Șor Political Par... read more
15/09/2022 - 16/09/2022
Riga - The Venice Commission participated in the Conference on “Sustainability as a Constitutional Value: Future Challenges” on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia and the 25th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court.
13/09/2022
Palais de l'Europe, Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Under the auspices of the Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR co-organised an International Round Table entitled “CIVIL SOCIETY: EMPOWERMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY”. This event was held all day on 13 September 2022, in Strasbourg (Palais de l'Europe, Room 9) and online, and was an opportunity for the participants to discuss the challenges of inclusive decision-making processes.
A special attention was devoted to the regulations concerning foreign-funded NGOs. T... read more
07/09/2022
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, presented the 2021 Annual Report of Activities of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
29/08/2022
On 27 July 2022, the Minister of Justice of Bulgaria requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Judicial System Act aimed to enhance the accountability mechanisms for the Prosecutor General as well as to improve the general safeguards in the domestic criminal justice system.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 132nd Plenary session of the Commission (21-22 October 2022).
26/08/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on Georgia’s the draft law amending procedure for the use of covert investigative measures.
The draft law was adopted by the Parliament on 7 June 2022 and subsequently vetoed by the President of Georgia, whose administration requested an urgent opinion from the Venice Commission on 1 July 2022.
The Commission concluded that the draft surveillance law was adopted hastily and needs further elaboration.
The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the forthcoming ple... read more
26/08/2022
By letter dated 11 August 2022, the Minister of Justice of Bulgaria requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Judicial System Act aimed to improve the role of the Inspectorate at the Supreme Judicial Council in preventing and countering corruption in the judiciary.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 132nd Plenary session of the Commission (21-22 October 2022).
26/08/2022
Almaty - On 26th August 2022, representatives of the Venice Commission participated in an international round table, dedicated to the Constitution Day organised by the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The round table was organised in a hybrid format and is entitled “The evolution of constitutional control in the context of societal and state transformation". High level experts participated in the round table, including the Presidents of the Constitutional Courts and Councils of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Venice Commission’s experts from Armenia, C... read more
22/08/2022 - 24/08/2022
Amman, Jordan – The Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) of Arab countries, assisted by the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP), the Arab network for Youth in elections and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of the UN (DPPA) organised the 5th General Assembly of Arab EMBs which was followed by an international conference on “Youth participation in political life in the Arab region”.
These events took place in Amman, Jordan, on 22-24 August 2022. The main objective of the conference was to facilitate the exchange of ... read more
22/08/2022
By letter dated 28 July 2022, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova requested an amicus curiae brief related to the offence of illicit enrichment.
The draft amicus curiae brief will be prepared jointly with OSCE/ODIHR and submitted for adoption during the 132nd plenary session (21-22 October 2022).
This brief will prepared under the Quick response Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
11/08/2022
On 11 August 2022, the Commissioner for Human Rights of Kazakhstan requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft constitutional law “On the Commissioner for Human Rights" aimed at enhancing the role of the Commissioner in protecting human rights and freedoms, clarifying his/her competencies and establishing a mechanism of interaction with Parliament and local representative bodies, in line with international standards and best practices.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 132nd Plenary session of the Commission (21-22 October 2022).
01/08/2022
On 28 June 2022 the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE) requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft constitutional amendments in the field of the electoral system of Mexico recently presented to the Chamber of Deputies. The opinion will focus on issues related to the electoral administration.
The draft opinion will be on the agenda of the October 2022 plenary session of the Commission.
01/08/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the urgent opinion on the Draft Law on the Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on 7 June 2022, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online on 19, 26 and 28 July 2022 with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• the Administration of the President of Georgia
• the Parliament of the Republic of Georgia (the parliamentary majority and opposition)
• the Supreme Court of Georgia
• the Office of the Prosecutor General
• the Personal Data Protection Ser... read more
27/07/2022
The Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Igor Grosu, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft electoral code of the Republic of Moldova.
The draft opinion should be submitted for discussion and adoption at the 132nd Plenary session of the Commission (21-22 October 2022).
26/07/2022
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission is saddened by the sudden death of its former Lithuanian Member and former Judge of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania Prof. Gediminas Mesonis.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated member of the Venice Commission.
