EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - Meeting of the Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
17/12/2020
The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio addressed the EP Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee at its meeting online on 17 December 2020 on "Rule of Law, judiciary and fundamental rights in Turkey" .
He exchanged views with the EU Delegation on recent opinions issued by the Commission on Turkey.
15/12/2020
The Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amendments to the Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption to the March 2021 plenary session of the Commission.
15/12/2020 - 17/12/2020
The Venice Commission organised the 12th UniDem Med Regional Seminar entitled "REFORM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: NEW CHALLENGES AND NEW METHODS OF OPERATION", in co-operation with the Presidency of the Government of Tunisia. This seminar took place in the form of a videoconference from 15th to 17th of December 2020.
More than one hundred international experts and senior public officials from the Southern Mediterranean took part in this event (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine * and Tunisia). The participants exchanged good practices aimed to modernise the administration bas... read more
15/12/2020 - 17/12/2020
The Venice Commission participated in the third meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI).
At this meeting, members of the Commission presented its Principles for a fundamental rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes, adopted by the Commission at its 125th plenary session on 11 December 2020.
11/12/2020 - 12/12/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Due to the current pandemic, the 125th Plenary session of the Venice Commission was held online (11 December 2020 - 9:30 a.m.-17 p.m. and 12 December 2020 - 10-12 a.m. CET).
On 11 December 2020 the Commission adopted opinions on the draft “Law on the Government of the Republic of Kosovo” and on July and October 2020 amendments to the “Electoral law of Albania”. Both opinions were prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme “Horizontal Facility II”, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the Eur... read more
10/12/2020
The Council for Democratic Elections - a tripartite body comprising representatives of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of the Council of Europe and dealing with electoral matters, referendums and political parties - met today - online - for the 70th time since its creation in 2002.
It approved the Principles on the use of digital technologies and elections as well a Joint Opinion on the Electoral law of Albania (Amendments to the Constitution of 30 July 2020 and to the Electoral Code of 5 October 2020).
10/12/2020
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr. Gianni Buquicchio, took part in a hearing organised by the Commission for European Affairs of the French Senate on the rule of law in the European Union.
He presented the work of the Venice Commission in the area of the rule of law, in particular the Rule of law Checklist, as well as the contribution of the Commission to the activities of the European Union in this area, in particular the EU Rule of Law Report, recently published. The 2020 Rule of Law Report issued by the European Commission last September, presents a synthesis of both th... read more
10/12/2020
The Venice Commission has just issued an Urgent Opinion on the reform of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
The opinion was requested by President Zelenskyy on 25 November 2020, and will be submitted for endorsement on 11 December 2020 by the Plenary Session of the Venice Commission wherein President Zelenskyy plans to participate.
09/12/2020
The Venice Commission issued a Joint Urgent Opinion on the legislative situation regarding anti-corruption mechanisms following decision No. 13-r/2020 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
The opinion was requested by President Zelenskyy on 25 November 2020, and prepared jointly with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe following an urgent procedure.
It will be submitted to the Plenary Session of the Venice Commission for endorsement on 11 December 2020.
04/12/2020 - 05/12/2020
The Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation and the Venice Commission organised the X International Congress of Comparative Law entitled ”Constitutional evolution in Russia and in the modern world: dialectics of the universal and national”.
Two members of the Commission presented the reports on the place of national identity in a democratic state and on the creation of a democratic state based on the rule of law.
03/12/2020
In the framework of the preparation of the Venice Commission’s urgent Opinion on the reform of the Constitutional Court, the rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the authorities and other stakeholders on 3 December 2020.
The rapporteurs exchanged views with the representatives of:
• the Office of the President of Ukraine and the President’s Commission on Legal Reform,
• Judges of the Constitutional Court,
• the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy,
• civil society and the international community.
The Urgent Opinion is being prep... read more
02/12/2020
In the framework of the preparation of the Venice Commission’s urgent Joint Opinion on the legislative situation regarding anti-corruption mechanisms following judgment of 27 October 2020 No. 13-r/2020 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the authorities and other stakeholders on 2 December 2020.
The rapporteurs exchanged views with the representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the President’s Commission on Legal Reform, the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy, the National Agency for Corruption Preventi... read more
01/12/2020
The Venice Commission participated in an online event on “Advancing participation of persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities in political and public life”, a side event at COSP13, the UN Convent of Social and Political Rights, organised by the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The relevant standards of the Venice Commission in the field of elections were presented.
