30/12/2019
The Speaker of the Assembly of Albania made a request for an opinion of the Venice Commission on the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.
23/12/2019
On 23 December 2019, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Fadei Nagacevschi, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amending the Law No. 947/1996 on Superior Council of Magistracy.
19/12/2019 - 20/12/2019
Chisinau - The President of the Venice Commission, accompanied by the Deputy Secretary of the Commission, paid a visit to Chisinau following the invitation of the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.
The delegation held meetings and exchanged views with the Speaker of the Parliament, the Chair and the members of the Legal Committee on Appointments and Immunities of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice as well as the Superior Council of Magistrates, judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and other judges.
17/12/2019
Tunis – the Venice Commission organised a seminar on 17 December 2019 in Tunis entitled "The budget and financial autonomy of the Tunisian independent bodies".
This meeting brought together representatives of independent bodies and was an opportunity to discuss certain questions relating to their financial autonomy and in particular the budgetary questions, in the light of new texts related to Tunisian independent bodies such as the Organic Budget Law adopted in 2019.
The preparation and adoption of the budget of the (constitutional and other) bodies was also examined, a... read more
Turkey - Request for opinion - Congress
17/12/2019
Strasbourg – The Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the decisions regarding elected mayors taken after the 31 March 2019 elections in the south-east of Turkey.
12/12/2019
Palais des Droits de l'Homme, Strasbourg - On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the René Cassin Foundation - International Institute of Human Rights organised, with the support of the City of Strasbourg, a conference on "The state of the Rule of Law in Europe ". This event took place in Strasbourg in the premises of the European Court of Human Rights (Press Room) on 12 December 2019.
The purpose of this day, which was intended for a very wide audience, was the definition of the rule of law, the presentation of the normative framework and the setting up of a new monitoring and s... read more
12/12/2019 - 13/12/2019
Gammarth - The Commission organised in cooperation with the Administrative Tribunal of Tunisia, the German IRZ Foundation and the Arab Union of Administrative Justice an international symposium on "Administrative Justice and Electoral Disputes".
The President of the Venice Commission Mr Buquicchio addressed the participants during the first day of the colloquium.
The event took place in the framework of the Joint Council of Europe-European Union project “Improving the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia (AP- JUST)”, funded by the EU and the Counci... read more
11/12/2019
Nicosia - The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights of Cyprus and the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen a conference entitled “The role of "the Venice Principles" in strengthening the ombudsman institutions".
06/12/2019 - 07/12/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
67th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
05/12/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
Request for opinion – PACE / Latvia
04/12/2019
Paris - at its meeting in Paris on 4 December 2019, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on recent amendments to the legislation on education in minority languages in Latvia.
02/12/2019
Moscow – The Chair of the Scientific Council of the Venice Commission professor Jan HELGESEN as well as other members of the Commission participated in the IXth International Congress of Comparative Law. The event was entitled «LEGAL VALUES IN THE FOCUS OF COMPARATIVE LAW» and organised by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law of the Government of the Russian Federation.
02/12/2019 - 03/12/2019
Tbilisi - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and The Venice Commission held a Regional Parliamentary Conference on “Preventing and responding to the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes: the role of national parliaments”. The event was hosted by the Parliament of Georgia.
This conference was organised for parliamentarians and central election commissions from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as part of the project financed by voluntary contributions to the Action Plans for Georgia and Ukraine.
29/11/2019
Tbilisi – The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Electoral Assistance Division of the Directorate General for Democracy of the Council of Europe and the Georgian authorities, organised a seminar entitled “Election dispute resolution in Georgia: challenges and steps ahead”.
29/11/2019
Tbilisi – The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Electoral Assistance Division of the Directorate General for Democracy of the Council of Europe and the Georgian authorities, has elaborated a Toolkit for election dispute resolution.
It was presented to the actors concerned by the processes of election dispute resolution in Georgia.
27/11/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the President of the Venice Commission made the following statement:
“Following my meeting with the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, I am very concerned about the current conflicts among the different institutions of the state.
Self-serving and divisive attitudes must be avoided. The Republic of Moldova needs to prove that it is a viable constitutional state, governed by the Rule of Law.
The Constitution must be respected. The mandate and powers of the State institutions must be observed. In this respect I ... read more
26/11/2019 - 27/11/2019
National Assembly of Armenia, Yerevan – The First Vice President Venice Commission Ms Herdís Kjerulf Thorgeirsdóttir represented the Venice Commission at the High-Level International Conference at the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the institution of the Human Rights Defender.
Ms Kjerulf Thorgeirsdóttir intervened in the panel of freedom of expression and hate speech.
26/11/2019 - 27/11/2019
Rabat - The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Ombudsman Institution and the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen a training session for Ombudsmen’s collaborators on the topic “The own initiative”.
This training session gathered participants from Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Jordan, North Macedonia, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey.
20/11/2019 - 21/11/2019
Warsaw – A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the 14th annual Implementation Meeting of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. The event was organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The meeting hosted a High Level Panel on new trends in elections and how to observe them, followed by six thematic sessions focusing on:
• the follow up to electoral recommendations,
• citizen observation of elections,
• the use of technology in elections,
• the role of social media... read more
20/11/2019 - 22/11/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Venice Commission was invited to participate in the Octopus Conference 2019: "Cooperation against Cybercrime" organised by the Council of Europe department in charge of the action against cybercrime.