Gediminas Mesonis was a member of the Venice Commission between 2014 and 2022. He represented the Venice Commission at numerous conferences and other events. Mr Mesonis worked for the Venice Commission on the freedom of association, notably in Romania and ... read more
15/07/2022
On 1 July 2022, the President of Georgia requested an urgent opinion on the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia adopted by Parliament on 7 July 2022 (regarding covert investigative measures). The Bureau of the Venice Commission has accepted the request and authorised the preparation of this urgent opinion.
The opinion will be prepared under the Quick response Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
15/07/2022
The authorities of Andorra requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Law on the Creation and Functioning of the Ombudsman (Raonador del Ciutadà).
The Venice Commission will prepare an opinion on this law for its 132nd plenary session (Venice, 21-22 October 2022).
05/07/2022 - 06/07/2022
Belgrade - Following the presidential and early parliamentary elections held in Serbia on 3 April 2022, the Venice Commission organised a series of post-election round tables with the National Assembly, the Republic Electoral Commission, media representatives, civil society representatives and members of the international community present in Serbia.
Amongst the international experts who participated in the event are members of the Venice Commission and its Secretariat, OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly representatives.
04/07/2022 - 05/07/2022
Madrid – the Centre for political and constitutional studies (Madrid, Spain) and the Venice Commission held an international seminar entitled « Bicameralism: Models, evolution and current challenges of a “controversial institution” » .
Members of the Venice Commission and eminent Spanish academia participated in the event.
01/07/2022
The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, delivered a welcome address (online) at the ceremony on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia.
30/06/2022 - 01/07/2022
Lisbon – The President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated in the meeting of the Vth Assembly of the Conference of Constitutional Courts of Portuguese-Speaking Countries on “Guaranteeing the protection of fundamental rights in a time of pandemic”.
28/06/2022
Kyiv/online - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, made an opening speech at the international conference on “The role of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the implementation of the state’s strategy to obtain the European Union membership by Ukraine”, organised by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.
20/06/2022
The European Parliament’s Committees on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) held a joint public hearing on the "Rule of law mechanisms in the EU".
Mr Kaarlo Tuori, Honorary President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission at the event and shared with the MEPs the Commission’s acquis on the subject.
20/06/2022
The Constitutional Tribunal of Equatorial Guinea joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 119 members.
17/06/2022 - 18/06/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - During its 131st plenary session, held in Venice, the Commission:
- Adopted the joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the Media Law of Azerbaijan;
- Adopted the opinion on the December 2021 amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia;
- Held an exchange of views with Ms Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice of Kosovo, and adopted the opinion on the Concept Paper on the Vetting of Judges and Prosecutors ... read more
73rd meeting of the Council of Democratic Elections
16/06/2022
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
“RIGHT TO LIFE” - 3rd Research Conference of the AACC Secretariat for Research and Development
15/06/2022 - 16/06/2022
The Secretariat for Research and Development of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts, based at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea, will hold online the 3rd Research Conference devoted to the right to life.
The conference will consist of the following three sessions:
• Right to life and state power;
• Right to life and personal self-determination;
• Expansive dimensions of the right to life.
08/06/2022 - 09/06/2022
Budapest/online – the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE Mexico) in cooperation with different international organisations, electoral associations and electoral bodies currently hold the Global Summit for Democracy 2022. The aim of the initiative is to develop a global process for the debate and proposals on the great challenges democratic regimes face nowadays, in particular, those related to free and fair elections.
The Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) was called upon to organise the European Regional Forum of the Summit. However, following the armed a... read more
08/06/2022 - 09/06/2022
Yerevan – The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, delivered a keynote speech at the High-Level Conference on “The Judiciary as Guardian of Democracy: Vice or Virtue?”, organised by the Constitutional Court of Armenia in Yerevan on 8 - 9 June 2022.
On this occasion President Bazy Malaurie also had a series of bilateral meetings with the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Justice and the President of the Constitutional Court.
06/06/2022 - 07/06/2022
Pristina - A representative of the Venice Commission's Secretariat intervened during a workshop for judges and legal advisors of the Constitutional Court on the issue of election dispute resolution.
