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.
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, will provide 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 will participate in briefings before and after the elections, and observe the opening, voting and counting processes.
21/10/2024
Tbilisi – Representatives of the Venice Commission will provide 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 will participate in briefings before and after the elections, and observe the opening, voting and counting processes.
The Venice Commission has issued several opinions on Georgia’s electoral framework, most recently:
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 will take 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, will be providing legal support to the observer delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Moldovan citizens will be called to vote on two significant matters. First, they will elect their next President, who will serve a four-year term. Second, they will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to revise the preamble of the Constitution. This amendment would confirm the European identity of Moldova’s people, affirm the irreversibility of the country’s European path, and establish EU integration as a strategic objective. The proposal also introduces a new chapter with two articles empowering the parliament to pass organic laws for accession to the EU’s founding agreements and recognising the primacy of EU law over national legislation.
The Venice Commission has issued several opinions on Moldova’s electoral framework, most recently on the new Electoral Code and a pilot initiative on postal voting. Joint opinions have also been adopted on the 2023 amendments to the Electoral Code regarding the ineligibility of individuals linked to political parties declared unconstitutional as well as a joint amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court. In preparation for these electoral events, the Venice Commission, in collaboration with the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Moldova, co-organised a webinar focusing on campaign financing and media coverage of the election and referendum. The webinar attracted over 70 participants, including representatives from the CEC and district electoral councils.
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 Constitutional Tribunal and civil society organisations.
The draft Opinion will be submitted to the 141st Plenary Session of the Venice Commission on 6-7 December 2024 for its adoption.
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).
14/10/2024
On 14 October 2024 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of San Marino and the Venice Commission organise in San Marino a conference titled “Aspects of Constitutionalism in European small-sized States”, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset. The conference brings together international and constitutional law experts and representatives of Council of Europe monitoring and expert bodies. The conference is composed of three sessions focusing on: Constitutional aspects of European small-sized States; The interaction between European small-sized States and the Council of Europe Monitoring and Expert Bodies; and the implementation of the Council of Europe standards of judicial independence by European small-sized States.
04/10/2024 - 05/10/2024
Rabat - The Venice Commission and the Secretariat General of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco are organising an international conference entitled “International Conventions in the Internal Legal Order : place and reception”. The conference will take place in Rabat on 4-5 October 2024. It will gather senior civil servants from various Moroccan ministries and other state bodies, Venice Commission members and experts from France, Greece, Italy and Tunisia as well as representatives from the National Human Rights Council, the academia and non-governmental organisations of Morocco.
The event aims to explore the question of the hierarchy of legal norms and the modalities of the legal and normative reception of international conventions in Venice Commission members states and particularly in Morocco. The participants will discuss the experience on the reception of international conventions by the domestic legal order by their relevant countries, against the background of the Venice Commission's work on this topic. Besides, the event will serve to discuss the state of play of the accession by Morocco of the Council of Europe treaties and to promote the creation of a common legal space between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean.
03/10/2024 - 04/10/2024
Ankara - On 3 and 4 October 2024, a delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Türkiye in the context of the preparation of an Opinion on the composition of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and the procedure for the election of its members.
The Venice Commission delegation met in Ankara with Members of the National Assembly; the Deputy Minister of Justice and other officials of the Ministry of Justice; the Acting President and other representatives of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors; the Secretary General of the Court of Cassation; the Vice-president and the Secretary General of the Constitutional Court, as well as lawyers, judges and representatives of civil society organisations.
The draft Opinion will be submitted for adoption by the 141st Plenary Session of the Commission, which will be held in Venice on 6 and 7 December 2024.
03/10/2024 - 03/10/2024
The Venice Commission was invited to participate in the Cyprus Forum 2024 in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 3 October 2024. Ms Hanna Suchocka, Honorary President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission and participated in the panel on “Attorney General Powers”. The Cyprus Forum is the largest policy-making conference in Cyprus, co-organized by the NGO Oxygen for Democracy and the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. The forum brings together key figures from the public and private sectors, initiating dialogue on key areas of public policy.