The Venice Commission co-organised Workshop No. 5 dedicated to "Cybercrime, “fake news” and election interference", where several representatives intervened on behalf of the Commission.
17/11/2019
Minsk - A delegation of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the of the early parliamentary elections held on 17 November 2019 in Belarus.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
13/11/2019 - 14/11/2019
Panama City – The Venice Commission was invited to participate in the XIVth Inter-American Meeting of Electoral Management Bodies. The event is co-organised by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama and the Organisation of American States. A representative of the Venice Commission intervened on good practices in electoral reform processes.
The participation of the Venice Commission was funded through the joint EU-Council of Europe project “Support to reforms of electoral legislation and practice and regional Human Rights instruments and mechanisms in countries of Latin America, Central A... read more
11/11/2019 - 12/11/2019
Kyiv - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on recent amendments to the legal framework in Ukraine governing the Supreme Court and judicial self-governing bodies, a Venice Commission delegation participated in a series of meetings which took place in Kiev, from 11 to 12 November 2019.
This opinion was discussed at the December 2019 Plenary session of the Commission (6-7 December 2019, Venice).
07/11/2019 - 08/11/2019
Sofia - a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Sofia to discuss with the authorities and other stakeholders the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Judicial System Act concerning criminal prosecutions against the Prosecutor General and two chief judges.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the plenary session of December 2019.
06/11/2019 - 08/11/2019
Los Cabos - A delegation of the Venice Commission participated in the 3d Plenary Assembly of the Global Network of Electoral Justice debating on mechanisms of representation, equal access to electoral justice and democracy and corruption.
The participation of the Venice Commission was funded through the joint EU-Council of Europe project “Support to reforms of electoral legislation and practice and regional Human Rights instruments and mechanisms in countries of Latin America, Central Asia and Mongolia”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Venice Commission.
05/11/2019
Tunis - The Venice Commission organised a meeting with representatives of Tunisian independent bodies on the presentation of the independent bodies' diagnosis by independent experts Ms Neila Chaabane and Mr Chafik Sarsar.
This meeting was an opportunity to discuss some issues related to the finalisation of the normative framework of the bodies as well as their establishment and operation, analysing the achievements, lessons learned and recommendations. The question of independence and especially the budgetary issues was discussed in the light of the new texts related to independent... read more
04/11/2019 - 06/11/2019
Amman - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Prime Ministry of Jordan /Institutional Performance and Policy Department and the General Personnel of Palestine*, organised the 10th UniDem Med Regional Seminar entitled "Leading Innovation in the Civil Service : from Rule of Law Standards to Leadership ".
This seminar brought together senior officials and experts from Europe and five Southern Mediterranean partner countries (Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia) to exchange best practices in terms of innovation and leadership in the civil service based on the resp... read more
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA – forthcoming opinion – country visit
04/11/2019 - 05/11/2019
Sarajevo – a joint delegation of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR paid a visit to Sarajevo to discuss with the authorities and other stakeholders the legal framework governing the right to freedom of assembly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in its two entities and Brčko district.
The draft joint opinion is on the agenda of the plenary session of December 2019.
31/10/2019
Strasbourg – The President of the Constitutional Court of Korea and the President of the Venice Commission discussed bi-lateral co-operation as well as co-operation between the Secretariat for Research and Development of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and the Venice Commission.
30/10/2019 - 30/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Commission Mr Buquicchio presented the Venice Principles on the ombudsman institutions at the plenary session of the Congress of the Council of Europe.
The statement was followed by a debate and a vote on the draft resolution CG37(2019)15. The Congress subsequently endorsed the Commission's text.
30/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission met with a high-level delegation of the Philippines to exchange views on possible cooperation.
29/10/2019
"I have been closely following the situation in Armenia for several months already.
I am very preoccupied about the open conflict between on the one side the Government and Parliament and on the other side the Constitutional Court.
The quick succession and mediatisation of recent events do not contribute to a serene settlement of the problems.
In a Democracy, the parliament is the depositary of popular sovereignty and thus enjoys the highest democratic legitimacy. The constitutional court is a safeguard institution, entrusted with upholding constitutional values.... read more
28/10/2019 - 29/10/2019
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) and the European Commission for the efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised the 7th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy on " The High Councils for the Judiciary and the independence of the judiciary”.
This regional event was organised under the auspices of the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and it was opened by Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission.
The 7th Intercultural Workshop on Democracy was held in... read more
24/10/2019 - 25/10/2019
Kiev – A delegation of the Venice Commission travelled to Kiev in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Law on Ensuring the Functioning of Ukrainian as the State Language.
The delegation exchanged views with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and different political parties represented in Parliament as well as civil society and international community.
The draft opinion, requested by the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, is on the agenda of the December plenary session.
24/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Commission met with the Speaker of the Moldovan parliament to discuss recent developments in the country as well as future collaboration.
24/10/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the President of the Commission met with the President of the Verkhovna Rada and discussed the current situation in Ukraine and some pending reforms in the country.
23/10/2019 - 24/10/2019
Rabat - The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Ombudmsan Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco, along with the Association of Ombudsman and Mediators of the Francophonie (AOMF) as well as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, a conference on “Children’s rights, a priority for parliamentarians and ombudsman of the Francophonie”.