06/06/2022
In the context of the preparation of the opinion on the draft law on the amendment of certain normative acts (implementing the constitutional amendments on the judicial system), the Minister of Justice of Republic of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to deal with the list of questions on possible further amendments to the judiciary legislation. In response to that supplementary request, the delegation of the Venice Commission made a “virtual visit” to the Republic of Moldova on 6 June 2022.
The delegation had meetings with the following interlocutors:
• the Minist... read more
31/05/2022 - 02/06/2022
Dakar – Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in the 9th Congress of the ACCF on "The constitutional judge and human rights".
27/05/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The Venice Commission published today its urgent opinion for Tunisia on the constitutional and legislative framework concerning the referendum and the elections announced by the President of the Republic, and in particular on the Decree-law No. 22 of 21 April 2022, amending and supplementing the Organic Law on the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE).
The opinion was requested by the European External Action Service, introduced through the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia.
25/05/2022 - 26/05/2022
Chisinau - The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova held online a preparatory meeting for the XIXth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts.
24/05/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Draft State Property Code, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with Mr Mohamed REKIK, Minister of State Domains and Land Affairs, representatives of the Ministry of State Domains and Land Affairs and non-governmental organisations.
The request for this opinion was submitted by the Minister for State Domains and Land Affairs on 22 December 2021.
It will be on the agenda of the June plenary session of the Commission (17-18 June 2022).
19/05/2022 - 20/05/2022
Pristina - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Concept Paper on the Vetting of Judges and Prosecutors, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the President of Kosovo Ms Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Glauk Konjufca, and the following authorities and other stakeholders:
• the First Deputy Prime Minister,
• the Minister of Justice,
• the President of the Supreme Court,
• the Acting Supreme Prosecutor,
• the President of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils,
• Political parties,
• inter... read more
18/05/2022 - 19/05/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on December 2021 amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the representatives of the following authorities and other stakeholders:
• Parliamentary majority and opposition,
• Public Defender,
• Supreme and Constitutional Courts,
• High Council of Justice,
• Georgian Association of Judges,
• international community and NGOs and civil society.
The request for this opinion was submitted by the Chairperson of t... read more
17/05/2022 - 18/05/2022
Palestine*/online - The Venice Commission organised the 15th UniDem Med Seminar entitled "Public service policies : paradigms for changes", in co-operation with the General Personnel Council of Palestine*. This seminar took place on 17-18 May 2022 in a hybrid format : online and face-to face in Ramallah, Palestine*.
More than 300 international experts and senior public officials from the Southern Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia) attended the event. On the basis of presentations by international and regional experts, participants were ... read more
16/05/2022
The government of France has made a voluntary contribution designated for several Council of Europe's projects, including 50.000€ to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
On this occasion Ambassador Marie Fontanel, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe, met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and both dignitaries signed the relevant agreement.
16/05/2022 - 17/05/2022
In the context of the preparation of the opinion on the draft law on the amendment of certain normative acts (implementing the constitutional amendments on the judicial system), a delegation of the Venice Commission made a “virtual visit” to the Republic of Moldova on 16-17 May 2022. The delegation had several meetings with the following Moldovan authorities:
• the Minister of Justice,
• representatives of different political groups of the Parliament,
• the Supreme Court of Justice and the Association of Judges,
• international partners and NGOs.
This... read more
15/05/2022 - 18/05/2022
Punta Cana – The Ibero-American Conference on Constitutional Justice held its XIVth Congress.
The event was co-organised by the Constitutional Court of Dominican Republic.
The President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated in the event.
12/05/2022
The Government of Bulgaria has made a voluntary contribution of €10 000 to support the Venice Commission action to promote the development of democratic institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights.
The agreement was signed on 12 May 2022 by Ms Nadejda Iordanova, Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, and Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General.
12/05/2022 - 13/05/2022
Mexico City - the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation of Mexico (TEPJF) organised an international conference entitled “International Standards of the Venice Commission: a comparative analysis of the Mexican electoral justice system”.