02/10/2024
Strasbourg / online – Mr Ben Vermeulen, expert and former member of the Venice Commission in respect of the Netherlands, participated online in the meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, which took place in Strasbourg on 2 October 2024, during the 4th Part of the Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly.
An exchange of views took place on recent developments in the country and on the follow-up of the Venice Commission’s Opinion on the constitutional amendments adopted by the Hungarian parliament in December 2020.
26/09/2024
Paphos, Cyprus - The Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Cyprus co-organised, with the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) and the Venice Commission a regional conference entitled “Protecting human rights in the digital area and in social media”. The conference took place on September 26 in Paphos, Cyprus. Participants discussed the development of new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) and the challenges for the Ombudsmen and Mediators from both shores of the Mediterranean in the field of human rights protection.
The conference aimed to provide concrete solutions to tackle and combat human rights violations linked to the use of new technologies. Participants from 28 AOM member states also discussed the legal, democratic, and ethical aspects of AI governance in human rights.
Representatives of the Venice Commission delivered an opening speech and presented the relevant work of the Venice Commission in the electoral field, inter alia the Commission’s Set of Principles for a fundamental rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes.
The Commission supports the Ombudsman institutions through the “Venice principles” which highlight their important role in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, good administration and the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
25/09/2024
By letter dated 13 September 2024, the Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Ms Elisa Spiropali, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the relationship between the representative parliamentary democracy and the binding rulings of the Constitutional Court in the context of the role of the Assembly in examining motions on the incompatibility of an MP's mandate.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 141st plenary session of the Commission (6 7 December 2024).
24/09/2024
From 18 to 20 September 2024, the Secretary of the Venice Commission participated in the 6th Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts (AACC), held in Bangkok, Thailand. The congress, themed “The Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Strengthening Constitutional Justice for a Sustainable Society,” brought together key figures in the field of constitutional justice.
The AACC is one of the regional groups forming the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ), for which the Venice Commission serves as Secretariat.
During the opening session of the congress, a prerecorded message from Mr. Gianni Buquicchio, President Emeritus and Special Representative of the Venice Commission, was broadcast, highlighting the longstanding cooperation between the Venice Commission and the AACC. Additionally, the Secretary of the Venice Commission delivered a speech reaffirming the principles and values championed by the Venice Commission in its promotion of constitutional justice.
The Secretary also engaged in several bilateral meetings with the presidents of Constitutional Courts from WCCJ member states, discussing and outlining potential future cooperation activities.
HAITI - Online meeting with United Nations Special Representative on Haiti
24/09/2024
In view of the preparation of the final Opinion on "possible constitutional and legislative solutions to conduct future electoral processes in Haiti", the Rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held an online meeting with the United Nations Expert on Human Rights in Haiti, Mr William O'Neill, on 24th September 2024.
20/09/2024
Following the request by the Minister of Justice of Armenia dated 5 August 2024, the Venice Commission and the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe are preparing a draft Joint Opinion on the draft amendments to the Judicial Code of Armenia (regarding judicial evaluations).
On 20 September 2024, the rapporteurs conducted a series of on-line meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the National Assembly, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Performance Evaluation Commission of Judges, the Court of Cassation, as well as with civil society and international organisations.
The draft Joint Opinion will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. It will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 11-12 October 2024).
20/09/2024
Bishkek - On 20 September 2024, the Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Ms Veronika Bilkova, participated in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the judicial system of the Kyrgyz Republic which was held in Bishkek and organized by the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic.
19/09/2024 - 20/09/2024
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova / On-line – A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the International Conference “Human Rights Protection Mechanisms and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions in the European Union and Beyond”. In the panel on “The role of National Human Rights Institutions and Ombudsperson institutions in the EU and across the EU”, the Venice Commission highlighted the important role of Ombudsman institutions in addressing rule of law backsliding and drew attention to its Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman, the “Venice Principles”.
The conference, organised by the Council of Europe, together with the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) of Moldova, UNHCR and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, brought together more than 100 participants from National Human Rights Institutions from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and several EU Member States, as well as the European Ombudsman, public officials, civil society representatives, academics and representatives of the international community in Moldova.