The conference was an opportunity to present the Venice Commission’s report on children’s rights in constitutions, the Lanzarote convention and the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe CM/Rec(2019)1... read more
16/10/2019
By letter of 7 October 2019, M. Turcan, the President of the Constitutional Court of Moldova, requested an amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission concerning a pending application which challenges the constitutionality of some provisions of the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office.
11/10/2019 - 12/10/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - The Commission
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Taulant Balla, member of the Assembly of Albania, and with Ms Ilda Zhulali, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Albania, and adopted the opinion on the scope of the power of the President to set the dates of elections, previously jointly examined by the Sub-Commissions on Democratic Institutions and on Latin America as well as by the Council for Democratic Elections on 10 October 2019;
- Held an exchange of views with Ms Klothilda Bushka, member of the Assembl... read more
66th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
10/10/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
12/10/2019
Venice - At the occasion of a visit of a delegation of the Conference of African Constitutional Jurisdictions and the President of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia, the Venice Commission organised an Informal Exchange on Constitutional Justice between these delegations and its members on the topic of the relations between constitutional courts and parliaments.
07/10/2019 - 08/10/2019
Sarajevo - The Venice Commission participated in the Second Meeting of the Regional Electoral Jurisprudence Working Group, which discussed the following issues: the procedural challenges in election dispute resolution; the evidentiary issues in election cases, including recounts and audits; the issue of annulment of election results; social media and the spread of disinformation in elections; and vote buying, campaign finance violations and abuse of State resources.
04/10/2019
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the recent amendments to the legal framework in Ukraine governing the Supreme Court and judicial self-governing bodies.
03/10/2019
Tunis - The Venice Commission organised a seminar on the institutional communication of Tunisian independent bodies entitled "Tunisian independent bodies: the keys to a successful communication policy".
The seminar met the needs of independent bodies to improve visibility and structure their communication in their day-to-day relations with civil society, other state bodies, the authorities, the private sector, and the media. The seminar also reflected on the need and the form of coordination between the various bodies in the field of communication. Recommendations were formulated ... read more
02/10/2019
By letter of 24 September 2019 the Minister of Justice of Bulgaria Mr D. Kirilov requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Code of Criminal Proceedings concerning criminal investigations against top magistrates.
Election observation and electoral dispute resolution – OSCE/ODIHR seminar
01/10/2019
Vienna – The Venice Commission took part in an OSCE/ODIHR seminar on election observation and electoral dispute resolution.
The seminar reviewed OSCE commitments and international obligations of the OSCE member States as well as other standards for democratic elections with a focus on electoral dispute resolution.
ALBANIA - “Denied by the system: establishing an all-inclusive system to protect democracy” - conference
25/09/2019
Tirana – The Venice Commission participated in a conference entitled “Denied by the system: establishing an all-inclusive system to protect democracy”.
The event was organised by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Ad Hoc Committee on Electoral Reform of the Albanian Parliament.
25/09/2019 - 26/09/2019
Ljubljana – The Venice Commission participated in the 28th Annual Conference of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO). The topic of the event was “Judicial protection of electoral rights and the transparency of elections”.
The annual conference focused on the following issues of protection of electoral rights:
- best practices of the EMBs' dialogue with other stakeholders;
- most effective ways of the cooperation between the EMBs and the courts;
- practical aspects of transparency of elections from the perspective of the EMBs.
23/09/2019 - 24/09/2019
Lima – A delegation of the Venice Commission travelled to Lima in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the constitutional reform regarding early elections proposed by the President of Peru.
The delegation led by the Commission’s Secretary Mr Thomas Markert, met with the Speaker and representatives of different political groups of the Congress, the Presidency, representatives of the Council of Ministers and members of the Constitutional Court. The delegation also exchanged views with Peruvian lawyers specialised in constitutional law.
The visit was org... read more
23/09/2019 - 24/09/2019
Istanbul - The Venice Commission participated in a conference organised by the Constitutional Court of Turkey and the Council of Europe - DGI. The topic of the event was “Review and way forward for the individual application system, seven years on”.
Mr Gianni Buquicchio, the President of the Venice Commission, made an opening presentation.
19/09/2019 - 20/09/2019
Chisinau - a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Moldova in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on the reform of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Prosecutor’s Office.
The delegation has exchanged views with representatives of the Moldovan authorities, as well as civil society.
The draft opinion, requested by the Minister of Justice, was submitted to the Venice Commission for examination and adoption at its October 2019 session in Venice.
19/09/2019
Podgorica – An expert of the Venice Commission visited Podgorica with a view to providing expert advice on the draft code of ethics for political parties during election campaigns.
The expert exchanged views with the Chairman and some members of the Committee on Further Reform of Electoral and Other Legislation, the Chairman and members of the State Electoral Commission and the representatives of the OSCE mission in Podgorica.
This visit was financed through "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey", a Joint Programme funded by the European Union and th... read more
18/09/2019 - 19/09/2019
Tirana – In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on a draft law concerning immovable property, which aims to finalise transitional ownership processes, a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Albania from 18 to 19 September 2019.
The delegation met MPs, representatives of several Ministries (Justice, Interior, Finance and Economy, Europe and Foreign Affairs and others), the Ombudsman and the State Advocate, representatives of the Albanian judiciary, civil society as well as representatives of the international community present in the country.
The dra... read more
16/09/2019 - 17/09/2019
Yerevan - a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Armenia in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the amendments to the Judicial Code and to the related laws with regard to the integrity and disciplinary liability of judges.
