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Recent and Current Events

Spain makes a voluntary contribution to the Venice Commission

26/09/2023
Spain has made a voluntary contribution of €20 000 to the Venice Commission concerning its action to support rule of law-compliant and human rights-respectful democratic institutions (2024-2028).

CHILE – forthcoming opinion on the 2023 constitutional reform process – country visit

25/09/2023 - 26/09/2023
Santiago - a delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Chile and held discussions with authorities and other stakeholders on the ongoing constitutional reform in the country.

The visit was organised in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the 2023 constitutional reform process, requested by the President of the Senate of Chile. The delegation met with:

- President of the Senate
- President of the Chamber of Deputies
- The Committee on Legal, Constitutional and Legislative Affairs of the Senate
- President and Vice... read more

ITALY: "The role of Ombudsman institutions in the world: between realities and possibilities" – International conference

21/09/2023 - 28/09/2023
Rome - The Venice Commission contributed to the organisation of the International Ombudsman Conference on "The role of Ombudsman institutions in the world: between realities and possibilities", held in Rome, on 21-22 September 2023.

This conference with more than 250 registered participants, organised by the President of the National Coordination of Ombudsmen, the Ombudsman of Lazio, brought together more than 60 Ombudsmen from all continents.

The Conference provided an opportunity to present the Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman... read more

UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - implementation of the Kyoto Declaration

21/09/2023 - 22/09/2023
Vienna - Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, President of the Venice Commission participated in the 3rd thematic discussion of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) on the implementation of the Kyoto Declaration, held on 21-22 September 2023 in Vienna and online.

The event focused on the Pillar III of the Kyoto Declaration “Promoting the rule of law”.

The President contributed to an exchange of views during Thematic Session 2 on the “Effective, accountable, impartial and inclusive institutions; effective anti-corruption efforts; social, educational and... read more

GEORGIA – Forthcoming follow-up opinion on the Organic Law of Georgia “On Common Courts” - Online consultations

18/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft follow-up opinion concerning the amendments of 13 June 2023 to the Organic Law of Georgia “On Common Courts”, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held online consultations with the Deputy Chairman of the Faction “Georgian Dream”, the Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee and the Chairman of the Human Rights and Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, the MPs of the parliamentary opposition, the representatives of the civil society organisations and the international community present in Georgia.

The draft opinion wi... read more

KYRGYZSTAN – Forthcoming opinion on the draft Constitutional Law “On the Akyikatchy (Ombudsman) of the Kyrgyz Republic” - Online consultations

18/09/2023 - 19/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion concerning the draft Constitutional Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “On the Akyikatchy (Ombudsman) of the Kyrgyz Republic”, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held online consultations with the Ombudsman, experts of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) the representatives of the civil society organisations and the international community present in Kyrgyzstan.

The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 136th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission (6-7 October 2023).

“CONSTITUTIONS AND WAR” - International seminar

14/09/2023 - 15/09/2023
Madrid - Under the auspices of the Latvian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission in cooperation with the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies (CEPC) held an international seminar entitled “Constitutions and War”.

The relationship between constitutions and wars encompasses various dimensions, including:
• the prevention of wars,
• the protection of democratic governance and human rights during times of conflict, and
• the promotion of post-war reconciliation and rebuilding.

The round table d... read more

UKRAINE - Forthcoming urgent follow-up opinion on the draft law on national minorities (communities) – online consultations

14/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft urgent follow-up opinion on the draft law on national minorities (communities), the Venice Commission rapporteurs held online consultations with:

• members of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine,
• the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics (DESS),
• the General Director of the Government Office for the Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and
• representatives of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The draft urgent follow-up opinion will be submitted for endorsement at ... read more

BULGARIA - Forthcoming opinion on the draft amendments to the Constitution – country visit

14/09/2023 - 15/09/2023
A delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Sofia and held discussions with the authorities and other stakeholders on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Bulgaria.

The delegation met in particular with the following interlocutors: the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, representatives of the Office of the President, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, the Acting Prosecutor General and Deputy Prosecutors General, representatives of the Supreme Judicial Council and representatives from independent regulatory and controll... read more

ARMENIA – forthcoming opinion on the electoral legislation - country visit

13/09/2023 - 14/09/2023
Yerevan – In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation of Armenia, the rapporteurs met with representatives of the following institutions:

• the Ministry of Justice, including the Deputy Minister of Justice,
• the Central Election Commission (CEC), including the Oversight and Audit Service of the CEC,
• several parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties, the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the Parliament,
• the Corr... read more

Request for opinion – REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

12/09/2023
By letter dated 6.09.2023 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Ms Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law No. 252 of 17.08.2023 “On the external assessment of judges and prosecutors and amending some normative acts”.

The Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe will prepare this opinion jointly as a follow-up opinion to their previous joint opinions concerning this law.

The draft joint follow-up opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 136th... read more

Request for follow-up opinions – UKRAINE

11/09/2023
By letter dated 5.09.2023 the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk, requested follow-up opinions of the Venice Commission on the following:

- the Law “On Amending the Law of Ukraine “On National Minorities” (opinion CDL-AD(2023)021);

- 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 (draft law no. 9322 of 25 May 2023) (opinion CDL-AD(2023)022).

The urgent opinions will be submitted ... read more

KOSOVO – forthcoming draft opinion – online meetings

11/09/2023 - 12/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft follow-up opinion to the previous opinions concerning the Law on the Prosecutorial Council, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met online with the following interlocutors:

- Deputy Ministers of Justice and other representatives of the Ministry;
- representatives of the Assembly;
- the Acting Chief State Prosecutor and the Chairman of Kosovo Prosecutorial Council;
- representatives of the international community and civil society organisations.

This draft follow-up opinion will be prepared... read more

THE NETHERLANDS – forthcoming opinion on the legislation on the independence of the judiciary – country visit

11/09/2023 - 12/09/2023
The Hague – On 11-12 September 2023 a delegation of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe conducted a visit to the Netherlands in the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion on the Judicial Act and the independence of the judiciary. The rapporteurs met with the following representatives of the authorities :

• the President of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands;
• the Vice-President of the Council of State and the Head of the Administrative Law Department;
• the President and ot... read more

KYRGYZ REPUBLIC - Forthcoming opinion on the draft law on media – country visit

11/09/2023 - 12/09/2023
Bishkek - On 11-12 September 2023, a delegation of the Venice Commission conducted a visit to Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on media. The rapporteurs met, with the following representatives of the authorities :

- The Minister of Justice and other representatives of the Ministry;
- The Head of the Legal Department and staff members of the Presidential Administration;
- The Deputy Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy, as well as other representatives of the Ministry;
- The Deputy Akyikatchy (O... read more

KAZAKHSTAN: “Constitutional Justice – Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All” - International conference

07/09/2023 - 08/09/2023
Astana - The Council of Europe and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan held on 7-8 September 2023 an international conference in Astana entitled “Constitutional Justice: Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all”. The event was dedicated to the Constitution Day of Kazakhstan and to the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

High-level representatives from Constitutional Courts from more than 20 countries across the world attended this conference along with the participants from international bodies such as UNDP, UN High Commissioner for Human ... read more

UKRAINE – Forthcoming opinions on the draft legislation regarding the effect of the suspension and/or prohibition of political parties

07/09/2023 - 08/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of two draft opinions on the draft legislation regarding the effect of the suspension and/or prohibition of political parties in Ukraine, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs met online with the following interlocutors:

• at the Verkhovna Rada:
- the 1st Deputy Chair of the Parliament,
- the Chair and members of the Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning,
- MPs, members of the parliamentary group “Platform for Life and Peace”;

• the Parliamentary... read more

The Netherlands supports Venice Commission by voluntary contribution

07/09/2023
In September 2023 the Government of the Netherlands made a voluntary contribution of €30 000 in support of the Venice Commission to promote the development of democratic institutions based on the respect of the rule of law and human rights.

Visit to the Republic of Moldova focuses on the draft law regarding the “anti-corruption judicial system”

06/09/2023 - 08/09/2023
Chisinau - On 6-8 September 2023 a delegation of the Venice Commission carried out a mission to Chisinau and held discussions with authorities and other stakeholders on the draft law regarding “the anti-corruption judicial system and on amending of some normative acts”.

The authorities met included the following: President of the Republic of Moldova, Minister of Justice, the Chief Prosecutor of the Anticorruption Prosecution Office, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Parliament’s Legal Committee on Appointments and Immunities, National Integrity Authority, the... read more

UKRAINE - Joint Opinion on the draft law “On amending the Law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” - Online meetings

04/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint opinion on the draft law “On amending the Law of Ukraine 'On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges' as regards the introduction of additional procedures to enhance public trust in the judiciary” (draft law N° 9454), the rapporteurs met with the following interlocutors:

• the Chairman and members of the High Council of Justice,
• the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada,
• the President of the Supreme Court and the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Supreme Court;
• the H... read more

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA - forthcoming opinion - online meetings

04/09/2023 - 05/09/2023
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova and other related laws concerning ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional, the rapporteurs met with the following interlocutors:

• Minister of Justice and other representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Secretary of State;
• Chair, Deputy Chair and members of the Legal Committee on Appointments and Immunities, members of the Faction of the Party of Action and Solidarity of the Parliament;
• independ... read more

Request for opinion – MONTENEGRO

30/08/2023
By letters dated 27 July and 10 August 2023, the Minister for Public Administration of Montenegro requested an opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the draft law on government of Montenegro.

