12/12/2008 - 13/12/2008
The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with the representatives of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- adopted the opinion on the amendments to the Constitution of Albania;
- adopted the opinion on the draft amendments to the law on political parties of Bulgaria;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Mikheil Machavariani, first deputy Chairman of the parliament of Georgia, with Mr Akaki Minashvili, Deputy Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee of the parliament and with Mr Dimiry Dzagnidze, Deputy Minister of Justice, in view of the adoption of an opinion on four laws amending the constitution of Georgia at its next Plenary Session;
- adopted the joint opinion by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the Election Code of Georgia;
- decided to resume consideration of the draft amicus curiae opinion requested by the Constitutional Court of Georgia on the right of access to a court against decisions of an independent broadcasting authority at the next Plenary Session, taking into account the request for additional elements by the Court;
- adopted the opinion on the draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Supreme Court, the opinion on the Constitutional Law on Bodies of Judicial Self-Regulation, the opinion on the Constitutional Law on Court Juries and the opinion on the draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Status of Judges of Kyrgyzstan;
- adopted the opinion on the draft law on protection against discrimination of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”;
- adopted the opinion on the issue of the re-appointment of members of the State Electoral Commission in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”;
- held an exchange of views on the constitutional and legal provisions which are relevant for the prohibition of political parties in Turkey, with a view to the adoption of an opinion at its next Plenary Session;
- held an exchange of views with Mr Mr Iuri Kliuchkovskyi, member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and endorsed the comments on the draft laws on referendums of Ukraine with certain additions;
- adopted the report on legislative initiative;
- adopted the code of good practice for political parties;
- adopted the report on thresholds and other features of electoral systems which bar parties from access to Parliament;
- was informed on recent judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which make reference to the findings of the Venice Commission, including on certain provisions of the electoral code of Moldova;
- was informed on constitutional developments regarding the Constitutional Council of France and in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”;
- fixed the dates of the next sessions as follows: 13-14 March 2009; 12-13 June 2009;
9-10 October 2009; 11-12 December 2009.