The delegation exchanged views with representatives of the Armenian authorities, as well as civil society and other stakeholders.
The draft opinion, requested by the Minister of Justice, was submitted to the Venice Commission for examination and possible adoption at its October 2019 session in Venice.
16/09/2019 - 17/09/2019
Madrid - The Venice Commission participated in the II International Conference on “Cybersecurity and Electoral Justice”. A representative of the Commission delivered a contribution on the topic “Exponential progress of technology and disinformation and repercussion on electoral campaigns on social networks”.
10/09/2019
The Minister of Justice of Republic of Moldova requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion, at its earliest convenience, on the draft law on the reform of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Prosecutor’s Office.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the Venice Commission’s October 2019 plenary session.
10/09/2019 - 11/09/2019
Tirana - a delegation of the Venice Commission visited Albania in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the powers of a President to set the dates of elections in a parliamentary system.
The delegation met the following Albanian authorities: the President of Albania, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Assembly and the representatives of the majority and the opposition at the Assembly, including the Special Investigatory Commission as well as the Minister of Interior, the representatives of the Central Elections Commission and the acting President of th... read more
10/09/2019
Mr V. Turcan, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, requested amicus curiae brief by the Venice Commission on the criminal liability of judges of the Constitutional Court.
09/09/2019
Following his announcement made on 15 July this year, on 9 September 2019, the Minister of Justice of Armenia requested the Venice Commission and the Justice and Legal Cooperation Department of the DGI of the Council of Europe to provide a Joint Opinion on the amendments to the Judicial Code and to the related laws with regard to the integrity and disciplinary liability of judges.
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe - “The Venice Principles“
05/09/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Jan Helgesen, President of the Scientific Council of the Venice Commission, participated in the Informal meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the respective contributions of national human rights institutions and ombudspersons to human rights and the rule of law. Mr Helgesen presented Commission’s “Venice Principles “ on ombudsman institutions as a contribution to the discussions.
05/09/2019 - 06/09/2019
Skopje – In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the law on the use of languages of North Macedonia, a Venice Commission delegation traveled to Skopje on 5-6 September 2019 to exchange views with the authorities and the representatives of the non-majority communities.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the October 2019 plenary session of the Commission. The preparation of this draft opinion was funded through the framework of the "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey", a joint programme funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe... read more
16/08/2019
The Speaker of the Congress of the Peruvian Republic requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the constitutional reform concerning early elections proposed by the President of Peru.
The preparation of the opinion will be funded in the framework of the joint EU-Council of Europe project “Support to reforms of electoral legislation and practice and regional Human Rights instruments and mechanisms in countries of Latin America, Central Asia and Mongolia”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Venice Commission.
08/08/2019
Tunis - Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a meeting between the independent constitutional bodies and civil society on the latest legislative initiatives concerning the independent bodies in Tunisia.
The Venice Commission is involved in the evaluation of the legal framework for the functioning of the independent bodies of Tunisia. This activity is part of the joint EU - Council of Europe programme entitled ‘Project of assistance to independent institutions in Tunisia” (PAII-T).
This event was followed by a meeting of a technical group composed of... read more
02/08/2019
The President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia made a request for an amicus curiae brief relating to Article 300.1 of the Armenian Criminal Code.
26/07/2019
The Minister of Justice of Armenia requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the constitutional implications of the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) for Armenia.
24/07/2019
The Speaker of the Assembly of Albania requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion, at its earliest convenience, on the powers of a President to set the dates of elections in a parliamentary system.
19/07/2019
The authorities of Kosovo requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the draft law on legal acts.
15/07/2019
Strasbourg - Within the framework of the fruitful cooperation between the Armenian authorities and the Venice Commission as concerns in particular the ongoing judicial reform, following a meeting between the Minister of Justice and President Buquicchio on 2 July 2019, the Minister has announced that he will request the Commission’s opinion on the draft amendments to the Judicial Code which are currently being prepared in consultation with the Council of Europe, once they are ready.
11/07/2019
London - on the side-lines of the Global forum for media freedom, the Commission’s 1st Vice president Ms Herdis Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir met the Special Envoy of the Council of Europe on death penalty Ms Bianca Jagger. They discussed the urgent need to better protect journalists and other relevant issues raised by the Forum.
10/07/2019 - 12/07/2019
Strasbourg – A study visit to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights for members of two Working Groups under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on improvement of the electoral legislation and on monitoring the judiciary reform took place on 10-12 July 2019. The participants were able to follow closely the work of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, judges and lawyers of the EctHR and other bodies and services of the Council of Europe.
During the seminar organised on 11 July the participants learnt about European standards in the field of gend... read more
10/07/2019 - 11/07/2019
London – the United Kingdom and Canada co-hosted the “Global Conference for Media Freedom” co-organised by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Global Affairs Canada, in London on 10-11 July 2019. This conference was the first of its kind.
Upon invitation, the members of the Sub-committee on Media and Information Society of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly organised a workshop entitled “Keeping journalists safe – what international organisations can do” which was part of the Conference’s session on “Regional Mechanisms ... read more
08/07/2019
Strasbourg – Following the request of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Mugemangango v. Belgium, the Venice Commission answered the following question:
"What are the adequate and sufficient procedural safeguards that a State must provide in the framework of a procedure for contesting the outcome of an election (notably in the event of allegations of irregularities during the electoral process) or the distribution of seats? In particular, what qualities should the body in charge of examining appeals on election results require?".