The event brought together members of the Venice Commission from Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Spain, members of TEPJF, national academia as well as international experts in the field of electoral justice from Argentina, France, Italy, Spain and USA.
The participants focused on such issues as electo... read more
12/05/2022 - 13/05/2022
Tashkent / online - The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan an international conference entitled “Modernisation of the Public Administration in Central Asia and respect of the Rule of Law Principles”. The conference took place on 12-13 May 2022 in Tashkent as a hybrid event and brought together senior civil servants from the following Central Asia countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as Venice Commission experts from France, Germany, Georgia, Italy and Portugal.
The event was opened by... read more
11/05/2022 - 12/05/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Law on Media of Azerbaijan, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with journalists, media lawyers, the international community present in Baku and the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the forthcoming plenary session of the Venice Commission (17-18 June 2022).
10/05/2022
Ankara - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the revised electoral legislation, a delegation of the Venice Commission held meetings with the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Election Board, the political parties represented in Parliament, the Union of Turkish Bar Associations and civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the forthcoming plenary session of the Venice Commission (17-18 June 2022).
10/05/2022 - 11/05/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the draft Law on Political Parties of Mongolia, a delegation of the Venice Comission and OSCE/ODIHR met (online) with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Parliament, the President’s office, political parties and civil Society Representatives, and other competent authorities and stakeholders.
The draft joint opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 131st Plenary Session, 17-18 June 2022.
10/05/2022
The Hague/online – The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, participated in an online debate on “the Rule of Law”, organised by the Standing Committee for Justice and Security of the Senate of the Netherlands.
Ms Bazy Malaurie took part in a discussion following the Venice Commission’s 2021 Opinion on the “Legal Protection of Citizens” in the Netherlands.
10/05/2022
The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Tajikistan an international round table on Constitutional Justice and the Rule of Law. The round table was held in Dushanbe on 10th May 2022.
The event brought together representatives from Constitutional Courts and Councils of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan as well as Venice Commission experts from Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
The participants discussed such issues as:
• the rule of law as a fundamental constitutional principle,
• the impact of constitutional j... read more
10/05/2022 - 11/05/2022
Pristina - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law N°08/L-121 on the State Bureau for Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets, a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Pristina to meet with the (representatives of) the following authorities and other stakeholders:
• The Speaker and members of the Legislation Committee of the Assembly,
• the Ministry of Justice,
• the President of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutorial Council, the Judicial Council, the Office of the State Prosecutor,
• the Anti-Corruption Agency and... read more
ROMANIA - 30th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court
09/05/2022 - 11/05/2022
The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, delivered a video message on the occasion of the International Conference for the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Romanian Constitutional Court, held on 9-11 May 2022.
05/05/2022
The Venice Commission published its Newsletter no. 01/2022, which provides information on membership, recent development, the March 2022 plenary session, compilations and publication and activities of the Commission.
Interested readers can subscribe to the Newsletter by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat.
04/05/2022 - 05/05/2022
Palermo - The President of the Venice Commission, Mme Claire Bazy-Malaurie, participated in the European Conference of Prosecutors organised in the framework of the Italian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.
29/04/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The report on the Evaluation of the Venice Commission, as well as the management response and action plan, conducted by the Centre for Strategy and Evaluation Services (CSES) and the Evaluation Division of the Directorate of Internal Oversight are now available.
The aims of the evaluation were to assess the Venice Commission’s relevance, effectiveness and efficiency for the period 2016-2020 and evaluate its impact since its establishment in 1990. The report’s findings contribute to decision-making needs and provide recommendations to support learnin... read more
28/04/2022
On 28 April 2022, the Moldovan authorities requested an Opinion of the Venice Commission on two Laws concerning the media law and criminalisation of dissemination of symbols.
This draft opinion is prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism within the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
The draft opinion will be on the agenda of the October plenary session of the Venice Commission.
28/04/2022
Luxembourg has made a voluntary contribution designated for several Council of Europe's projects, including 20.000€ to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
On this occasion Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe met with Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, and representatives of the relevant departments.
28/04/2022 - 29/04/2022
Geneva – A representative of the Venice Commission participated in an international conference entitled “Freedom of expression in political speech”, organised online by the University of Geneva, Global Studies Institute and the Council of Europe.
