Montenegro – request for opinion
24/12/2014
The authorities of Montenegro requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the revised draft law on the Public Prosecution Office and on the revised draft law on the Special Public Prosecutor’s Office in charge of high level corruption issues.
Montenegro – request for opinion
17/12/2014
Montenegrin authorities requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the draft amendments to the Law on Media of Montenegro.
The draft opinion is to be discussed at the March 2015 plenary session.
12/12/2014 - 13/12/2014
The Commission
- Adopted the opinion on the Law on non-governmental organisations (Public Associations and Funds), as amended, of Azerbaijan;
- Adopted the Amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of Georgia on the question of the defamation of the deceased;
- Adopted the Amicus Curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova on certain provisions of the Law on professional integrity testing (anti-corruption law) of the Republic of Moldova concerning, in particular, constitutional court and ordinary court judges;
- Ado... read more
Jordan – Workshop with the Constitutional Court
10/12/2014
Amman - The Venice Commission is holding with the Constitutional Court of Jordan a workshop on the organisation of a Constitutional Court.
This workshop is intended mainly for the registry of the Constitutional court. It is organized in the framework of the Joint with the EU programme “Support to the Jordanian authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Jordanian justice system”.
05/12/2014 - 06/12/2014
Bucharest - A study visit for judges and staff of the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Constitutional court of Romania will take place on 5-6 December 2014.
This study visit is a follow-up to the co-operation started last year following a request made by the authorities of Tajikistan to provide a legal opinion on the draft law “On the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan”.
The participants will be able to exchange experience with the Romanian colleagues. They will also visit the Legislative Council, the Parliament and the University... read more
Russian Federation - IV International Congress of Comparative Law
03/12/2014 - 04/12/2014
Moscow - Mr Evgeni Tanchev, Vice President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the IV International Congress of Comparative Law on "Space and Time in international and national law" organised by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Ukraine – request for opinion
03/12/2014
The Minister of Justice of Ukraine requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on a new draft Law on the judicial system and the status of judges.
29/11/2014 - 01/12/2014
Chisinau - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the parliamentary elections of 30 November 2014.
27/11/2014 - 28/11/2014
Budva – The Venice Commission participated in the Conference on "Constitutional protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms". One of the rapporteurs, Ms Wedam Lukic presented the Opinion on the Draft Law on the Constitutional Court of Montenegro, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 100th Plenary Session (Rome, 10-11 October 2014).
Turkey - Individual Application and Protection of Human Rights at national level
27/11/2014 - 28/11/2014
Antalya -The Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Turkey are organising from 27 to 28 November an International Conference on “Individual Application to Constitutional Court as a System to Protect Human Rights at National Level” within the framework of the Council of Europe Project funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund on “Supporting the Individual Application to the Constitutional Court in Turkey”. The President of the VEnice Commission Gianni BUQUICCHIO participates in the conference.
Peru - IX Inter-American meeting of Electoral Management Bodies
24/11/2014 - 25/11/2014
Lima - Upon invitation from the Organisation of American States (OAS) the Venice Commission representatives contribute to the IX Inter-American meeting of Electoral Management Bodies. Among other issues the participants have an exchange of views on such issues as the government's role in the electoral process, the quality of electoral process and strategies for assessing the electoral administration's performance.
This event is co-organised by OAS, the National Jury of Elections of Peru, the National Office of Elections of Peru and “Elections Canada”.
24/11/2014 - 28/11/2014
Madrid and Strasbourg – A study visit for judges and staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Constitutional court of Madrid will take place on 24-25 November 2014. The study visit participants will get an insight into the work of the Spanish colleagues as well as exchange opinions on a number of issues identified by the Kyrgyz delegation.
This visit will be followed by the visit to the Council of Europe and the European court of human rights on "The Council of Europe standards on human rights and recent developments related to the case law of the European ... read more
24/11/2014 - 25/11/2014
Algiers - The President of the Venice Commission participated in the seminar on "The Progress of Constitutionalism in Africa", organised by the Constitutional Council of Algeria, in co-operation with the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Council.
21/11/2014
Saint-Petersburg - on 21 November 2014 the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation hosts the final round of the national moot-court competition on constitutional law amongst law schools students. The competition is held every year and is supported by the Venice Commission. This year the Venice Commission is represented by its Member and the former President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, Mr Aivars Endzins, and a staff member of the Secretariat, Mr Grigory Dikov, who sit as judges in the final round.
20/11/2014
Tashkent - A Conference on the use of information and communication technologies in courts will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 20 November 2014. This activity is organised jointly by the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, High Commercial court of Uzbekistan and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
This activity brings together representatives of national institutions as well as guests from the Korea, Malta, Slovenia and Bulgaria who will exchange their experiences of their countries on the application of information and communication technologies in work of ordinary cou... read more
20/11/2014 - 24/11/2014
Tunisia - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the presidential elections of 23 November 2014.
Republic of Moldova – request for opinion
18/11/2014
The authorities of the Republic of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the Draft Law on Prosecution Office.
