Recent and Current Events
81st meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
05/12/2024
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
02/12/2024
Tirana - Mr Martin Kuijer, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, participated in a meeting 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, which took place in Tirana, Albania, on 2 and 3 December 2024.
Mr Kuijer participated in a hearing on “The Judicial reform process in Poland and the issues raised in this context”.
28/11/2024 - 29/11/2024
Madrid – The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies (CEPC), organised an international seminar on “Private Powers and the Rule of Law” in Madrid on 28 and 29 November 2024.
This seminar focused on how globalisation and digitalisation have converged in the emergence of “new” private powers, vast global financial and digital powers, which - by virtue of their size and their relevance in the day-to-day functioning of society - have shown capable of imposing a legal framework favourable to their interests, often escaping the regulat... read more
21/11/2024 - 22/11/2024
Gdańsk, Poland – Mr Oliver Kask, substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of Estonia, participated in the Annual Implementation Meeting of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which took place in Gdańsk on 21 and 22 November 2024. Mr Kask represented the Venice Commission during Session 4 on “Observer Rights and the Impact of Intimidation and Obstruction”, to present the Commission’s ongoing work on Election Observers as Human Rights Defenders.
The Venice Commission endorsed the United Nation’s Declaration of Principles for Internationa... read more
19/11/2024
Belgrade, 18-19/11/2024 - The President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, took part in the Belgrade Security Conference 2024 (Belgrade, 18-20 November 2024) in a panel devoted to “The Judiciary as the Guardian of Fundamental Values: Keeping the Rule of Law at the Center of the EU Accession Policy”.
The other panelists were Mr Christoph Grabenwarter, President of the Austrian Constitutional Court, and Ms Angelika Nussberger, International Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both members of the Venice Commission, as well as Ms Mirjana Lazar... read more
18/11/2024
On 18 November 2024, a delegation from the Venice Commission conducted a series of online meetings in preparation of its draft opinion regarding the implementation of Constitutional Court decisions by parliament in Albania. This opinion was requested by the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania.
The delegation engaged in discussions with representatives from different groups of the Parliament, civil society organisations and the Delegation of the European Union to Albania.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 141st Plenary Session of the C... read more
15/11/2024 - 15/11/2024
Yerevan, Armenia, 15 November 2024: The 21st Meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice (JCCJ) of the Venice Commission took place on 15 November 2024 in Yerevan, Armenia. This gathering brought together liaison officers and representatives from constitutional courts to discuss key topics of cooperation, including:
• Updates on the CODICES database and the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law.
• Further development of the Venice Forum.
• Recent opinions and studies by the Venice Commission on constitutional justice.
Mr Valentin Georgiev, Secretary ... read more
14/11/2024 - 15/11/2024
Yerevan, Armenia, 14-15 November 2024: The Venice Commission in collaboration with the Constitutional Court of Armenia and the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe organised a high-level conference titled “Respect for the Decisions of Constitutional Courts”.
The conference brought together constitutional court judges, members of the Venice Commission, judges of the European Court of Human Rights, representatives of the Council of Europe, legal experts, and representatives from International organisations and national institutions to ad... read more
12/11/2024
On 12 November 2024, a delegation from the Venice Commission conducted a series of online meetings in preparation of its draft opinion concerning the draft Law on the Judicial Academy, as well as proposed amendments to the Law on Judges and the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This opinion was requested by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, Ms Maja Popović.
The delegation engaged in discussions with various stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Academy, the Supreme Court, the High Judicial Council, the High Prosecut... read more
06/11/2024
Strasbourg, 06/11/2024 - On 6 November, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, held her yearly exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers specifically devoted to the impact of the Commission's work.
President Bazy Malaurie provided an overview of the substantive follow up given to the Venice Commission’s recommendations, underlining that the opinions of the Venice Commission have produced an impact throughout the process, from the moment the requests were made until after their adoption. Follow up was achieved through continuing dialogue with the a... read more
05/11/2024
Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission, gave a presentation on the updating of the Rule of Law Checklist to the T-PD, which is the Council of Europe’s Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (ETS No. 108). This presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Committee and is part of the process of updating the Rule of Law Checklist on the basis of the experience gained since its adoption in 2016. To this end, feedback is provided by the main stakeholders, includ... read more
05/11/2024 - 05/11/2024
Skopje – Following the presidential and parliamentary elections held in North Macedonia on 24 April and 8 May 2024, the Venice Commission and the State Election Commission of North Macedonia (SEC) organised a post-election workshop for members and staff of the SEC and of several Municipal Election Commissions of the city of Skopje and surrounding areas.
The workshop, which took place in Skopje on 5 November 2024, brought together election officials, representatives of the Venice Commission and international experts. It focussed on lessons learned from the 2024 elections, in partic... read more
03/11/2024 - 03/11/2024
Chisinau - A delegation of the Venice Commission, including Ms Veronika Bílková, Vice-President of the Venice Commission and member in respect of Czechia, accompanied the election observation delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to advise on the legal framework during the 2nd round of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova on 3 November 2024.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the election.