The amicus curiae brief wa... read more
Democracy and the Rule of Law in the EU – international conference
05/07/2019
Brussels – Ms Veronika Bilkova, Vice President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission at an international conference on “Democracy and the Rule of Law in the EU” organised by RECONNECT - a research project on ‘Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and the Rule of Law’. Professor Bilkova participated in the Policy Roundtable “Rule of Law in the European Union”.
02/07/2019
The Supreme Court of India has joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice bringing its total membership to 116 Courts from 5 continents!
27/06/2019
Bratislava - The President of the Venice Commission had a meeting with the President of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, Mr Ivan Fiačan.
27/06/2019 - 28/06/2019
Bratislava - The Venice Commission held the 16th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies, in co-operation with the Section for Public Administration of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic and the State Commission for the Elections and Control of Political Parties Funding.
This year the European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies was devoted to the theme of the election dispute resolution.
26/06/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - On 26 June 2019 the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the compliance with the Council of Europe and other international standards of national parliamentary elections organised in a State’s nationwide constituency which is not within internationally recognised borders.
The opinion will be discussed at one of the forthcoming Plenary Sessions of the Commission.
21/06/2019 - 22/06/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
65th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
20/06/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
17/06/2019 - 20/06/2019
Seoul, Korea – The Secretariat for Research and Development established by the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC SRD) held its 2nd International Symposium on June 17-20 in Seoul, Korea on the topic “Constitutional Justice and Democracy”. The participants included the member States of the AACC and the European Court of Human Rights, which was invited as a special guest.
The aim of this Symposium was to promote the sharing of knowledge and to discuss constitutional review, including the criteria of constitutionality of statutes, in the mem... read more
12/06/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission accomplished in 2018.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
Canada’s request to become a full member of the Commission was approved by the Committee of Ministers.
12/06/2019 - 14/06/2019
Marrakech - The Venice Commission, in cooperation with the Ministry of Reform of the Administration and the Civil Service of the Kingdom of Morocco, organised the 9th UniDem Med Regional Seminar entitled "Towards a public service closer to the citizens: models and good practices ".
This seminar brought together senior officials and experts from Europe and the Southern Mediterranean (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine *, Tunisia) to exchange best practices in terms of bringing the administration and users closer together based on respect the rule of law and fundamental princip... read more
11/06/2019
Today the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe has joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice bringing its total membership to 115 courts from 4 continents!
10/06/2019 - 13/06/2019
Luanda,Anglola - the Venice Commission participated in the 5th Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa.
09/06/2019
Strasbourg - the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional situation in Moldova with specific reference to the conditions for the dissolution of parliament.
The draft opinion was discussed by the plenary session of the Venice Commission on 21 June 2019.
08/06/2019 - 09/06/2019
Yerevan – The Venice Commission participated in a brainstorming workshop with Members of Parliament of Armenia on the reform of the legal framework governing elections. The event was co-organised by IFES, USAID and the Parliament of Armenia.
07/06/2019
Ulaanbataar - On the sidelines of the conference organised with the Constitutional Court, Mr Buquicchio met with the Speaker of Parliament Mr Gombojavyn Zandanshatar. The President of Mongolia Mr Khaltmaagiyn Battulga also met with Mr Buquicchio.
06/06/2019 - 07/06/2019
Ulaanbataar - The Constitutional Court of Mongolia and the Venice Commission organised a conference "Separation of powers and Constitutional Court". The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the event.
30/05/2019 - 31/05/2019
Minsk – The Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Belarus organised a conference entitled "Modern Constitutional development: the role of the constitutional review in constitutionalisation of law". The event is devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Belarus. On the sidelines of the conference, a meeting of the Conference of Constitutional Control Organs of Countries of New Democracy - CCCOCND - took place.
A delegation of the Venice Commission lead by its 1st Vice President of the Venice Commission Ms Herdis Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir, represented ... read more
“Venice Principles” - PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
29/05/2019
Paris - Mr Igli Totozani, expert and former Advocates’ People of Albania, exchanged views with the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and presented “the Venice Principles” as adopted by the Venice Commission at its March 2019 plenary session and endorsed by the Committee of Ministers on 2 May 2019.
28/05/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – By a letter dated 13 May 2019 the Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Mr I. Rainin requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the draft law “On the Bar and Practice of Law”.
23/05/2019 - 24/05/2019
Podgorica - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on freedom of religion and beliefs and legal status of religious communities of Montenegro, a Venice Commission delegation travelled to Podgorica on 23 - 24 May 2019 to exchange views with the authorities, representatives of religious communities and civil society organisations.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the June 2019 plenary session of the Commission.
23/05/2019 - 24/05/2019
Rome - The Constitutional Court of Italy hosted the 18th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice of the Venice Commission. The topic of this year's mini conference was the "Independence of the judiciary, the role of the constitutional courts".
22/05/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – by a letter dated 22 May 2019 the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on “Ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a State language”.
The draft opinion will be discussed by the Commission after the parliamentary elections of July 2019, at its December 2019 plenary session.
22/05/2019
Strasbourg - The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly decided to ask the Venice Commission to produce an overall assessment of the legal framework governing freedom of peaceful assembly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its two entities and in the Brčko district.