17/11/2014 - 18/11/2014
Astana - A training session and a Roundtable on “Combating corruption and observing judicial ethics in the judiciary” will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on 17-18 November 2014. This activity is organised jointly by the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, OSCE office in Kazakhstan and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
At the training session aimed at 35 judges of district and equivalent courts the participants will look at a number of issues such as independence, transparency and accountability in the judiciary, innovative approaches in combating corruption in the judiciar... read more
Azerbaijan – forthcoming opinion on the law on the NGOs – visit to the country - CANCELLED
13/11/2014 - 14/11/2014
Baku - A delegation from the Venice Commission pays a visit to Azerbaijan on 13-14 November 2014 to hold discussions with representatives of different authorities as well as with representatives of civil society organisations in the framework of the preparation of an opinion on the Law on Non-Governmental Organisations of Azerbaijan, as amended recently. The draft opinion will be submitted to the Venice Commission for adoption at its plenary session in December 2014.
13/11/2014 - 14/11/2014
St Petersburg, Russian Federation - Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the II International Arctic Legal Forum on "Protection and sustained development of Arctic: Legal aspect" organised by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation jointly with the Government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.
Lebanon – Conference on constitutional control
13/11/2014 - 14/11/2014
Beirut - Upon the invitation of the Constitutional Council of Lebanon, President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio participates in the conference entitled “ Evaluation of the constitutional control in the Arab states”. The event is organised by the Constitutional Council of Lebanon in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils.
13/11/2014 - 14/11/2014
The Head of the Constitutional Justice Division of the Venice Commission and Secretary General of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, Mr Schnutz Dürr, participated in the seminar on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica.
11/11/2014 - 12/11/2014
Kyrgyzstan – a workshop on media awareness and speaking in public will take place in Bishkek on 11-12 November. This is a training session for judges and relevant staff of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic with the objective of teaching them new techniques of dealing with media. The judges will learn how to ensure they get their key message across, how to get the interest of journalists and to avoid using jargon. The participants will have a chance to practice mock-up press conference, TV and radio interview and to get a feedback on their performance from an experienced traine... read more
03/11/2014 - 04/11/2014
Yerevan - the Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Brusov State University, organised a conference on the “The impact of constitutional processes in post-communist transformation”. The conference brought together current and former members of the Commission, constitutional courts’ judges and prominent legal scholars from such countries as Armenia, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, Finland, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland.
Cup of Constitutional Courts
29/10/2014
Budapest - The Constitutional Courts of Austria, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary meet in Budapest for the International Football Cup at the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Hungary.
28/10/2014 - 28/10/2014
Bregenz, Austria - The Venice Commission takes part in the fifth meeting to review developments in the field of e-voting since the adoption of Recommendation Rec(2004)11 on legal, operational and technical standards on e-voting
Montenegro - forthcoming opinions on judiciary
27/10/2014 - 28/10/2014
Podgorica - A delegation of rapporteurs of the Venice Commission visited Montenegro to hold discussions with representatives of the authorities (the Ministry of Justice, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and lower level courts, the State Prosecutor’s Office, the Judicial Council and Prosecutorial Council) as well as with professional associations of judges and prosecutors and civil society.
The centre of the discussions were several draft laws submitted to the Commission for assessment in the context of the reform of the judiciary in Montenegro.
Ukraine – parliamentary elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the PACE
25/10/2014 - 27/10/2014
Kyiv - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2014.
Tunisia – parliamentary elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the PACE
24/10/2014 - 27/10/2014
Tunis - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to its Ad hoc Committee for the observation of the general elections in Tunisia on 26 October 2014.
23/10/2014 - 25/10/2014
Yerevan - Conference in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Armenia and the Conference of Constitutional Control Organs of the Countries of New Democracy (CCCOCND) on the "Constitutional Status of Human Dignity".
23/10/2014 - 24/10/2014
Baku - The Venice Commission participated in an international conference of the Chief Justices of the member States of the Council of Europe on the “Application of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms on national level and the role of national judges”. The Venice Commission was represented by its Vice-President Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir.
21/10/2014 - 21/10/2014
Strasbourg - The Inter-American Court of Human Rights judges visited the Council of Europe and met a delegation of the Venice Commission, led by its President, Mr Gianni Buquicchio. The main objective of this meeting was to explore possible ways of cooperation between the Inter-American Court and the Venice Commission . Six out of the seven judges of the Inter-American Court, including its President, Mr Humberto Sierra, as well as its Registrar, Mr Pablo Saavedra, came to Strasbourg on this occasion.
18/10/2014 - 21/10/2014
Leuven – A study visit for the members of the Working Group on the draft law on mediation of the Republic of Tajikistan to Leuven and Brussels will take place on 18-21 October 2014.
The participants will be able to learn about the Belgian and European experience in the field of mediation in criminal and civil matters. They will also visit the European Forum for Restorative Justice, Federal Commission for Mediation in family, civil, social and commercial matters at the Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the court of the judicial district of Leuven.
T... read more
Montenegro – request for opinion
14/10/2014
The authorities of Montenegro requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the draft law on the Special State Prosecutor’s Office in charge of high level corruption issues.
14/10/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - A representative of the Ministry of Justice of Peru met with representatives of the Venice Commission during his visit to the Council of Europe. An exchange of views on further cooperation and a discussion on the national programme on the implementation of human rights in Peru took place.
10/10/2014 - 11/10/2014
Rome - The Commission
- Heard introductory addresses made on the occasion of the 100th Plenary Session by:
- Senator Benedetto Della Vedova, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy
- Mr Cosimo Ferri, Undersecretary of State for Justice, Italy
- Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission
- Mr Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
- Mr Christopher Chope, on behalf of the P... read more
10/10/2014
Rome - the President of Italy, Mr Giorgio Napolitano, met the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission and congratulated it on its achievements.