31/10/2024 - 01/11/2024
On 31 October and 1 November 2024, the President of the Venice Commission attended a ceremony and participated in a conference on “STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY - 50 years since the re-ratification of the ECHR by Greece and 75 years since the founding of the Council of Europe”, organised by the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic and the Hellenic Parliament in Athens. President Bazy Malaurie was a panelist of the session titled “National courts and the disruption of democracy” and delivered a speech on “The experience of the Venice Commission for the restoration of democracy in the States of Easter... read more
30/10/2024 - 03/11/2024
Victoria Falls – The 7th Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa on "Human dignity as a foundational value and principle: A source of constitutional interpretation, fundamental human rights protection and enforcement" took place in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) from 30 October to 3 November 2024.
The President Emeritus and Special Representative of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated in the event and delivered an opening speech.
30/10/2024
28-30/10/24 - Haiti - Organisation of American States - Constitutional and legislative solutions for the conduct of future electoral procedures in Haiti
Following the request of Mr. Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the constitutional and legislative solutions that could serve as a basis for the conduct of future electoral procedures in Haiti and the adoption of an interim opinion by the Commission, the OAS welcomed a delegation of the Venice Commission at its headquarters in Washington DC.
The OAS Secretary General and the P... read more
29/10/2024
Kyiv, Ukraine/on-line – Mr Philip Dimitrov, Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Bulgaria, participated in the XІI International Forum on “Implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in Ukraine” co-organised by the OSCE, the Council of Europe, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the Supreme Court, and the National School of Judges of Ukraine.
On behalf of the Venice Commission, Mr Dimitrov delivered an on-line speech in Session II “Integrity of the judiciary: in search of the criteria for evaluation”.
28/10/2024
Tbilisi – Representatives of the Venice Commission provided legal support to the election observation delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the occasion of the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 in Georgia.
The delegation participated in briefings before and after the elections, and observed the opening, voting and counting processes.
The Venice Commission has issued several opinions on Georgia’s electoral framework, most recently:
2024 OECD Forum on Democracy
25/10/2024
The Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission, Ms Granata-Menghni participated in the 2024 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, giving a presentation on “The new frontier of democracy and prosperity: Promoting the rule of law by providing access to justice for all”.
The event was held on 21st October in Milan.
The event brought together Ministers, senior government officials, civil society and private sector stakeholders from all parts of the world.
24/10/2024 - 25/10/2024
Mr Martin Kuijer, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, participated in the Second Annual Conference of the Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum which took place in Pristina, Kosovo, on 24-25 October 2024, alongside the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo. The event focused on the theme “Evolutions in Contemporary Constitutional Justice: The Example of the Balkan Region”.
Mr. Martin Kuijer delivered a presentation titled “Constitutional Courts as Guardians of Democratic Values and Principles: A Perspective from Venice”, where he discussed the ... read more
23/10/2024 - 23/10/2024
Sofia, Bulgaria – A delegation of the Venice Commission, including Mr Richard Barrett, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Ireland, provided legal support to the election observation delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the occasion of the early parliamentary elections of 27 October 2024 in Bulgaria.
The delegation participated in briefings before and after the elections, and observed the opening, voting and counting processes.
21/10/2024
Yerevan, Armenia/on-line - Ms Adele Matheson Mestad, substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of Norway, participated in the international conference “Ombuds Institutions and NHRIs amid Turbulent Times: Resilience and Challenges”, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Defender’s Institute of the Republic of Armenia. Ms Matheson Mestad participated, on behalf of the Venice Commission, in Session I, titled : “Institutional influence of Ombuds institutions / NHRIs on the human rights protection system: The core principles of independence and impartiality”.
20/10/2024
On 20 October, two key electoral events took place simultaneously in the Republic of Moldova: the presidential election and a constitutional referendum on the country’s integration into the European Union (EU). A delegation of the Venice Commission, including Ms Veronika Bílková, Vice-President of the Venice Commission and member in respect of Czechia, provided legal support to the observer delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Moldovan citizens were called to vote on two significant matters: first, to elect their next President, who will serve a four... read more
Rule of Law Conference and Judicial Independence in Europe
17/10/2024
The Secretary of the Venice Commission participated in a conference on the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Europe, organized by the faculty of law of the University of Barcelona on 16th October in Barcelona.
16/10/2024 - 18/10/2024
Québec - Ms Claudia Monti, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Luxembourg, participated in the 12th Congress of the Association of the Francophone Ombudsmen and Mediators: “The Ombudsman's challenges in defending the rule of law” in Québec City, Canada. Ms Monti took part in a panel titled: “International principles to the rescue of threatened institutions”, focusing on the support that the Venice Commission can offer to Ombudsman institutions, notably through the Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman, the "Venice Principles".
14/10/2024 - 15/10/2024
Warsaw - On 14 and 15 October, a delegation of the Venice Commission conducted a visit to Warsaw, Poland, to prepare an Opinion on the Laws on the Constitutional Tribunal and draft constitutional amendments concerning the Constitutional Tribunal. This Opinion was requested by the Minister of Justice of Poland on 4 September 2024.
The Venice Commission delegation met with the Minister of Justice, Members of Parliament (governing coalition and opposition parties), Constitutional Tribunal, Chancellery of the President, Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights, a former President of the Constit... read more
11/10/2024 - 12/10/2024
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - On 11-12 October 2024 the Venice Commission will hold its third plenary session of the year, with an agenda that includes, in particular, seven opinions concerning three countries (Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Poland).