The draft opinion will be submitted for discussion and adoption by the Venice Commission at its 136th Plenary Session (6-7 October 2023). 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 ”.

Request for opinion - CHILE

28/08/2023
By letters dated 9 and 22 August 2023, the President of the Senate of Chile Juan Antonio COLOMA CORREA requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on certain questions formulated by a group of Senators and related to the process of constitutional reform in Chile, with a view to assisting the Constitutional Council in deciding on the text prepared by the Expert Commission.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion - KOSOVO

21/08/2023
By letter of 28 July 2023, the President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Mr Glauk Konjufca, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the new version of the draft Law No.06/L-056 on amending and supplementing the Law on the Prosecutorial Council of Kosovo.

This draft follow-up opinion is prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility III”. It will be submitted for adoption at the 136th Plenary Session of the Commission (Venice, 06-07 October 2023).

Request for opinion - UKRAINE

21/08/2023
On 4 August 2023, the Chairman of the High Council of Justice requested a joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG-I) on the draft law “On amending the Law of Ukraine 'On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges' as regards the introduction of additional procedures to enhance public trust in the judiciary” (draft law n° 9454).

The Venice Commission and the DG-I will assess the draft law in the follow-up opinion to the Joint Opinion (CDL-AD(2020)022) on the draft amendments to the Law 'on the Judiciary... read more

Request for opinion - BULGARIA

17/08/2023
By letter of 4 August 2023 Mr Atanas Slavov, Minister of Justice of Bulgaria, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Bulgaria.

The draft opinion will be submitted for discussion and adoption by the Venice Commission at its 136th Plenary Session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion – KYRGYZSTAN

09/08/2023
By letter dated 30.06.2023, Ms Jamila JAMANBAEVA, Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft constitutional law “On Akyikatchy (Ombudsperson) of the Kyrgyz Republic”.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion – LEBANON

09/08/2023
By letter dated 23 June 2023, the Minister of Justice of the Lebanese Republic requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the Administrative Judiciary.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion - REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

09/08/2023
By letter of 24 July 2023, Mr Igor Grosu, Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova and other related laws concerning ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, fund... read more

Request for opinion – REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

07/08/2023
By letter of 2 August 2023, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Ms Maia Sandu, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law “on the anti-corruption judicial system and on amending of some normative acts”.

The Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th Plenary session (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Request for opinion – PACE / Ukraine

04/08/2023
By letter dated 28 April 2023, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine which restrict the participation in the state power of persons associated with political parties whose activities are prohibited by law.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion – UKRAINE

04/08/2023
By letter of 26 May 2023, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amendments to Article 51 of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada on political liability of Members of Parliament of Ukraine associated with political parties whose activities have been suspended.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

Request for opinion - REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

02/08/2023
By letter of 17 July 2023 the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova requested a follow-up opinion of the Venice Commission on the recently adopted Law on the Intelligence and Security Service and the Law on Counterintelligence and External Intelligence Activity.

This draft follow-up opinion will be examined, with a view to its adoption, by the Commission at its 136th Plenary Session (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, funded by the European ... read more

Request for follow-up opinion – PACE / GEORGIA

01/08/2023
By letter of 23 June 2023 the Committee on the Honoring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) requested a follow-up opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Organic Law on Courts in Georgia as adopted by the Georgian parliament on 13 June 2023.

The Venice Commission will prepare the draft follow-up opinion for adoption at its 136th plenary session (6-7 October 2023).

POLAND - Urgent Opinion on the Law on the State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence on Internal Security in the Republic of Poland between 2007 and 2022

26/07/2023 - 26/07/2023
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued its Urgent Opinion on the Law on the State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence on Internal Security in the Republic of Poland between 2007 and 2022.

The request for urgent opinion was made on 21 June 2023 by the President of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

The Urgent Opinion will be submitted for endorsement by the October plenary session of the Commission (Venice, 6-7 October 2023).

Between 7 and 19 July 2023, the rapporteurs had had online meetings with repre... read more

Request for opinion - ARMENIA

20/07/2023
On 12 July 2023 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation. The opinion will be prepared jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR.

The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 136th plenary session of the Commission (6-7 October 2023). It will be prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM), in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Eu... read more

Just out! - e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law: issue 2022/3

05/07/2023
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2022/3 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law with 247 new precis of key judgments from some 31 national and two international courts.

The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail thr... read more


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