09/10/2014
Rome - The Venice Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy organised the Fourth Intercultural Workshop on Democracy held in Rome on 9 October 2014 on the topic: “Transparency and the Rule of Law as Pre-conditions of Equitable and Sustainable Development”. This event, funded by the Italian authorities, enable representatives of the authorities and of the civil society of Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and other Arab countries to debate on this important topic with representatives of the Venice Commission and with Italian and international experts.
07/10/2014
Kyiv - Venice Commission in cooperation with the High Administrative Court of Ukraine organises a Workshop on election disputes resolution.
This activity is part of the Immediate Measures Package for Ukraine in the context of the forthcoming early parliamentary elections of 26 October 2014.
The participants are the judges of the High Administrative Court and 15 judges from regional courts.
Albania - Judiciary
06/10/2014
Tirana - participation of the Venice Commission, represented by Mr James Hamilton, in a Round table on “Reforming the judicial system in Albania”.
Bulgaria – Early parliamentary elections - Legal assistance to the observation mission of the PACE
03/10/2014 - 06/10/2014
Sofia - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the early parliamentary elections of 5 October 2014.
Mexico- International Conference on "Constitutional courts and rule of law"
02/10/2014 - 03/10/2014
Mexico, D.F. - The President of the Venice Commission will participate in an international Conference to be held in Mexico on 2-3 October 2014. The President will address as a keynote speaker the importance of international cooperation for strengthening democracy.
Azerbaijan - request for opinion
02/10/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - On 2 October 2014, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe T. Jagland requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “on Non-Governmental Organisations (Public associations and Funds)”, as amended.
30/09/2014
Seoul - The participants of the 3rd Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice adopted the Seoul Communiqué:
"From 28 September to 1 October, the World Conference on Constitutional Justice held its 3rd Congress in Seoul, upon the invitation of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea.
The World Conference on Constitutional Justice unites 93 Constitutional Courts and Councils and Supreme Courts as well as Constitutional Chambers (hereinafter all referred to as “Constitutional Courts”) in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. It promotes constitu... read more
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - São Tomé and Príncipe
29/09/2014
Seoul - The Supreme Court of São Tomé and Príncipe joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 93 members.
28/09/2014 - 01/10/2014
Seoul - The main purpose of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which unites 93 Constitutional Courts and Councils and Supreme Courts in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, is is to facilitate judicial dialogue between constitutional judges on a global scale.
The 3rd Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice will deal with the wider topic of “Constitutional Justice and Social Integration” in four sub-topics:
1. Challenges of social integration in a globalised world
2. International standards for social integration
3. Constitutional ... read more
Georgia - request for amicus curiae brief
27/09/2014
Georgia – the Constitutional Court of Georgia requested the Venice Commission to provide an amicus curiae brief in relation to the issue of the reputation of a deceased person. The brief will be presented for adoption at the December Plenary Session of the Commission.
Republic of Moldova - electoral issues - Training of Trainers
25/09/2014 - 26/09/2014
Chisinau - The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission, the Centre for Continuous Training and the National Institute of Justice of Moldova, as well as with the support of DG-II, organise a training on the resolution of electoral disputes.
24/09/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio had a working meeting with the President of the Supreme Court of Mexico, Mr Juan Silva Meza and a delegation of the Permanent Representation of Mexico at the Council of Europe, led by Ambassador Santiago Oñate Laborde, to discuss and expand further the cooperation between Mexico and the Venice Commission.
Morocco - 5th Training session of collaborators of the Mediators members of the AOM
22/09/2014 - 25/09/2014
Rabat - The Venice Commission contributes to a training session organised by the AOM and the Mediator Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat on 22-25 September 2014. The general subject of the session is " The means of action of Ombudsmen and Mediators ".
This contribution is funded through the Joint EU - Council of Europe programme "Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern Neighbourhood.”
Republic of Moldova - Assistance to the Central Electoral Commisison
21/09/2014 - 26/09/2014
The Venice Commission provides assitance to the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova in the field of electoral dispute resolution.
19/09/2014
Skopje - The Venice Commission participated the International Conference on the topic: Contemporary Challenges of the Constitutional Judiciary: 1. The principle of separation of powers and its protection by the Constitutional Court and 2. Constitutional review of by-laws, organized by the Constitutional Court, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Rule of Law Program South East Europe.
Estonia - Ombudsman's Role in a Democracy
18/09/2014 - 19/09/2014
Tallinn, Estonia - The Venice Commission will participate in the Conference on the "Ombudsman's Role in a Democracy" organised by the International Ombudsman Institute
16/09/2014
Tbilisi - The Council of Europe and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) with the support of the Swiss Confederation and the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID organise a conference on "The 2014 Local Elections: Lessons Learned and Steps Ahead" on 16 September 2014.
The aim of the Conference is to draw lessons from the organisation and management of the 2014 local elections in view of their compliance with European and international standards and for further improving the electoral process in Georgia. Being the last of a series of conferences held... read more
10/09/2014 - 11/09/2014
Tunis - The Venice Commission contributes to a training session organised for judges from the Administrative Courts of Tunisia.