30/11/2020
Following the request by the President of Ukraine on 25 November 2020 for an urgent opinion on the constitutional situation created by the Constitutional Court judgment No. 13-r/2020 of 27 October 2020, the Venice Commission will prepare two opinions, one relating to the anti-corruption mechanisms and the second relating to the reform of the Constitutional Court.
Following virtual meetings with the authorities and the stakeholders, both opinions will be issued the week of 7 December and will be subsequently presented at the 125th Plenary Session (11-12 December 2020) for endorseme... read more
Charter of European Political Parties for a non-racist society
27/11/2020
The Venice Commission participated in the Joint hearing with the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy and the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance on the Charter of European Political Parties for a non-racist society. A representative of the Venice Commission introduced the work of the Venice Commission and the possible future involvement of the Venice Commission in the field and actively participated in the discussions.
25/11/2020
The President of Ukraine, Mr Zelensky, requested an urgent opinion on the constitutional situation created by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Judgment No. 13-r/2020 of 27 October 2020.
25/11/2020
The scourge of violence against women and domestic violence must be stopped!
Constitutions and legislation must provide adequate protection and the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention gives additional tools, ideas and an international monitoring mechanism.
Gender equality is not an option, it is an obligation! So is safety, inside and outside the home.
The Venice Commission is ready to assist.
25/11/2020
Nursultan - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, addressed an online international roundtable entitled «Modern digital and Human Resources technologies in the selection of candidates for judges, assessment of work and promotion of judges», which took place on 25th November 2020.
Experts of the Venice Commission as well as senior civil servants and experts from UNDP, World Bank, OSCE/ODIHR, France, Spain, Italy, Russian Federation, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan participated in this online regional event organised by the High Judicial Council and the Supreme... read more
24/11/2020
The People’s Advocate of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Cotorobai, requested an opinion of the Commission on a draft Law amending Law no 52/2014 on the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) which provides for the establishment of a new public position - the People's Advocate (Ombudsman) for entrepreneurs rights.
24/11/2020
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, participated in a webinar on "Covid-19 and the Ombudsperson - Rising to the Challenge of a Pandemic". The event was co-organised by the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel and the International Ombudsman Institute.
23/11/2020 - 01/12/2020
On 23-24, 27 November and 1 December 2020 the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR held online meetings with Albanian authorities in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the Electoral Law (amendments to the Constitution of 30 July 2020 and to the Electoral Code of 5 October 2020) upon the request by the President of Albania submitted on 21 October 2020.
The rapporteurs held online meetings with the President of the Republic of Albania, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the parliamentary majority and opposition, representatives of the major extra-parl... read more
23/11/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Venice Commission published on 20 November 2020 its Urgent interim opinion on the draft new Constitution of Bulgaria prepared upon the request of the President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria. The opinion focuses on the reform of the judiciary and the prosecution service where the most important amendments were made. Below are some main recommendations of the Commission.
The Venice Commission regrets that the launch of the constitutional reform was not preceded by an appropriate public debate; however, it is commendable that the Venice Commi... read more
19/11/2020
On 13 November 2020, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the recent amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications and the Law on Broadcasting in Georgia.
The draft opinion will be on the agenda of the March 2021 plenary session.
18/11/2020
The Commission made public today an Urgent joint amicus curiae brief on the postponement of the parliamentary elections motivated by a constitutional reform. The Urgent brief was prepared upon the request by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan of 4 November 2020, where the Constitutional Chamber put four questions to the Venice Commission.
In its amicus curiae brief, the Venice Commission notes that although national practice in the field of postponement of elections by the outgoing parliament is lacking, there are, nevertheless, several benchmarks which ... read more
17/11/2020
The Venice Commission has published conclusions to its 17th international conference of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) held online last week on electoral law and electoral administration in Europe.
Conference participants focused on two main issues:
• Recurrent challenges met and best practices used during electoral campaigns, voting operations, counting, tabulation and transmission of election results;
• Holding elections during emergency situations: challenges met, and solutions found by electoral management bodies during the COVID19 pandemic.
16/11/2020 - 17/11/2020
On 16 and 17 November 2020 the Venice Commission held online meetings with Kosovo authorities in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on government upon the request by the Prime Minister submitted on 26 October 2020.