21/05/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Mr Thomas MARKERT, Secretary of the Venice Commission, met with a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, notably with Mr Chan AYE, Director General of the Department of International Organisations and Economics, and Mr Thet WIN, Head of Unit at the Political Department.
The visit was organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Ltd.
21/05/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – the Venice Commission has published today the issue № 3/2018 of its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-law.
The Commission publishes the e-Bulletin three times a year in English and in French. Each issue contains important judgments handed down by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction. Some 100 liaison officers from around the world, specially appointed by such courts, contribute to the e-Bulletin.
17/05/2019
By a letter dated 17 May 2019, the Minister of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on freedom of religion and beliefs and legal status of religious communities.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the June 2019 plenary session of the Commission.
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion, a Venice Commission delegation will travel to Podgorica on 23 - 24 May 2019 to exchange views with the authorities, representatives of religious communities and civil society organisations.
14/05/2019
By a letter dated 6 May 2019, the Speaker of the parliament of Albania requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the finalisation of transitional ownership processes.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the October 2019 plenary session.
14/05/2019
Ottawa/Strasbourg - In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Th. Jagland, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada Honourable Crystia Freeland, P.C.,M.P., expressed her government’s wish to join the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe as a full member.
In accordance with the Statute of the Commission, such requests are dealt with by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Canada’s accession to the Venice Commission will be discussed by the Ministers’ Deputies on 12 June 2019.
Canada has enjoyed the status of an o... read more
14/05/2019
Saint-Petersburg - The International Conference «Constitutional Identity and Universal Values: the Art of Balance» was held on 14 May 2019 within the framework of the IXth St. Petersburg International Legal Forum. The event was organised by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.
Vice President of the Commission Veronika Bilkova delivered a keynote report on the “Human rights and populism”.
06/05/2019 - 07/05/2019
Lund - The Venice Commission, Finland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe and the Faculty of Law at Lund University (Sweden) organised a scientific conference entitled “The state of democracy thirty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain”.
This conference in Lund is a follow-up to a seminar held in Lund in May 2000, which featured discussions on the development of the young democracies in Central and Eastern Europe.
05/05/2019
Skopje - A delegation of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the 2nd round of the presidential election held on 5 May 2019 in North Macedonia.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the 1st round of the elections.
01/05/2019 - 03/05/2019
Montreal - The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni BUQUICCIO participated in the 8th Congress of the Association of Constitutional Courts using the French Language (ACCPUF).
30/04/2019
Budapest / Strasbourg - In an exchange of letters with President Buquicchio the Minister of Justice of Hungary, Mr Laszlo Trocsanyi, stated that according to his interpretation of the law, the procedural guarantees provided by the Act on Administrative Courts for the procedure of appointing judges, in particular the possibility for judicial review of the decisions of the Minister, were applicable also during the transitional period.
This interpretation provided also on the web-site of the Ministry, if it were followed by the courts, would remove concerns about insufficient guarant... read more
25/04/2019
Tachkent - The Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Mr M. Frendo took part in the Tashkent Law Spring Forum organised by the Ministry of justice of Uzbekistan.
24/04/2019 - 25/04/2019
Bucharest - in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Emergency Ordinance (EGO 7(2019)) on amendments to “the laws of justice” of Romania, a Venice Commission delegation traveled to Bucharest to exchange views with the authorities, representatives of civil society and international organisations present on the spot.
19/04/2019 - 22/04/2019
Skopje - A delegation of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the 1st round of the presidential election held on 21 April 2019 in North Macedonia.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the 1st round of the elections.
17/04/2019
Tunis – as part of the preparation of the Venice Commission's draft opinion on the "Draft organic law on the Authority for Sustainable Development and the Rights of Future Generations ", a Commission’s delegation visited Tunis in order to exchange views with the authorities, representatives of civil society and international organisations present on the spot.
GEORGIA - Urgent opinion on the nomination of Supreme Court judges
16/04/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today, the Venice Commission, under its new Protocol on the preparation of urgent opinions, has issued an Urgent Opinion for Georgia on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges. The request for this urgent opinion was made on 11 March 2019 by the Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia.
15/04/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - the Venice Commission is looking for a maximum of 10 proof-readers for the provision of consultancy services for e-Bulletin and on constitutional case-law and database CODICES to be requested on an as needed basis.
The Venice Commission publishes the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-law three times a year in English and in French. Each issue contains important judgments handed down by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction. The regular issues are supplemented by a series of special bulletins on various topics.
The... read more
15/04/2019
Sofia / Veliko Tarnovo - The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the celebration of the 140th anniversary of the Constitution that had been enacted in Veliko Tarnovo, former capital of Bulgaria. On this occasion the President held meetings with the government officials.
BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA – TAIEX Workshop on Judicial review
11/04/2019
Sarajevo - The Venice Commission participated in the workshop on “Judicial review of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council decisions on appointment and appraisal”.
The event was organised and funded by the EU TAIEX – the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the European Commission in co-operation with the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of the country.
11/04/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission respectively, exchanged views with Mr Nikol PASHINYAN, the Prime Minister of Armenia, on the recent cooperation between the Commission and Armenia and the latest developments in that country. The Prime Minister was attending the session of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe.