“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” – forthcoming opinion on constitutional amendments - visit to the country
08/09/2014 - 10/09/2014
Skopje – following a request for the Venice Commission’s opinion on a number of draft constitutional amendments, concerning, in particular, the composition of the Judicial Council, the powers of the Constitutional Court, the creation of a special financial zone and several other issues, a delegation of the Commission visits the country and meets with the authorities in order to discuss those amendments. The delegation will also hold discussions with representatives of opposition parties, professional associations and civil society.
08/09/2014
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova - Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, will participate in the International Conference on "The role of constitutional justice in protecting the values of the rule of law" on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova organised by the Constitutiional Court of the Republic of Moldova.
08/09/2014 - 11/09/2014
Warsaw - The Venice Commission participates in a civil society consultation meeting in Warsaw in the framework of the preparation of the Joint Guidelines on Freedom Association in cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR Odihr. The theme of the meeting is “Enabling Legal Framework for Freedom of Association: Focus on Formation of Associations, Objectives and Activities, Liability and Sanctions”.
During a subsequent meeting, on 10-11 September 2014, the representatives of the Venice Commission and of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel on freedom of association meet to discuss the content of the draft Joint ... read more
07/09/2014
The Constitutional Council of Cambodia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 91 members.
04/09/2014 - 06/09/2014
Bucharest - The Venice Commission will participate on the 23rd Annual Conference of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO), which will take place on 4-6 September 2014, in Bucharest, Romania. The 23rd Conference will discuss two topics: 'Participation of Women in Electoral Process and Public Life' and 'Planning of a General Election’.
Montenegro - opinion request
02/09/2014
The authorities of Montenegro have requested opinions on:
1) The draft Law on Rights and Duties of Judges and Judicial Council;
2) The draft Law on Courts;
3) The draft Law on State Prosecutor’s Office and
4) The draft Law on Constitutional Court of Montenegro.
29/08/2014 - 30/08/2014
Astana - A delegation of the Venice Commission participates in an international conference organized by the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan on “Constitution: stability, peace and social cohesion”.
28/08/2014 - 29/08/2014
Belgrade – following the requests for the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft amendments and additions to the Law on the High Judicial Council and on the Law on the State Prosecutorial Council of the Republic of Serbia, a delegation of the Commission plans to meet with the authorities in order to discuss the draft amendments.
Request for opinion – Serbia
28/08/2014
The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia has requested The Venice Commission’s opinion on draft amendments modifying the Law on financing of political activities.
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” - request for opinion
05/08/2014
The Minister of Justice of "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on 7 amendments to the Constitution concerning, in particular, the Judicial Council, the competence of the Constitutional Court, and the State Audit Office.
Permanent Council of the OSCE
24/07/2014
OSCE, Vienna – The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the Permanent Council of the Ogranisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and had an exchange of views with permanent representatives of participating States.
Ukraine - Constitutional amendments
07/07/2014 - 07/07/2014
The President of Ukraine, Mr Peter Poroshenko, requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine he had submitted to the Verkhovna Rada on 2 July. At its 99th Plenary Session the Venice Commission had, due to the urgency of the matter, authorised the rapporteurs to provide a preliminary opinion without waiting for its adoption by the plenary Commission.
05/07/2014
The Constitutional Court of Colombia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 90 members.
04/07/2014 - 06/07/2014
Batumi - The Venice Commission participated in the 4th Black Sea Regional Conference on "Emerging Challenges to the Right to Privacy", organised by the Constitutional Court of Georgia with the support of the German Co-operation/GIZ.
OSCE/ODIHR - Political Party Expert Seminar
01/07/2014 - 02/07/2014
Warsaw – A Venice Commission expert participated in the 2014 Political Party Expert Seminar organised by the OSCE/ODIHR and moderated the discussions on the “Separation between the state and political parties”.
Georgia – forthcoming opinion – draft legislation on judiciary
30/06/2014
Tbilisi - A delegation of the Venice Commission is in Tbilisi following a request for an opinion from the Georgian authorities on several bills to amend the legislation on the judicial system. In this context, the delegation holds discussions with representatives of the Parliament, the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of Justice and the Supreme Court, as well as with professional associations and civil society.
Belarus – Constitutional justice
27/06/2014 - 28/06/2014
Minsk - Participation of Venice Commission representatives in the Conference on “Constitutional review: Modern Tendencies of Development and Improvement”, organised by the Constitutional Court of Belarus
Serbia – request for opinion
26/06/2014
The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the draft amendments and additions to the Law on the High Judicial Council and to the Law on the State Prosecutorial Council.
26/06/2014 - 27/06/2014
Batumi - Upon invitation by the Constitutional Court of Georgia, the Venice Commission's Joint Council on Constitutional Justice held its 13th meeting in Batumi, which was opened and chaired by the President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia.
The Joint Council:
• elected Ms Kovacs (Constitutional Court of Hungary) as its co-president in respect of the liaison officers;
• held exchanges of views with representatives of the regional and linguistic groups co-operating with the Venice Commission and was informed about this co-operation;
• was informed about the progress ... read more
26/06/2014 - 27/06/2014
Helsinki - The Venice Commission is organising in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice, the Parliament and the National Audit Office of Finland the 11th European Electoral Management Bodies Conference. This major electoral event will take place in Helsinki, Finland, on 26-27 June 2014. The core topic of the Conference is: “Combating the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes”. Discussions will take place in a series of three plenary sessions and nine thematic working groups.