Ms Herdis Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir intervened on the topic “The importance of freedom of political expression (of politicians and candidates in elections) for democracy from the viewpoint of the Venice Commission”.
27/04/2022
The Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia requested an Urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the Decree-Law N°22 of 21 April 2022 amending and supplementing the organic law on the Independent Superior Electoral Body (ISIE).
The Urgent opinion will be issued in due time and subsequently will be endorsed by the Venice Commission at its June plenary session (16-18 June 2022).
26/04/2022 - 27/04/2022
Beirut – In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft Law amending Legislative Decree n° 150/1983 on the Organisation of the Judiciary, a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Beirut to meet with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Higher Judicial Council, the Parliament, the Constitutional Council, as well as with the representatives of the civil society and the judges’ associations.
The request for this opinion was submitted by the Minister of Justice of Lebanon on 6 September 2021. The draft opinion will be on the agenda of the Jun... read more
24/04/2022 - 28/04/2022
Ankara – the President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated in the ceremony devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Turkey.
On this occasion the Court held a symposium entitled “Interpretation of the constitution in the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms”. Mr Buquicchio delivered a speech on the “Comparative constitutional interpretation as a means to promote democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law”.
22/04/2022
Almaty - The Venice Commission organised on 22nd April 2022 an international conference in cooperation with the Constitutional Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Nursultan Nazarbayev Foundation, the Sorbonne Institute-Kazakhstan and the United Nations Office in Kazakhstan.
The conference, entitled “Constitutional and international aspects of the upholding of the rule of law”, was organised in a hybrid format. The event coincided with the 10th anniversary of the ac... read more
04/04/2022
Following a request by Mongolian authorities, the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR will prepare a Joint Opinion on the draft law on political parties of Mongolia.
The draft Joint Opinion will be submitted for adoption at the at the Commission’s 131th plenary session (Venice, 17-18 June 2022).
01/04/2022
The PACE Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by members States of the Council of Europe requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the latest amendments to the electoral law in Turkey.
The opinion will be submitted for discussion and adoption at the 131st Plenary Session of the Commission (17-18 June 2022).
01/04/2022
TUNIS - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, met today, Friday 1 April, the Tunisian President, H.E. Kaïs Saïed.
After the last months of the exercise of power by the Tunisian President in the absence of a clear constitutional framework, having led on 30 March to the dissolution of parliament until that date "frozen", and the opening of a judicial investigation against certain deputies who took part in a virtual session of parliament on the same day, the President of the Venice Commission wished to discuss with the President the modalities for the return... read more
01/04/2022 - 04/04/2022
Belgrade - 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 presidential and early parliamentary elections of 3 April 2022 in Serbia.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
29/03/2022
Santiago - The Centre for Public Studies (CEP) of Chile held a seminar on the implications of the Venice Commission “Opinion on the drafting and adoption of a new Constitution” (CDL-AD(2022)004) for the current constitutional process in the country.
The participants discussed the recommendations of the opinion, adopted during the Commission’s plenary session (18-19 March 2022), and their possible impact on the discussions within the Constitutional Convention of Chile. Representatives of the Venice Commission took part in the seminar.
24/03/2022 - 28/03/2022
Tunis - A training to become trainers for the benefit of judges of the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies (CLJS) and the Ministry of Justice was held from 24 to 28 March 2022. Fourteen (14) participants attended this event at the National Centre for Training of Trainers and Training Engineering (CENAFFIF), which has extensive expertise in this area.
This activity was organised by the Venice Commission, which supports the CLJS within the framework of the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe "Improving the functioning, performance and access to just... read more
19/03/2022
During its 130th plenary session, the Venice Commission made the following statement:
"The Venice Commission fully supports the public statement on “the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” made by its President on 1 March 2022.
The Commission expresses its firm condemnation of this act of aggression by the Russian Federation and deplores the loss of lives and the destruction in Ukraine.
The Commission, the full name of which is “European Commission for Democracy through Law”, is fully committed, as the preamble of the Council of Europe statu... read more
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
23/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the enlarged agreement European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).