The draft opinion is planned for the adoption by the December 2020 plenary session.
16/11/2020
The Commission made public today an Urgent joint amicus curiae brief on three legal questions concerning the mandate of members of constitutional bodies. The Urgent brief was prepared upon the request by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova of 09 October 2020.
The preparation of the Urgent Opinion was funded by the EU/CoE joint Programme Partnership for Good Governance (Quick Response Mechanism - QRM).
13/11/2020
The Venice Commission participated in the exchange of views with the Monitoring Committee of the PACE on the follow-up to Resolution 2347(2020) on “New crackdown on political opposition and civil dissent in Turkey: urgent need to safeguard Council of Europe standards” regarding the situation of dismissed and replaced mayors.
Mr Bußjäger, member of the Commission in respect of Liechtenstein, presented the Commission’s 2020 Opinion on the replacement of elected candidates and mayors in Turkey.
13/11/2020
Tunis - The Venice Commission in collaboration with the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) organised on November 13, 2020 an online workshop on the role of the ISIE in monitoring the written press and social media during election campaigns.
This workshop made it possible to initiate a reflection on the experience of media monitoring (written press and social media) by the ISIE during the last electoral campaigns of 2019, with the positive aspects and the difficulties encountered. The modalities of strengthening transparency on social networks were also examined through... read more
13/11/2020
Mr Nicolae Esanu, substitute member of the Venice Commission with respect to the Republic of Moldova, participated in an online exchange of views with the PACE Monitoring Committee on Georgia’s Law on Common Courts and on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges. The Commission adopted an Urgent opinion in June 2019 and an opinion on the draft Law in October 2020, upon the request by the Parliament of Georgia.
13/11/2020
Ms H. Kjerulf Thorgeirsdottir, member of the Bureau of the Venice Commission, participated in an online exchange of views with the PACE Monitoring Committee on the draft amendments to the Albanian law on the Audiovisual media. The Commission adopted an Opinion on this Law in June 2020 upon request by the Monitoring Committee.
12/11/2020
Sucre - On 11 and 12 November 2020 two representatives of the Venice Commission participated in the “IVth National Seminars: Evidential reasoning, fundamental rights and constitutional interpretation” (9th to 12th November 2020) organised by the Plurinational Constitutional Court of Bolivia.
The purpose of the seminars was to discuss the issues of evidential reasoning, fundamental rights and constitutional interpretation - important concepts for the application of the Constitutional Procedural Law.
The Seminars were focused on the following topics:
• Exchang... read more
12/11/2020 - 13/11/2020
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe held the 17th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) online, operating from the headquarters of the Council of Europe. This year the conference was devoted to the “Electoral law and electoral administration in Europe - Recurrent challenges and best practices”.
Representatives of electoral management bodies of Venice Commission member States, i.e. Europe and the Americas among other parts of the world, participated in the event. It was exceptionally open to public.
The following questions were addressed b... read more
10/11/2020
The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in an online meeting between the Interparliamentary Committee and national parliaments on the “First Annual Rule of Law Report by the Commission and the role of national Parliaments conference”, organised by the European Parliament.
The President presented the Venice Commission’s Interim Report on the measures taken in the European Union member States as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and their impact on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.
09/11/2020
The President of the Venice Commission participated in the online Conference of Ministers of Justice of the member States of the Council of Europe on the following topic: “Independence of Justice and the Rule of Law”. The Conference was organised by the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe.
09/11/2020
By letter of 4 November 2020, Mr Karybek Duisheev, the Chairman of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, requested an urgent amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission concerning an application, pending before the Constitutional Chamber, on the postponement of the parliamentary elections motivated by a constitutional reform.
09/11/2020
The substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of the Netherlands, Mr Martin Kuijer, participated in the meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held by videoconference on 9 November 2020.
Mr Kuijer presented the work of the Venice Commission concerning the freedom of association, with a specific focus on restrictions imposed in member States on foreign funding of associations.
05/11/2020 - 06/11/2020
The Venice Commission held online meetings with Bulgarian authorities in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft constitutional amendments upon the request by the President of the National Assembly submitted on 18 September 2020.