More than 90 participants, representatives of 26 countries and 5 international i... read more
Tunisia – electoral complaints and appeals - Round table and workshop for administrative court judges
24/06/2014 - 26/06/2014
Tunis – A group of Venice Commission experts participates in a round table on electoral complaints and appeals process in Tunisia followed by a workshop for judges of administrative courts on complaints and appeals. These meetings are organised by IFES in co-operation with the Administrative Court and the Ministry of Justice of Tunisia with the support from the EU electoral assistance team, the Venice Commission and the Swiss Embassy in Tunisia.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Cameroun / Burundi
19/06/2014
Strasbourg - The Supreme Court of Cameroun and the Constitutional Court of Burundi joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 89 members.
18/06/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The president of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the Commission’s Annual Report of Activities for 2013. The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ministers Deputies.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Comoros
14/06/2014
Strasbourg - The Constitutional Court of the Union of the Comoros joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 87 members.
13/06/2014 - 14/06/2014
Venice - The Commission
- Paid tribute to the late Jean-Claude Colliard, member of the Venice Commission in respect of France;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Idlir Peçi, Deputy Minister of Justice of Albania and adopted the opinion on the draft amendments to the Civil and Criminal Procedure Codes of Albania;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Vrezh Gasparyan, Chief Adviser to the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and adopted the opinion on the draft law on Making Amendments and Supplements to the Judicial Code of the Republic... read more
Kosovo becomes 60th member of Venice Commission
11/06/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - At the 1202nd meeting, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe examined a request from Kosovo for membership of the Enlarged Agreement establishing the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission). Noting that Kosovo's membership of the Venice Commission is without prejudice to the positions of individual Council of Europe member States on the status of Kosovo, the Deputies agreed to the request and invited Kosovo to appoint a member to sit on the Commission.
02/06/2014 - 04/06/2014
Benguela - Mr Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, participated at the General Assembly of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CJCPLP).
29/05/2014 - 29/05/2014
Tashkent – Following the accession of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, the Venice Commission is co-organising with the Court a Conference on the “Relations of the Constitutional Court with ordinary courts and national human rights institutions” on 29 May.
This activity is organised within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Fi... read more
28/05/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio met with the Minister of Justice Mr Bekir Bozdağ. An exchange of views on the current situation regarding the judiciary in Turkey took place.
27/05/2014
Strasbourg - The authorities of Georgia submitted a request for opinion on five draft laws amending legislation on the judiciary.
Morocco - 13th Training session of collaborators of the Mediators Members of the AOMF
27/05/2014 - 29/05/2014
Rabat - The Venice Commission contributes to a training session of collaborators of the mediators members organised by the President of AOMF and the Mediator Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat on 27-29 May 2014. The general subject of the session will be "Self-referral: methods and impact".
This activity is funded through the Joint EU - Council of Europe programme "Strengthening democratic reform in the Southern Neighbourhood.”
Slovakia – request for opinion - appointment of judges
25/05/2014
Minister of Justice of the Republic of Slovakia requested the Venice Commission an opinion on the procedure of appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic.
Tunisia – freedom of expression
25/05/2014
Tunis - Participation of the Venice Commission representative in the round table on "The application of penal provisions in the D-L 2011-115 relating to freedom of the press, printing and publishing: status and prospects."
This event was organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations in Tunisia in partnership with the Ministry for justice, human rights and transitional justice of Tunisia.
23/05/2014 - 25/05/2014
Kiev - At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the presidential elections of 25 May 2014.
A 52-member delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), headed by Mr Andreas Gross (Switzerland), visits the country from 23 to 26 May to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation is d... read more
22/05/2014 - 23/05/2014
Tbilisi - On 22 May 2014 a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the Georgian Constitutional Reform Commission in the first of a series of working sessions in the framework of Georgia's cooperation with the Council of Europe, which will continue throughout the mandate of the Constitutional Reform Commission.
The delegation, consisting of Venice Commission members from Croatia, Malta, Romania and Switzerland, met with representatives from all five working groups of the Constitutional Reform Commission. They discussed a broad range of issues currently under examination by the... read more
Malta - International Judicial Conference
21/05/2014 - 22/05/2014
Valletta -The Venice Commission is represented at the 17th Annual International Judicial Conference. Its representative takes part in the debates on the Rule of Law and on Constitutions, Legal Systems and Judiciary.
21/05/2014 - 22/05/2014
Bishkek – A Conference on the “Implementation of decisions of a Constitutional Court as a guarantee for the efficiency of constitutional justice” will take place on 21 May in Bishkek and on May 22 at Issyk-Kul lake. The Conference gathers delegations from constitutional courts of several countries, representatives of governmental institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic, non-commercial organisations, academia and international agencies. This event will become a platform for the exchange of experience of and various practices in participating countries in terms of implementing court decisions.... read more
20/05/2014 - 21/05/2014
Bishkek – A delegation of the Venice Commission met with the authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic to discuss the draft amendments to the law on the status of judges and the law on the Constitutional chamber.
19/05/2014 - 19/05/2014
Bishkek – A workshop on drafting decisions was organised for judges of the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic with the objective of teaching them new techniques of drafting court decisions. The judges learnt about the experience of several European Constitutional Courts as well as about the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. On this occasion the participants of the workshop were presented the CODICES InfoBase on Constitutional case-law.