BELGIUM – Hearing on the financing of political parties
23/03/2022
A representative of the Venice Commission took part in a hearing before the Constitution and Institutional Renewal Commission of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives on the limitation and control of expenses incurred for the election of the House of Representatives, and on the financing and open accounting of political parties.
“Democratic pluralism in regional governance: relationship between the majority and the opposition”- 42nd session of the Council of Europe Congress session - Chamber of Regions’ debate
23/03/2022
In the framework of the 42nd session of the Council of Europe Congress session, its Chamber of Regions held a debate on “Democratic pluralism in regional governance: relationship between the majority and the opposition”.
A representative of the Venice Commission presented the work of the Venice Commission on the relationship between majority and opposition and subsequently participated in the general debate.
21/03/2022 - 22/03/2022
Rome, 21-22.03.2022 - The Venice Commission in co-operation with the university La Sapienza, Rome and the University of Barcelona, held an international round table entitled "SHAPING JUDICIAL COUNCILS TO MEET CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES" in hybrid format: online and in Rome, at the Rectoral Palace of the the University La Sapienza.
This round table examined national examples of composition of judicial councils, and, building upon recent experiences, formulate further recommendations as to how its members - judicial, lay and any ex officio, should be selected and appointed. It also dea... read more
19/03/2022
Venice / online - The Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice held its 17th meeting.
18/03/2022 - 19/03/2022
Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista / online - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 130h Plenary Session was held in a hybrid form, in Venice and online.
The Venice Commission:
- was informed of the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe that the Russian Federation has ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe as of 16 March 2022;
- was informed of the decision of the Committee of Ministers on 17 March 2022 to suspend Belarus from participating in the work of the Venice Commission;
- heard a message from Mr Serhiy Holovaty, ... read more
18/03/2022
At the 130th plenary session of the Venice Commission, Mr Cristiano Corazzari, Minister for Culture of the Veneto Region, underlined the importance of the Venice Commission’s work and recalled the history of its formation at a crucial time for Europe. The Veneto Region immediately and enthusiastically accepted the idea of setting up the Commission and it is proud of being able to host such a noble initiative for such a long time. Mr. Corazzari stressed the hard work by the Venice Commission over the decades to strengthen constitutional democracy in many countries and to consolidate an effecti... read more
BELARUS
17/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided to suspend the participation of Belarus as associate member in the work of the Venice Commission.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
16/03/2022
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided, in the context of the procedure launched under Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe.
16/03/2022 - 23/03/2022
Tunis - A training course to become trainers for the members and staff of the High Independent Instance for Elections of Tunisia (ISIE) was held from 16 to 23 March 2022.
Forty-seven (47) participants from Tunis and the regions attended this event at the National Centre for Training of Trainers and Training Engineering (CENAFFIF), which has extensive expertise in this field and whose training programme has been approved by the ISIE.
This activity was organised by the Venice Commission, which supports the ISIE within the framework of the joint programme between the Europe... read more
01/03/2022
The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, made the following statement:
“Following consultation with the Bureau of the Venice Commission, I express the deep shock and dismay generated by the aggression against Ukraine.
Using violence instead of dialogue goes against everything that the Venice Commission stands for; it goes against the core values of the Council of Europe: democracy, the rule of law and, of course, the protection of human rights.
Through its work, the Venice Commission supported Ukraine in the promotion of European principles ... read more
08/03/2022
The National Election Office of Hungary and the Venice Commission held a pre-electoral webinar in view of the parliamentary elections scheduled in Hungary on 3 April 2022.
Such topics as holding elections during the pandemic, non-partisan civil election observation and the importance of providing an effective remedy for electoral disputes were discussed.
08/03/2022
The Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia and the Venice Commission held a pre-electoral webinar in view of the presidential and early parliamentary elections scheduled in Serbia on 3 April 2022.
Such topics as election observation, election-day operations and the importance of providing an effective remedy for electoral disputes were discussed.
08/03/2022
By letter dated 4 March 2022, the President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Mr Glauk Konjufca, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law No.088/L-121 on the State Bureau for Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the 131st plenary session (17-18 June 2022).