Meetings - online - with the President of the National Assembly, representatives of parliamentary fractions of the National Assembly, the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General, judges of the Supreme Administrative Court and Supreme Court of Cassation, members of the Supreme Judicial Council and representatives of Bulgar... read more
05/11/2020
The Venice Commission President Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in "Temps du débat" – a France Culture programme on the “Rule of Law: are Hungary and Poland threatening European solidarity?"
31/10/2020
The Presidents of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Mr Marin Mrčela, sent today a letter to the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
30/10/2020
The National Electoral Institute of Mexico and the Venice Commission organised an online conference entitled “covid-19. States of emergency and democratic values. New contribution to the debate - reports of the Venice Commission.“
The heads of the organising institutions, Mr L. Cordoba and Mr G. Buquicchio, opened the event. Representatives from several Latin American countries took part in the event.
This event was organised in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the National Electoral Insti... read more
30/10/2020
The Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe held online consultations with the Ukrainian authorities discussing the prospective implementation of the Joint Opinion on the draft amendments to the law “On the judiciary and the status of judges” and certain laws on the activities of the Supreme Court and judicial authorities (draft law no. 3711).
This event was organised with support of the Council of Europe projects "Support to the Implementation of the Judicial Reform in Ukraine" and “Supporting constitutional an... read more
29/10/2020 - 01/11/2020
Tbilisi - 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 election held on 31 October 2020 in Georgia.
The delegation held meetings with other international observers, representatives of the political parties, media and civil society.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
26/10/2020
The Prime Minister of Kosovo requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft "Law on the Government of the Republic of Kosovo".
19/10/2020
At its 124th Plenary Session in October 2020 and following the adoption of its 1000th opinion, the Venice Commission presented its jubilee volume “Thirty-year quest for democracy through law”. Some sixty authors – members and former members of the Commission, as well as experts – present in depth various aspects of the work of the Commission, covering the Commission’s wide field of expertise.
The table of contents of the book and information on orders can be consulted via the link below.
22/10/2020
The Venice Commission participated in a meeting of the Working group on democracy and technology (GT-DT) of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG).
The working group’s mandate is to do the preparatory work for the CDDG study on digital transformation and its impact on democracy and governance. The group also prepares the recommendations and guidelines on new technologies and the different stages of the electoral process.
A representative of the Venice Commission presented its work in this area, in particular the “Draft principles for a fundamental rig... read more
21/10/2020
The President of Albania requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Constitution of 30 July 2020 and to the Electoral Code of 5 October 2020.
20/10/2020
The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Central Election Commission of Georgia a webinar on “Holding elections during a pandemic”.
A member and experts of the Venice Commission intervened on the following topics:
- “Elections under states of emergency – Reflections issued from the Report on respect for Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law during states of emergency”.
- national examples of elections held recently under the health crisis.
20/10/2020
Tunis - The Venice Commission organised on 20 October 2020 an online workshop dedicated to the strategic communication of the independent bodies of Tunisia and their relations with the media. This workshop is a continuation of a first event held in Tunis in October 2019 which focused on the various challenges encountered by the authorities in their strategic communication.
The meeting aimed to deepen this theme by addressing the modalities of implementing an effective communication strategy, in line with the mandates and budgets of the bodies. The link between the communication st... read more
15/10/2020
The Venice Commission organised in cooperation with the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Moldova a webinar on “Holding elections during a pandemic”.
A member and experts of the Venice Commission intervened on the following topics:
- “Elections under states of emergency – Reflections issued from the Report on respect for Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law during states of emergency”.
- national examples of elections held recently under the health crisis.
13/10/2020 - 15/10/2020
The Venice Commission organised the 11th UniDem Med Regional Seminar entitled "TOWARDS A USER-ORIENTED ADMINISTRATION " in co-operation with the Ministry of the Economy, Finances and Public Administration Reform of the Kingdom of Morocco. This seminar took place as a videoconference from 13 to 15 October 2020.
It brought together around 60 senior international experts and public officials from six Southern Mediterranean partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia) with the aim to exchange best practices as regards the principles of a /modern... read more
12/10/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe issued the following statement:
“The term of office of the current Polish Human Rights Commissioner expired on 9 September 2020. While the successor has not yet been elected, on 17 September 2020 some MPs requested the Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional the provision of the Human Rights Commissioner Law stating that the outgoing Commissioner performs his duties until the incumbent assumes the position.