10/04/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO and Mr Thomas MARKERT, the President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission respectively, exchanged views with Mr Mamuka BAKHTADZE, the Prime Minister of Georgia, on the recent cooperation between his country and the Commission. The Georgian Prime Minister was attending the session of the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Georgia is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its membership to the Council of Europe this year.
04/04/2019 - 05/04/2019
Mexico City – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio co-opened the IXth edition of the prestigious Forum of Latin American Democracy. This year the topic was “Challenges for politics and democracy in the digital age”.
The Forum was organised by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico. Many international organisations such as OAS, International IDEA, IFES, IIDH as well as prominent representatives of the Latin American countries are also involved in the Forum.
02/04/2019
Berlin – A representative of the Venice Commission is invited to address a Delegation of the Electoral Reform Committee of Malaysia during their study visit to Germany 30 March - 4 April 2019. He will introduce the members of the delegation to the work of the Venice Commission in the field of elections, referendums and political parties.
01/04/2019 - 02/04/2019
Tbilisi - As part of the preparation of the urgent opinion following the request from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament regarding the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges, a delegation from the Venice Commission travelled to Georgia.
The rapporteurs exchanged views with the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia and representatives of various fractions of the Georgian Parliament, the Public Defender, the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of Justice, the Supreme Court as well as held meeting with the Georgian Bar Association, the Association of judges and NGOs.
30/03/2019 - 01/04/2019
Kiev - A delegation of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the Presidential elections held on 31 March 2019 in Ukraine.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
21/03/2019
During February-March 2019, a series of all-Ukrainian trainings for national judges on election dispute resolution took place in different cities of Ukraine:
- Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odessa.
During these trainings, 117 judges from 30 Ukrainian administrative courts of appeal and regional administrative courts discussed peculiarities of application of electoral legislation in resolution of election disputes in view of upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine.
Throughout these trainings the judges examined the practical... read more
19/03/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission published a set of guidelines to protect ombudsman institutions, following various threats to these institutions in recent years. Ombudsman institutions are important for democracy, their services are free, and are thus accessible to individuals who cannot afford to pursue their complaints through the courts. They can take action independently against maladministration and alleged violations of human rights and hence play a crucial role with regard to the governments and parliaments which must accept criticism. As an interface betwee... read more
18/03/2019
Brussels – The President and the Secretary of the Commission attended a hearing on the rule of law at the European Parliament organised by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE).
15/03/2019 - 16/03/2019
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista - In its first plenary session of 2019, the Venice Commission adopted the opinion on the introduction of a separate system of administrative courts in Hungary. Hungarian Justice Minister László Trócsányi attended the session on Friday 15 March.
Other adopted opinions concern the revision of Luxembourg’s constitution, legal provisions on the relationship between the prosecution and the police in Georgia and on the Judicial Council of North Macedonia.
The Venice Commission also adopted four thematic texts concerning: prin... read more
11/03/2019
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - "The Venice Commission has received a request for an opinion from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament regarding the appointment of Supreme Court judges. I welcome the willingness of the Georgian authorities to cooperate with us in order to establish clear and transparent criteria and procedures for the selection and appointment of these judges.
The Venice Commission will deal with this request speedily as it is conscious that it is urgent to have a full composition of the Supreme Court to ensure its effective functioning.
As concerns... read more
11/03/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio was invited to meet with the members of the EU Political and Security Committee. He gave a detailed picture of the Commission’s work in Europe and beyond, stressed the importance of the synergies between EU foreign policy and the Commission’s activities.
This Committee is a permanent EU body responsible for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The PSC is composed of member states' ambassadors based in Brussels and is chaired by t... read more
08/03/2019
Budapest – The Venice Commission was invited to participate in an international conference organised by the Constitutional Court of Hungary entitled “Constitutional EUdentity 2019: unity in diversity – common and particular values”.
The President and the Minister of Justice of Hungary, the President of the European Court of Justice, the presidents of the Constitutional Courts of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Republic of Slovenia as well as the President of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and Vice President of the Italian Constitutional Court, addressed the Conferen... read more
07/03/2019
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission participated in the interactive seminar organised by EuroMed Justice – a programme funded by the EU – for the High Judicial Councils of the Southern Partnership Countries (SPCs), i.e. Algeria, Egypt, Israel Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia. The seminar covered the following topics:
• European standards on the rule of law, independence, and impartiality of justice;
• Best practices and recommendations regarding the role of High Judicial Councils in defending judicial independence, impartiality, and self-governance;
• Curre... read more
06/03/2019
Bucarest - The Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly) has decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the emergency ordinance ( EGO 7 (2019) on amendments to the "laws on justice" of Romania.
05/03/2019
Rabat - The 4th coordination meeting of the UniDem project for the southern Mediterranean took place in Rabat of the 5th March gathering the national coordinators of the following partner countries : Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine* and Tunisia. The participants took stock of the 2018 seminars and discuss the priorities as regards the modernisation of the public administration. During the meeting the participants determined the topics, dates and venues of upcoming 2019 UniDem Med seminars.
The UniDem seminars were established for the Southern Mediterranean region i... read more
22/02/2019 - 25/02/2019
Chisinau - A delegation of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election observation delegation to advise on the legal framework of the parliamentary elections of 24 February 2019 in the Republic of Moldova.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the parliamentary elections.