This event was organised jointly with the UNDP office in Bishkek within the projects aimed at supporting the Constitutiona... read more
15/05/2014
Astana - A Roundtable on “International standards and practice in the selection of judges” was organised for judges from courts of all levels, members of the Bar association, MPs, experts and representatives of civil society and the media.
Participants looked at a number of issues including international and European standards and practice for the selection of judges and notably the procedure for the appointment of judges, which is central to judicial independence. The experts of the Venice Commission also had the opportunity to present an earlier Joint Opinion on the constitutiona... read more
12/05/2014 - 15/05/2014
Vienna - The President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio participated in the XVIth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts organised by the Constitutional Court of Austria.
Turkey – symposium on the rule of law
08/05/2014 - 09/05/2014
Istanbul - Participation of Venice Commission representative in a Symposium on “The Rule of Law and Justice”, organised by Yüksel Karkin Küçük Attorney Partnership
07/05/2014 - 07/05/2014
Dushanbe - The Venice Commission is organising a meeting with the Working Group on the law on mediation in Dushanbe following the expert comments on the draft law on mediation provided by the Commission in December 2013.
This activity is organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
06/05/2014
Rome – the Venice Commission was invited to participate in the meeting of International Legal Organizations based in Italy. The event was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy.
05/05/2014 - 06/05/2014
Ouro Preto, Brazil - Under the auspices of the Sub-commission on Latin America, the Supreme Court of Brazil in co-operation with the Venice Commission organise an international workshop on the role of the judges in the protection of economic and social rights in times of economic crisis. Experts from over 20 countries of Europe, North Africa and Latin America will debate on transversal topics such as the constitutional definition of economic and social rights, their limits, the role of the judges in response to austerity measures and the allocation of resources during an economic crisis.
05/05/2014 - 06/05/2014
Dushanbe - Following the request for an opinion made by the Constitutional court of the Republic of Tajikistan on the draft Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Tajikistan, a delegation from the Venice Commission will be going to Dushanbe on 5 and 6 May 2014 to meet with the authorities.
This activity is organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe within the framework of the project "Supporting Constitutional Justice, Access to Justice and Electoral Reform in the Countries of Central Asia" with funding provided by the European Union and ... read more
30/04/2014
Istanbul - “When attending the Conference of Asian Constitutional Courts in Istanbul I was informed about statements by representatives of the executive harshly criticising the Constitutional Court of Turkey. This Court plays a crucial role to uphold the core values of the Council of Europe: the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Recent decisions of the Court have made an important contribution to strengthening the independence of the judiciary and freedom of expression in Turkey. Through these decisions the Court has shown its ability to effectively fulfil its constitutional role as an... read more
Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions
28/04/2014 - 30/04/2014
Istanbul - 2nd Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions.
27/04/2014 - 29/04/2014
Canada - Conference of Heads of Institutions of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language.
25/04/2014 - 28/04/2014
Skopje - A the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the early parliamentary elections of 27 April 2014.
A 21-member delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), headed by Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), visits the country from 25 to 28 April to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The... read more
24/04/2014
Amman – The Venice Commission organises in cooperation with the Constitutional Court of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a conference on “Constitutional Courts and the Judiciary: protecting human rights together”. This conference is part of the Council of Europe-European Union Joint Programme (JP) entitled “Support to the Jordanian authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Jordanian justice system”.
21/04/2014 - 18/05/2014
Tbilisi – At the request of the Central Election Commission of Georgia, an election expert of the Venice Commission in electoral matters will be providing legal assistance to the Central Election Commission of Georgia. The expert is more precisely assisting the Legal Department of the Commission in establishing a training module for district election commissions' members.
Ukraine - First meeting with the constitutional reform Commission of the Ukrainian parliament
15/04/2014
Kyiv - A delegation of the Venice Commission composed of Ms Kiener (Switzerland), Ms Suchocka (Poland), Mr Papuashvili (Georgia) and Mr Scholsem (Belgium), accompanied by an expert of the Directorate General on Democracy of the Council of Europe, Mr Marcou (France), and the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Mr Markert, will have on 15 April 2014 a meeting with the Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada for the preparation of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine.
11/04/2014 - 14/04/2014
Skopje - A the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Venice Commission ensures legal assistance to the Election Observation Mission of the Assembly in the context of the presidential elections of 13 April 2014.
A 21-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly, headed by Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), visits the country from 11 to 14 April to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.
The delegation is due to meet the c... read more
08/04/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, presents the conclusions of the study on "The Protection of Children's rights : International Standards and Domestic Constitutions" to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Turkey – President Buquicchio meets Minister Çavuşoğlu
08/04/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio meets Turkish Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator with the EU Mr Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss recent developments in Turkey and future cooperation with the Venice Commission.
08/04/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, presents the recommendations of the Commission’s opinion on the defamation legislation of Italy to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Medias of the PACE. She notably speaks to the Sub-Commission on Media and Information society.
05/04/2014 - 13/04/2014
Venice - The Training Academy is a pilot project which is aimed at young professionals from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria employed by public or private organisations beneficiaries of EU projects, which are intended to strengthen the human rights, the rule of law and democracy in the region.
The Academy program will enable participants to acquire knowledge and solid competences on human rights, good governance and the principles of the rule of law.