The Ombudsman is an important element in a State based on democracy, t... read more
09/10/2020
By letter of 9 October 2020, Ms Domnica MANOLE, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, requested an urgent amicus curiae opinion of the Venice Commission on three legal questions concerning the mandate of members of constitutional bodies.
08/10/2020 - 09/10/2020
Due to the worsening sanitary conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony devoted to the 30th anniversary of the Venice Commission has been postponed to a later date. The 124th Plenary Session therefore took place exclusively on-line.
The Commission adopted the draft opinions on current constitutional reforms in Iceland and Malta, on functioning of the judiciary in Georgia and Ukraine, on bar associations in Turkey, on freedom of assembly in Kosovo and freedom of religion in Uzbekistan.
In addition, the Commission adopted the draft Reports on criminal liabi... read more
69th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
07/10/2020
The 69th meeting of the CED was held online.
05/10/2020
A Venice Commission representative intervened in the PACE Monitoring Committee online meeting, on the item concerning constitutional reform in Armenia.
Austria - Constitutional Justice - CANCELLED
01/10/2020
Vienna - Celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Austrian Constitutional Court.
29/09/2020
Quito/Strasbourg - On 29 September 2020 a teleconference took place between representatives of the Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. The issues related to the work of the Venice commission in Latin-America, the Commission’s ongoing projects in the region, as well as cooperation perspectives between the Court and the Commission were addressed by the participants.
The activity was organised 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 i... read more
OSCE - High-Level Dialogue on autonomy arrangements in Moldova – online meeting
29/09/2020
Chisinau/the Hague/Strasbourg - The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) organised together with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova a High Level Dialogue meeting on issues related to Gagauz autonomy.
The President of the Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio addressed the participants of the meeting.
25/09/2020 - 26/09/2020
Cartagena, Colombia - The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the XIIIth Congress of the Ibero-American Conference of Constitutional Justice.
24/09/2020
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) organised Webinar Series on “Administering elections in Europe during a pandemic”.
On 24 September 2020 the 4th online session on “How to Build a Democracy That’s Designed for All? Promoting Access and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities“ was held and a representative of the Venice Commission participated in this session.
This event focused on innovative approaches for persons with disabilities to equally participate during the upcoming elections scheduled across Europe and practical recommendations for adminis... read more
23/09/2020
The President of the Venice Commission Mr G. Buquicchio participated in an exchange of views on the current situation in Belarus with the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The hearing was organised by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
23/09/2020 - 24/09/2020
The Venice Commission participated in 1st meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe on Media Environment and Reform (MSI-REF) online.
The preliminary discussions on the following draft documents, based on the work of the MSI-REF experts, had been discussed during this meeting:
• a draft recommendation by the Committee of Ministers to member States on guiding principles for media and communication governance;
• a draft recommendation by the Committee of Ministers to member States on election communication and media coverage of electoral campaigns.
... read more
23/09/2020 - 25/09/2020
The Venice Commission participated in a video Conference of the Association of the Asian Constitutional Courts (AACC) "Freedom of expression: experience of the AACC members", organised by the Secretariat for Research and Development established by the AACC.
21/09/2020
In view of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on “Freedom of conscience and religious organisations” of Uzbekistan, a joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODIHR delegation participated in a series of videoconference meetings with:
• the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Mazhlis,
• the Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers,
• the Ministry of Justice,
• representatives of religious / belief communities,
• non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders.
The draft opinion is on the agenda of the Octob... read more
21/09/2020
The Parliament of Georgia requested an opinion from the Venice Commission on the draft Amendments to the Law on Common Courts of Georgia.
The draft opinion is on the agenda of the October plenary session of the Commission.
18/09/2020
The President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria requested the Venice Commission’s Urgent opinion on the draft constitutional amendments, recently submitted to the parliament of Bulgaria.
This request was approved by the Commission’s Bureau; the Urgent opinion is in preparation and will be issued after the October 2020 plenary session.
14/09/2020 - 15/09/2020
On 21 August 2020 the Prime Minister of Kosovo requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on public gatherings.
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on this draft law, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held a series of online meetings with the Kosovar authorities and other stakeholders on 14 and 15 September 2020.
The draft opinion will be submitted to October 2020 Plenary Session for adoption.
10/09/2020
On 31 July 2020 the Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on four draft constitutional bills on the protection of the environment, on natural resources, on referendums and on the President of Iceland, the Government, the functions of the executive and other institutional matters.