21/02/2019 - 22/02/2019
Senate Hall of the Hellenic Parliament, Athens – A delegation of the Venice Commission participated in the international conference devoted to the 20th anniversary of the Greek Ombudsman.
15/02/2019
Luxembourg - As part of the preparation of the opinion on the draft constitutional revision requested by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, a delegation from the Venice Commission travelled to Luxembourg to meet the Committee on Institutions and Constitutional Review, the Minister of Justice, the State Council, the judiciary, the mediator and NGOs.
Elections in EU - combatting online manipulation – international event
11/02/2019
Brussels – the Venice Commission participated in the event organised by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) on the fight against online manipulation and abuse of personal data in political campaigning. With the European Parliament elections in May this year, and numerous other national elections in EU Member States scheduled for 2019, the EDPS facilitated a discussion between data protection authorities, electoral regulators, audio-visual regulators, media and various platforms active in the field.
11/02/2019
Tbilisi - As part of the preparation of the opinion on the Concept paper on the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the relationships between the prosecution and the police, a delegation from the Venice Commission travelled to Georgia. The aim of the visit was to exchange views on the Concept Paper with inter alia the Ministry of Justice, prosecution services and the police.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of the March 2019 plenary session.
Independence of judges and lawyers – Conference on global contemporary challenges
09/02/2019 - 11/02/2019
New York City – The Secretary of the Commission Mr Thomas Markert attended a conference “Contemporary Challenges to the Independence of Judges and Lawyers from a Global Perspective”. The event was organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of the judges and lawyers Mr Diego Garcia-Sayan, and the New York City Bar Association.
The purpose of this meeting was to assess the challenges and threats vis-á-vis the existing United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, adopted in 1985.
08/02/2019
Santo Domingo - The 14th meeting of the WCCJ Bureau was dedicated to the organisation of the 5th WCCJ Congress on on the topic “Peace and Constitutional Justice" (Algiers, September 2020) and support for Member Courts whose independence is endangered.
07/02/2019 - 08/02/2019
Santo Domingo, WCCJ organised a training for liaison officers on contributing to the CODICES database and the Venice Forum, followed by the 14th meeting of the WCCJ Bureau.
The Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic was hosting this event together with the Venice Commission acting as the Secretariat of the WCCJ. The training session was organised specifically for liaison officers from constitutional courts and equivalent bodies (constitutional councils and supreme courts) on using and contributing to the CODICES database and the restricted Venice Forum. Following a presenta... read more
06/02/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Mr Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain, and Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, signed a Multi-project Voluntary Contribution Contract.
This document foreseed a voluntary contribution of 50.000€ for the activities of the Venice Commission.
04/02/2019 - 05/02/2019
Budapest – A delegation of the Venice Commission visited Hungary in the framework of the preparation of an opinion - requested by the Minister of Justice of Hungary - on the recent legislation introducing an administrative court system.
The delegation had exchanges with the Minister of Justice, the National Office for the Judiciary, the National Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court, relevant parliamentary committees, professional associations of judges, the Hungarian Bar Association, as well as the civil society.
The draft opinion was presented to the Venice Comm... read more
04/02/2019
Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg – The 1st Vice-President of the Venice Commission Ms Herdis Thorgeirsdottir participated in the 7th annual meeting between the Presidents of Monitoring and Advisory Bodies and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
03/02/2019 - 05/02/2019
Sweimeh, Jordanie - The Venice Commission, the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP) and the Independent High Electoral Commission of Jordan, assisted the Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies of Arab countries in the preparation of the 3rd General Assembly of Arab EMBs and of the international conference on the electoral dispute resolution.
The conference gave an opportunity to the Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) from the Arab States to exchange views about the international principles and standards in the field of electoral complaints and ... read more
28/01/2019
Algiers - The Venice Commission is saddened by the sudden death of its Algerian member, Head of Algeria's Constitutional Council Mr Mourad Medelci.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated member of the Venice Commission. He led the country's highest judicial body since September 2013 and sat in the Venice Commission since 18 October 2016.
At the meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference of the Constitutional Justice in Saint Domingo on 8 February 2019 and March 2019 plenary session of the Venice Commiss... read more
24/01/2019 - 25/01/2019
Tunis - The President of the Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio attended the ceremony of the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the Tunisian Constitution.
The Constitution currently in force was adopted on 26 January 2014 by the National Constituent Assembly elected on 23 October 2011 in the wake of Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution. The Basic text of Tunisia was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 200 votes in favour, 12 against and 4 abstentions. On 27 January 2014, the Constitution was promulgated by the then President of the Republic, Mr Moncef Marzouki, the President of the NCA Mr ... read more
e-Bulletin on Constitutional Justice and its database CODICES – call for tenders – proofreaders
23/01/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Venice Commission is looking for English/French proof-readers for its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Justice and its database CODICES.
Deadline for applications is Friday, 22 February 2019 by the end of the business day.
Details can be found in the link below.
23/01/2019
Prime Minister of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” Mr Zoran Zaev requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Law on the Use of Languages.
22/01/2019
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has debated the report on "Updating guidelines to ensure fair referendums in Council of Europe member States ", before adopting it. In this debate Mr Gianni BUQUICCHIO, President of the Venice Commission, presented the Commission’s work in the field.
14/01/2019
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the concept of the legislative amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia concerning the relationship between the prosecution and the police.
The draft opinion was on the agenda of March 2019 plenary session of the Commission.