This pilot project is funded by the European Union within the framework of the South Programme, a joint program between the Eu... read more
Armenia – request for opinion on the Draft Law on introducing amendments to the Judicial Code
01/04/2014
The opinion on the Draft Law on Introducing Amendments and Addenda to the Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia
(term of office of court presidents) has been requested by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia by letter of 1 April 2014.
The draft opinion will be submitted to the Venice Commission for adoption at its next plenary session on 13-14 June 2014.
27/03/2014 - 28/03/2014
Sarajevo - A delegation of the Venice Commission, headed by its President, participated in the celebration on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Constitutional Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Conference on “Constitutional Court – Between Negative Legislator and Positive Activism”.
27/03/2014
Paris - The Venice Commission is sad to announce the death of Mr. Jean-Claude Colliard, the member in respect of France (since 2006) and Vice President of the Council for Democratic Elections (since 2010).
Mr Colliard was very active in the Venice Commission: the Commission benefited from his wide experience and competences as President of the Paris University Panthéon-Sorbonne, as well as a professor of law and a member of the Constitutional Council of France, in particular in the field of elections. Professor Colliard contributed to the Commission’s work, participating in the pr... read more
21/03/2014 - 22/03/2014
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista, Venice - The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Dimitry Vyatkin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building of the Russian State Duma and endorsed(*) the opinion on “Whether Draft Federal Constitutional Law No. 462741-6 on amending the Federal Constitutional Law of the Russian Federation on the procedure of admission to the Russian Federation and creation of a new subject within the Russian Federation is compatible with international law”, previously discussed at the joint meeting of the Sub-... read more
12/03/2014 - 14/03/2014
Santo Domingo - The Venice Commission participated in the Xth Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice on "Legal rules and the Supremacy of the Constitution".
12/03/2014 - 14/03/2014
Kyrgyzstan – a series of events will take place in Bishkek on 12-14 March in the framework of the joint project "Support to the Kyrgyz authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Kyrgyz Constitutional justice system” implemented by the Venice Commission with funding provided by the European Union.
A Steering committee meeting will take place on 12 March. The project partners, the Constitutional Chamber, the European Union, the UNDP office in Bishkek and the Venice Commission will get together to discuss the progress made since the start of the joint project as well a... read more
Geneva - Community of Democracies
11/03/2014 - 11/03/2014
Switzerland - Vice-President of the Venice Commission Herdis Thorgeisdottir is participating at a Workshop on "Civil Society, Government and the Law : Best Practices and Lessons learned from Ukraine, Tunisia and Burma". She is a Speaker in the panel on Ukraine.
07/03/2014
Strasbourg - By a letter of 7 March 2014, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe asked the Venice Commission to prepare two urgent opinions: on the compatibility with constitutional principles of the decision of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine to hold a referendum on becoming a constituent territory of the Russian Federation or restoring Crimea’s constitution of 1992, and on the compatibility with international law of the draft Federal Constitutional Law of the Russian Federation on “Amending the Federal Constitutional Law on the procedure of admiss... read more
Request for opinion - Tajikistan
07/03/2014
Chairman of Constitutional Court of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Makhmudov M. A. requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the new draft of the Constitutional Law "About the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Tajikistan".
Kazakhstan – draft Code of Criminal Procedure
06/03/2014 - 07/03/2014
Akbulak - At the invitation of the authorities of Kazakhstan a delegation of the Venice Commission participated in an exchange of views on the draft Code of Criminal Procedure. Members of parliament and the Constitutional Council, judges of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General, Minister of Justice, representatives of the academic world as well as international experts participated in this activity.
26/02/2014 - 27/02/2014
Ashgabat – a roundtable on “Judicial Ethics and Discipline” will take place on 27 February 2014 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
This roundtable is a joint activity of the Venice Commission, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the authorities of Turkmenistan. Participants in this meeting include representatives of the Ministry of Justice, judges from the Supreme Court as well as from lower courts. Discussions will focus on the fundamental issues pertaining to the efficiency of the judiciary, in particular on judicial ethics and judicial discipline.
A possible co-o... read more
18/02/2014
Tirana - A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Albania to meet with the authorities involved in the reform of the judicial system.
18/02/2014 - 19/02/2014
Tbilisi – Venice Commission participates in a post-electoral conference entitled "the 2013 Presidential elections: lessons learned and steps ahead" co-organised by the Council of Europe, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Framework Convention on National Minorities – address by the President of the Venice Commission
12/02/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – President of the Commission Gianni Buquicchio addresses the 49th meeting of the Advisory Committee on the framework convention for the protection of national minorities.
World Conference on Constitutional Justice - Bahrain
09/02/2014
The Constitutional Court of Bahrain joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 86 members.
Democracy in Europe and beyond: the role of the Venice Commission – Diplomatic Club of Geneva
07/02/2014
Penthes Castle, Geneva - President Gianni Buquicchio is invited to speak on the topic "Democracy in Europe and elsewhere: the role of the Venice Commission". The Diplomatic Club of Geneva has organised the event.
05/02/2014 - 06/02/2014
Pristina - A delegation of the Venice Commission is visiting Kosovo as part of the preparation, at the request of the Special Representative of the EU in Kosovo, of an opinion on a draft law amending the legislation on freedom of religion.
Rapporteurs of the Commission are to discuss the proposed amendments with local officials, representatives of different religious communities and of international institutions.
* - All references to Kosovo shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of... read more
European Parliament - Tunisia
05/02/2014
Strasbourg - Participation of the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio in a meeting at the European Parliament on the Tunisian constitution.