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on these draft bills, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held a series of online meetings with the Icelandic authorities and other stakeholders on 10 September 2020.
The draft opinion w... read more
10/09/2020
By a letter of 10 September 2020, the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), in application of the co-operation agreement signed between the OAS and the Venice Commission in June 2020, transmitted the request from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti, Hon. Claude Joseph inviting the Commission to co-operate on constitutional and electoral reforms in Haiti.
The Venice Commission plans to prepare a draft opinion on the electoral legislation and examine it at its December 2020 Plenary session.
10/09/2020
Tbilisi – The Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) invited the Venice Commission to participate in its 29th Annual conference online entitled "Elections and Communications - The role of Electoral Management Bodies in conducting and facilitating effective communication".
A representative of the Commission shared the information on the work of the Venice Commission on digital technologies and elections.
09/09/2020
Dublin - The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated online in a hearing of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Response appointed by Dáil Éireann the Irish House of representatives.
The President shared the Commission’s acquis on the emergency situations in the member States of the Commission and answered questions of the MPs.
09/09/2020
By letter of 7 August 2020, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament requested an opinion on Amendments to the Law 'On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges' and certain laws on the activities of the Supreme Court and Judicial Authorities.
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on these amendments a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of meetings online with the Ukrainian authorities and other stakeholders starting on 9 September 2020.
The adoption of the draft opinion is planned for the October 2020 plenary session.
08/09/2020
Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in the Third Webinar of the Global Network on Electoral Justice entitled “Digital Electoral Justice and COVID-19: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications of Incorporating New Technologies”.
08/09/2020
The Venice Commission participated online in a hearing entitled “The rule of law and its impact on economic growth”, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a consultative body of the European Union (EU).
04/09/2020
The Venice Commission took part in a Technical webinar on “Preparation for elections security”, in the framework of the CyberEast project on cybercrime and electronic evidence in the Eastern Partnership countries, managed by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (Bucharest).
The purpose of the webinar for the Georgian authorities was to bring together all relevant national stakeholders, and to focus on awareness raising, inter-institutional coordination, information sharing, best practices, previous experiences, and lessons learnt in terms ensuring cyber-security... read more
04/09/2020
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the amendments to the Law on Bar associations of Turkey, the Commission organised a series of meetings online with the Turkish authorities and other stakeholders on 4, 9 and 10 September 2020.
The adoption of the draft opinion is planned for the October 2020 plenary session.
02/09/2020
Jakarta – the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio addressed a short video message to the Constitutional Court of Indonesia at the occasion of its 17th anniversary.
01/09/2020
The Maltese Government prepared Bills implementing concepts for reforms and on 23 June 2020 requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on those Bills.
As part of preparation of the opinion, the Commission organised a series of virtual meetings with the Maltese authorities. Most recently, on 1 September, the rapporteurs exchanged views with the Minister of Justice, Equality and Governance. Other meetings were held on 3 and 4 September 2020.
The adoption of the opinion is planned during the October 2020 plenary session of the Venice Commission.
27/08/2020
Nur-Sultan - The Venice Commission was invited to the online IV Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC).
The President of the Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio delivered an opening speech.
26/08/2020
Nur-Sultan - The Venice Commission and the World Conference on Constitutional Justice participated on-line in the meeting of the Board of Members of the Association of the Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) and the meeting of the Eurasian Association of Constitutional Review Bodies (EACRB).
25/08/2020 - 25/08/2020
The Venice Commission and the State Election Commission of Montenegro co-organised a webinar dedicated to “Holding elections during a pandemic”, which took place online on 25 August 2020.
The participants exchanged views on theoretical aspects and practical implications of holding elections during a pandemic, including in the context of the Montenegrin elections.
21/08/2020
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on public gatherings.
19/08/2020
Strasbourg/Warsaw - Today, the Venice Commission, jointly with OSCE/ODIHR, has issued an urgent opinion on the draft Law no. 263 amending the Electoral Code, the Contravention Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services.
The Commission and the ODIHR positively assessed inter alia the following provisions of the draft Law:
• clearer definitions of “electoral campaign” and clarifications regarding the timeline for campaigning in the second round,
• additional provisions aimed at preventing the misuse of administrative resources;
• expanding the range of sa... read more
14/08/2020
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament requested an opinion on Amendments to the Law 'On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges' and certain laws on the activities of the Supreme Court and Judicial Authorities.