07/03/2022
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2/2021 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mailing reports... read more
Belgium – Hearing on bicameralism (online)
07/03/2022
A representative of the Venice Commission took part in a hearing before the Belgian Senate. His intervention focused on “the attitude of the Venice Commission towards bicameralism”.
03/03/2022
On 25 February 2022, Ms Albulena Haxhiu, the Minister of Justice of Kosovo, requested a follow-up opinion on the revised draft amendments to the Law on the Prosecutorial Council of Kosovo.
The draft opinion is on the agenda of the upcoming plenary session (Venice, 18-19 March 2022). It will be prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
28/02/2022 - 02/03/2022
Santiago – In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the new Constitution of Chile, a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Chile in order to meet with the following interlocutors:
• President of the Senate and a group of senators;
• President of the Republic and the Minister of Justice;
• Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies;
• President, vice-President and members of the Constitutional Convention;
• the Constitutional and Supreme Courts;
• Minister of Foreign Affairs and Subsecretary of the Ministry General Secretariat of the P... read more
24/02/2022
Ulaanbaatar - The Venice Commission organised a training seminar in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Mongolia entitled “Transnational constitutional activity in the modern international relations”. The seminar took place online and gathered representatives from Mongolia as well from the Association of the Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC). Mongolia is holding the Presidency of the AACC until 2023.
The event was opened by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia, Mr Chinbat Namjil, and by the European Union A... read more
Council of Europe’s European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG)
24/02/2022 - 25/02/2022
Strasbourg - The European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) organised the 1st meeting of the Working Group on Principles of Good Democratic Governance (GT-BG) on drafting a recommendation for the Committee of Ministers on Principles of good democratic governance. A representative of the Venice Commission presented its relevant work.
23/02/2022 - 24/02/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft Law on the dismantling of the section for investigating criminal offences within the judiciary of Romania, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Parliament,
• Minister of Justice,
• Anti-Corruption Directorate,
• Professional associations of judges and prosecutors,
• Superior Council of Magistracy,
• International community, and
• NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the March 20... read more
21/02/2022
Paris – the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, participated in a conference of the heads of the Supreme Courts of the member states of the European Union. The plenary sessions and three workshops were held at the Constitutional Council, the Court of Cassation and the State Council of France, in Paris. It was organised in the framework of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
21/02/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today, the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Interim Opinion on constitutional reform in Belarus.
The opinion was prepared upon the request by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
It will be endorsed during the March 2022 plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
21/02/2022
Paris – on the side-lines of the Conference of the Heads of the Supreme Courts of the EU member States, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, met with the EU Commissioner for Justice, Mr Didier Reynders. The discussions mainly concerned the cooperation between the Venice Commission and the European Union.
15/02/2022 - 16/02/2022
Within the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG1) of the Council of Europe on the draft laws on making amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Judicial Code and to the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of Armenia, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the representatives of the following institutions:
• the Ministry of Justice,
• the National Assembly, the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs,
• the Corruption Prevention C... read more
10/02/2022
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission, jointly with the OSCE/ODHIR, has issued an Urgent Joint Opinion on the draft law on local referendum in Ukraine. The opinion was requested by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The opinion was prepared under the Action Plan for Ukraine. It will be endorsed at the March 2022 plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
09/02/2022 - 10/02/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Concept Paper on the Vetting of Judges and Prosecutors of Kosovo, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the following interlocutors:
• Legal team of the Office of the President,
• Minister of Justice and other governmental officials,
• Prosecution, Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils,
• Political parties,
• International community,
• civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the March 2022 plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
08/02/2022
The Government of Italy has made a voluntary contribution of €22,500 to support the activities of the Venice Commission.
04/02/2022
By letter dated 22 December 2022, the Minister for State Domains and Land Affairs of Tunisia, Mr Mohamed Rekik, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft code on national property, law on confiscation of assets and on the establishment of an Agency in charge of the confiscation and management of confiscated assets.
04/02/2022
By letter dated 2 February 2022, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Piero Fassino, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on Media of Azerbaijan.
04/02/2022
By letter dated 2 February 2022 the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Piero Fassino, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on December 2021 amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia.