19/09/2024 - 20/09/2024
Following a request by the Minister of Justice of Armenia dated 15 July 2024, the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DGII) of the Council of Europe are preparing a draft Joint Opinion on the draft law concerning amendments and supplements to the “Law on Mass Media” and the Civil Code of Armenia.
On 19 and 20 September 2024, a delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Yerevan and conducted meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Human Rights Defender’s Office, Members of Parliament representing the ruling party and the opposition, representatives of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Prime Minister’s Office, the chairman of the TV and Radio Commission, the chairman of the Council of Public Broadcaster, as well as with civil society and international organisations and international organisations.
The draft Joint Opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 11-12 October 2024).
18/09/2024
On 18 September 2024, a delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Kyrgyzstan in the context of the preparation of an Opinion on Law No. 72 of 2 April 2024 amending the Law “On non-profit organisations”. The Venice Commission delegation met in Bishkek with the Minister of Justice and other officials of the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman, the European Union Delegation to Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asia Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and representatives of civil society organisations.
The Opinion will be submitted for adoption by the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission, which will be held in Venice on 11 and 12 October 2024.
16/09/2024 - 17/09/2024
On 16-17 September 2024, a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of online meetings with stakeholders in Kyrgyzstan within the context of the preparation of an opinion on the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code concerning bail and videoconferencing in criminal proceedings. The opinion follows a request by the Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Ayaz Baetov, made on 5 August 2024.
The Venice Commission delegation met online with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Ombudsman Institution, the Bar Association as well as with representatives of civil society organisations.
The opinion will be submitted for adoption by the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission, which will be held in Venice on 11 and 12 October 2024.
12/09/2024 - 13/09/2024
Cassino, Italy - The Venice Commission contributed to the organisation of the 2nd Italian edition of the International Ombudsman Conference on "The role of the Ombudsman as a guardian of right", held in Cassino, Italy, on 12-13 September 2024. A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the event and delivered an opening speech.
This conference, organised by the Civic Defender of the Lazio Region, President of the National Coordination of Ombudsmen of Italy, brought together more than 200 Ombudsmen, civil servants and students from all continents.
The present activity is part of the overall work of the Venice Commission aimed at strengthening the role of Ombudsman institutions and their networks. The conference provided a platform for the Venice Commission to highlight the fundamental role of Ombudsman institutions in the context of the global human rights and rule of law backsliding and to draw participants' attention to the institutional and functional support that the Venice Commission can offer to Ombudsman institutions. Such a support is rooted in the Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman, the "Venice Principles", which have been endorsed by all the statutory bodies of the Council of Europe and set as an international standard for Ombudsman institutions by the United Nations.
12/09/2024 - 13/09/2024
Warsaw – A delegation of the Venice Commission conducted a visit to Warsaw, Poland, within the context of the preparation of the opinion on the draft amendments to the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Poland. This opinion follows a request by the Minister of Justice of Poland on 15 July 2024.
The Venice Commission delegation met with the Minister of Justice, Members of the Parliament (governing coalition and opposition parties), National Prosecutor’s Office, Disciplinary Court to the Prosecutor General and Professional Liability Chamber of the Supreme Court, Chancellery of the President, Human Rights Commissioner, as well as representatives of civil society organisations and prosecutors’ associations.
The opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission (11-12 October 2024).
12/09/2024
By letter dated 12 September 2024, the Minister of Justice of Serbia, Ms Maja Popović, requested an Opinion on the draft Law on the Judicial Academy as well as draft amendments to the Law on Judges and the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 141st Plenary Session of the Venice Commission (Venice, 06-07 December 2024).
11/09/2024
Paris - Mr Michael Frendo, Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Malta, participated online in the meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, which took place in Paris on 11 September 2024.
He presented the recent Venice Commission Opinion on Act LXXXVIII of 2023 of Hungary on the Protection of National Sovereignty, which had been requested by the Monitoring Committee, and held an exchange of views with the members.