12/08/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Democratic elections are an expression of the sovereignty belonging to the people of a country. It is the free expression of the will of the people that provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government. The rights of citizens to vote and to be elected at periodic, democratic elections are internationally recognised human rights.
Democratic elections cannot be achieved without respect for human rights, in particular freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of circulation inside the country, freedom of assembly and freedom of... read more
12/08/2020 - 13/08/2020
Samarkand – The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio delivered a speech at the opening of the Samarkand Human Rights Web Forum. The event was dedicated to the International Youth Day in the framework of the UN75 Initiative of the UN and was organised by the National Centre for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
06/08/2020
In the framework of the preparation of the joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODIHR opinion on the draft Law no. 263 amending the Electoral Code, the Contravention Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services, a number of video meetings took place with various Moldovan stakeholders, including the State Secretary of Justice, the Legal Committee of the Parliament, the Central Election Commission and the Ombudsperson.
The draft opinion was prepared at the request of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova. It was issued as part of the Partnership for Good Governance, co-fund... read more
06/08/2020
The First Vice President, Legislative Chamber of the Parliament (Oliy Majlis) has requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on “Freedom of conscience and religious organisations”.
The opinion will be adopted at the October plenary session.
05/08/2020
The Venice Commission is preparing, at the request of the Prime Minister of Iceland, an opinion on four draft constitutional bills on the protection of the environment, on natural resources, on referendums and on the President of Iceland, the Government, the functions of the executive and other institutional matters.
24/07/2020
The Venice Commission is preparing, jointly with OSCE/ODIHR, at the request of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, an urgent opinion on the draft Law no. 263 amending the Electoral Code, the Contravention Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services. This opinion will be produced as part of the Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, through the Quick Response Mechanism.
22/07/2020
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission adopted an “urgent joint opinion” with ODIHR on Ukraine’s Draft Law 3612 concerning Democracy Through All-Ukraine Referendum.
The opinion, requested in May by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, was published already on 21 July 2020 before the next Venice Commission plenary session, given the need for legal expertise before possible passage in the Ukrainian parliament.
The joint opinion welcomes Ukraine’s efforts to amend its legal and institutional framework relating to national referendums and to bring it into compliance with relevan... read more
“Using new technologies in the electoral process” - Online conference
21/07/2020
The Venice Commission in cooperation with the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania held an online conference entitled ““Using new technologies in the electoral process”. The Council of Europe’s reflections and work on e-voting as well as relevant national experiences were discussed.
16/07/2020
The Venice Commission organised a videoconference on 16 July 2020 in cooperation with Tunisia’s Independent Higher Election Authority (ISIE) on improving the country's electoral legal framework.
This event, where national and international experts, representatives of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Union participated, was aimed at discussing the current legal framework in the light of the questions raised in the report of the European Union Election Observation Mission during the 2019 Tunisian presidential and legislative elections.
The even... read more
15/07/2020
On 11 June 2020, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament decided to support the request from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) for a report from the Venice Commission on the measures taken in the EU member states since the Covid-19 crisis and their impact on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.
13/07/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - On the occasion of the online celebration of the 25th anniversary of Moldova's accession to the Council of Europe, the President of the Venice Commission Mr. Gianni Buquicchio delivered a message.
10/07/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission has published its Observatory on the emergency situations in Venice Commission member States.
The aim of this Observatory on the situations of emergency, created by the Scientific Council, is to collect country-specific information on constitutional and extra-constitutional emergency powers, on relevant mechanisms of parliamentary and judicial oversight and on electoral experiences. The Observatory will thus provide systematised comparative information which may be used by lawyers, scholars, State officials, international... read more
11/07/2020 - 13/07/2020
Warsaw - 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 second round of the presidential election held on 12 July 2020 in Poland.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
07/07/2020
Yerevan – Strasbourg – A representative of the Venice Commission participated in a videoconference between representatives of the national authorities of Armenia and their Council of Europe interlocutors. He introduced the opinions on the judicial code and on the constitutional implications of the Istanbul Convention (on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence). The purpose of the event was to review the progress of the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan 2019-2022 for Armenia and programming future co-operation between the Council of Europe and A... read more
06/07/2020 - 08/07/2020
Strasbourg - The Venice Commission participated in the second meeting of the Council of Europe's ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI). At this meeting, members of the Commission presented its work on the human rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes.