01/02/2014 - 02/02/2014
Nagoya - Participation of the Venice Commission in the symposium on “Institutional Design for Conflict Resolution and Negotiation: Theory and Practice” organised by the Graduate School of Law at Nagoya University.
31/01/2014
Tunisia has a democratic Constitution since Monday, 27 January 2014!
This well drafted text, adopted by the National Constituent Assembly with an overwhelming majority, bears witness to the Tunisian people’s ability to be united faced with the challenge of building, in the near future, a modern country with democratic institutions and where all the political forces, the civil society, the men and women of all ages, in particular young people, have their dignity and their role.
The Venice Commission welcomes this accomplishment.
Following the fruitful discussio... read more
Turkey - Legal entities of non-Muslims: problems and rights - international conference
30/01/2014
Istanbul, Bilgi Üniversitesi Dolapdere Campus – Participation of Mr Christopher Grabenwarter, Austrian member of the Venice Commission, in a conference on “Legal entities of non-Muslims: problems and rights” organised by Istanbul Bilgi University.
EU – protecting fundamental values in the member states – international expert round table
30/01/2014
Berlin – Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert is invited to participate in an Expert Roundtable on legal mechanisms and reforms of EU Law entitled “From commitment to action: protecting fundamental values in the EU member states”. The event is organised by the Walter Hallstein Institut and Democracy Reporting International.
27/01/2014 - 28/01/2014
Warsaw – The Venice Commission, represented by its Moldovan member Mr Nicolae Esanu, participated in the meeting of the OSCE/ ODHIR Panel on freedom of assembly.
The agenda includes an exchange of views on the most recent developments in the field and discussions on specific topics related to the freedom of assembly in the framework of the revision of the joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODHIR Guidelines on freedom of assembly.
European Parliament – address by the President of the Venice Commission
27/01/2014
Brussels - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, is invited by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (AFET) to exchange of views with the MEPs on the constitutional developments in Tunisia and the judicial reform in Turkey.
26/01/2014 - 27/01/2014
Tunis, Bardo Palais - On 26 January 2014, the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia adopted its new constitution by an overwhelming majority of 200 votes in favour, 12 against and 4 abstentions. On 27 January, the Constitution was promulgated by the President of the Republic, Mr Moncef Marzouki, the President of the NCA Mr Mustapha Ben Jaafar and the outgoing Prime Minister Mr Ali Laarayedh.
The Venice Commission was invited to participate in the ceremony of promulgation.
20/01/2014 - 22/01/2014
Chisinau - A delegation of the Venice Commission lead by its Secretary Thomas Markert, is meeting with the authorities to discuss the electoral reform in view of the forthcoming opinion on the subject.
Experts of the OSCE/ ODIHR also participate in the visit and the preparation of the forthcoming opinion which is scheduled for adoption at the March 2014 plenary session.
Armenia – draft judicial code – country visit in view of a forthcoming opinion
20/01/2014 - 21/01/2014
Erevan - A delegation of the Venice Commission is meeting with the authorities to discuss the draft law “On Making Amendments and Supplements to the Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia” in view of the forthcoming opinion on this draft. The draft opinion is scheduled for adoption at the March 2014 plenary session.
Georgia – Visit by the President and the Secretary of the Commission
16/01/2014 - 17/01/2014
Tbilisi – President Gianni Buquicchio and Secretary Thomas Markert are in Georgia to exchange views with the authorities on future cooperation in general and discuss with the Georgian Parliament the co-operation with the State Constitutional Commission and the electoral reform in particular.
Italy – International seminar on democratic oversight
16/01/2014
European University Institute, Florence - Participation of the Venice Commission’s representatives in a workshop on "Reinforcing Democratic Oversight in the European Union?" organised by the Global Governance Programme of the European University Institute and Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.
14/01/2014
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - I was asked about the position of the Venice Commission on the proposed amendments to the Turkish legislation on the judiciary and in particular on the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors.
First of all, I would like to underline that the Venice Commission has not seen and even less, examined this text. However, we are aware that serious concerns have been raised as to the compatibility of the amendments with international standards and the Turkish Constitution. By contrast, the current legislation, introduced only a few years ago, was positively ... read more
Republic of Moldova – Request for opinion
10/01/2014
The Ministry of Justice of Republic of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the Draft law on amending the Law on intelligence and security service and the Law on special investigative activity.
Republic of Moldova – Request for opinion
09/01/2014
The Ministry of Justice of Republic of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the Draft law on disciplinary liability of judges.
08/01/2014
Rabat - a delegation of experts of the Venice Commission and the CEPEJ are meeting representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Freedoms and professional associations of judges for a first exchange of views on two draft organic laws (on Superior Council of the Judiciary and Status of Judges) prepared in accordance with Title VII of the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, adopted in July 2011.
07/01/2014 - 08/01/2014
Tripoli - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio, accompanied by Michael Frendo and Rafâa Ben Achour, members of the Venice Commission for Malta and Tunisia, visited Tripoli on 7 and 8 January 2014 following the invitation of the General national Congress of Libya. The delegation exchanged views with the authorities on the Libyan constitutional process and discussed possible cooperation on the drafting of the new Constitution.
During the visit the delegation of the Venice Commission met with:
• Mr. Abu Ali Nuri Sahmain, Chairman of the General National Congre... read more