03/02/2022
Earlier today Mr Pierre Garrone, Secretary of the Council for Democratic Elections (Venice Commission), addressed the Global Elections Day Summit 2022 (online).
The Global Elections Day (GED) 2022 was organised by the ACEEEO; its aim is to celebrate one of the most important democratic institutions – elections. GED was initiated by the GEO*/ACEEEO conference in 2005.
The goals of the GED Summit 2022, held online, were:
• to celebrate elections, a cornerstone of democracy;
• to acknowledge election officials, working relentlessly as guards of the democracy... read more
02/02/2022 - 03/02/2022
Zagreb – in the framework of the preparation of the forthcoming draft opinion on the introduction of the procedure of renewal of security vetting through amendments to the Courts Act, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the representatives of the following authorities:
• Ministry of Justice and Public Administration,
• State Attorney’s Office,
• Supreme Court,
• Association of Croatian judges,
• State Attorneys Council,
• State Judicial Council,
• as well as with the civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adop... read more
31/01/2022
On 31 January 2022 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 Dismantling the Section for the Investigation of Offences committed within the Judiciary in Romania.
27/01/2022
The Constitutional Court of Chile held an online seminar on the system of constitutional justice and the relevance of constitutional courts in defending democracy and the rule of law entitled “Who should defend the Constitution?”
The Special Representative of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the participants of this seminar.
27/01/2022
The 7th coordination meeting of the UniDem Med project (University for democracy for the Southern Mediterranean) took place by videoconference on 27 January 2022.
This annual meeting gathered the national coordinators representing Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia in order to take stock of the 2021 UniDem Med seminars.
The participants also discussed their respective priorities as regards modernisation of public administration and determined the topics, dates and venues of the UniDem Med seminars which will take place in 2022 as foll... read more
26/01/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today, the President of the Venice Commission Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie met with the newly elected president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr Tiny Kox. The two presidents exchanged their views on the cooperation between the two entities.
24/01/2022
A representative of the Venice Commission participated in a meeting of the European cooperation network on elections, organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. He intervened on the electoral standards during pandemics.
24/01/2022
By letter dated 5 January 2022, the President of the Senate of Chile Ms Ximena RINCON GONZALEZ requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on certain questions related to the constitutional reform.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption by the March plenary session of the Commission (18-19 March 2022).
21/01/2022
By letter dated 18 November 2021, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine requested an amicus curiae brief on the limits of subsequent (a posteriori) review of Constitutional amendments by the Constitutional Court.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the 130th plenary session (18-19 March 2022).
18/01/2022
The Bureau of the Venice Commission has decided that the draft opinion on the Law on the prevention of threats to national security, associated with excessive influence of persons having significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs) will be submitted for discussion and adoption at its 130th Plenary Session (18-19 March 2022).
13/01/2022 - 14/01/2022
In the framework of the preparation of the urgent opinion on the draft law "On local referendum", the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR met online with the representatives of the following Ukrainian stakeholders:
- the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional and Urban Development and the Verkhovna Rada factions,
- the Institute of Legislation of the Verkhovna Rada,
- the Central Election Commission,
- representatives of the international community and NGOs.
The urgent opinion will be issued in due course ... read more
12/01/2022
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – The newly elected President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, paid a working visit to the Council of Europe on 12 January 2022.
In the course of the visit the President met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić. The dignitaries exchanged views on current democratic challenges faced by the Council of Europe’s member States and the assistance the Commission is providing to them.
08/01/2022
Tashkent - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, sent a video message to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
In her address Ms Bazy Malaurie highlighted a very good level of the ongoing co-operation strands between Uzbekistan and the Venice Commission focusing on the strengthening and promotion of the rule of law principles in the process of modernising the country’s constitutional and legal framework.
03/01/2022
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of Mr Bernard Owen, a renown electoral expert.
From the beginning of the 1990s, Mr Owen was the first expert to work regularly with the Venice Commission on elections, and in particular on opinions relating to electoral legislation. He greatly contributed to the work of the Parliamentary Assembly, and then of the Venice Commission, which led to the drafting of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, the Council of Europe's reference document in the field of elections, adopted by the Venice Commission, app... read more