10/09/2024
Following the request by the Minister of Justice of Armenia dated 14 May 2024, the Venice Commission and the Directorate General: Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe are preparing a draft Joint Opinion on the draft amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the collection of evidence without consent in criminal investigations.
On 10 September 2024, the rapporteurs conducted a series of on-line meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Standing Parliamentary Committee on State and Legal Affairs, the Court of Cassation, the Human Rights Defender’s Office, the Bar Association as well as with civil society and Academia.
The draft Joint Opinion will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. It will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 11-12 October 2024).
10/09/2024
Paris – Mr Kaarlo Tuori, Honorary President of the Venice Commission, and Mr Serhiy Holovaty, President of the Sub-Committee on the Rule of Law, participated in a hearing of the Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, on 10 September 2024.
They presented the ongoing work on the update of the Rule of Law Checklist, which will take into account the developments which have occurred since the adoption of the first version of the Checklist (2016). It is foreseen that the updated Rule of Law Checklist will be adopted in 2025.
09/09/2024
The Venice Commission held an online meeting with the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) of Haiti and a delegation from the Organization of American States (OAS) on 6th September 2024 to strengthen the forthcoming constitutional and electoral reforms. This meeting marks an important step in the preparation for transparent and inclusive elections in Haiti.
09/09/2024
On 9 September 2024, the Venice Commission in collaboration with the CEC co-organized a comprehensive webinar to facilitate the preparation for these electoral events. The webinar brought together over 70 participants, including representatives from the CEC and district electoral councils.
This event provided a crucial platform to discuss practical aspects related to the implementation of the legal framework ahead of these two ballots. Key discussions focused on the stability of electoral law, the role of public authorities during the referendum campaign, media and social media coverage of the contests, as well as the oversight of political finances. Additionally, participants examined the investigative powers of election authorities and the available sanctions against breaches of campaign finance regulations.
04/09/2024 - 05/09/2024
Sarajevo, 4-5 September 2024 – Implementing innovative solutions to enhance the transparency and efficiency of the elections was discussed during the workshop co-organised by the Venice Commission and the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The workshop took place in the context of the upcoming local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for 6 October 2024, where digital technologies for biometric identification and authentication of voters, electronic transfer of results from the polling stations to the CEC, ballot scanning, and video surveillance of the counting process will be tested for the first time.
The workshop brought together election officials, representatives of the Venice Commission and international experts.
Council of Europe standards and guidelines, Venice Commission opinions and reports, as well as the experience of various countries were discussed during the workshop. Practical case studies on crisis management during the electoral process (back-up plans in case the technology does not work, cyber security measures and data protection, countering disinformation, etc.) were also examined.
The new technologies will be tested as a part of pilot projects implemented following the March 2024 amendments to the Election Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
03/09/2024
By letter dated 3 September 2024, the Minister of Justice of Poland, Mr Adam Bodnar, requested an Opinion on the draft constitutional amendments concerning the Constitutional Tribunal and two draft laws on the Constitutional Tribunal.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 141st Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 06-07 December 2024).
07/08/2024
Following the presidential elections in Venezuela, the Bureau of the Venice Commission expresses its serious concern and recalls the importance of respecting international standards of electoral law, as defined in particular by Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights, both ratified by Venezuela, and the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters drafted by the Venice Commission. In this respect, the Bureau recalls the Commission's opinion on the legal issues relating to the election of a National Constituent Assembly in Venezuela.
The Bureau of the Commission stresses the importance of respecting all the principles recognised by these texts if the integrity of the electoral process is to be guaranteed.
05/08/2024
By letter dated 5 August 2024, the Minister of Justice of Kyrgyzstan, Mr Ayaz Baetov, requested an Opinion on the draft law on amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code concerning bail and videoconferencing in criminal proceedings.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 11-12 October 2024).
05/08/2024
By letter dated 5 August 2024, the Minister of Justice of Armenia, Mr Grigor Minasyan, requested a Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law on the draft Constitutional Law on Making Supplements and Amendments to the Constitutional Law "Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia".
The draft joint opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 140th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 11-12 October 2024).