03/07/2020
The Estonian member of the Commission Mr Oliver Kask and the Irish member Mr Richard Barrett participated in the exchange of views between the PACE President Mr Rick Daems and the Georgian Parliament. The purpose of the event is to look at the concrete modalities of elections in the context of health emergencies such as the COVID19 pandemic.
The event was organised by the PACE and the Legal Committee of the Parliament of Georgia.
29/06/2020
The President of the Venice Commission participated in the video meeting of the Chairs of the Council of Europe Monitoring and Advisory Bodies.
The meeting was followed by a thematic discussion focusing on the
(1) contribution of the monitoring bodies to the implementation of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) in view of its 70th Anniversary, including an exchange of experiences, and
(2) lessons to be learnt from the COVID-19 crisis for the work of monitoring bodies.
29/06/2020
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the PACE held an exchange of views with Mr Nicos Alivizatos, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Greece, on the Commission’s Opinion on draft amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation related to the execution in the Russian Federation of decisions by the European Court of Human Rights (CDL-AD(2020)009).
26/06/2020 - 29/06/2020
Warsaw - 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 election held on 28 June 2020 in Poland.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
25/06/2020
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine in cooperation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and with the support of OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, organised an international online conference on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine and the 30th anniversary of Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The conference title is „Mutual Achievements of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and Bodies of Constitutional Justice; the problems of interpretation in constitutional adjudication“. The Commissio... read more
25/06/2020
More than 500 political, civil leaders, Nobel Laureates and pro-democracy institutions, including the President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, have signed an open letter to defend democracy.
This open letter was initiated by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Washington-DC-based National Endowment for Democracy.
25/06/2020
Tunis - In the framework of the Support Project for Independent Bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T), a joint European Union - Council of Europe project (2019-2021), representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a meeting with representatives of the Ligue of the Tunisian independent public bodies (LIPI). Discussions focused on the overall mission of the Coordinator of the LIPI as well as on cooperation between the Commission and the independent bodies in 2020.
24/06/2020
In May 2020, the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro Razumkov requested an opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the draft Law on democracy through all-Ukrainian referendum.
In the framework of preparation of the draft opinion, experts from the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR participate in consultations with the Ukrainian stakeholders from 19 to 25 June 2020. On June 24, 2020 experts met with deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, chairmen of profile Committees of the Verkhovna Rada and members of the working group on drafting the La... read more
23/06/2020
The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Mr Luis Almagro and the President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio signed a cooperation agreement in Washington DC, on 6 June 2020, and in Strasbourg on 9 June 2020, respectively.
23/06/2020
Mr Thomas Markert, Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission, was invited to participate in the online discussion devoted to the judicial reform in Ukraine: “Zero Corruption Talk: The High Time for the Real Judiciary Reform in Ukraine”.
The event was organised by the Ukrainian NGO Anti-corruption Action Centre.
Along with Vice-President Jourova of the European Union, representatives of the IMF as well as of the national authorities, Mr Markert acted as a panellist in the discussions on possible ways of accelerating the reforms in the country.
23/06/2020
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Governance requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on Bills implementing concepts for reforms.
23/06/2020 - 24/06/2020
In the framework of the preparation of the joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODIHR opinion on the draft Law on elections of members of the Parliament and councillors of Montenegro, a number of video meetings were held with the authors of the draft law and other representatives of national authorities and stakeholders.
The draft opinion is prepared at the request of the Parliament of Montenegro.
22/06/2020
The Venice Commission participated in a remote Hearing on “Membership obligations and the conduct of democratic elections in the context of the pandemic of COVID-19”. This meeting was organised by the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
18/06/2020 - 19/06/2020
The Venice Commission adopted a number of opinions through a written procedure on 18-19 June, in replacement of the actual meeting of 123rd plenary session in Venice that did not take place due to the continued COVID-19 concerns.
The following opinions were adopted by a written procedure:
18 June:
• Albania – Opinion on the Law no 97/2013 on Audio-visual Media Service;
• Latvia – Opinion on the recent amendments to the legislation on education in minority languages;
• Russian Federation – Opinion on the draft Amendments to the Constitution Federation relatin... read more
17/06/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, presented the annual report of activities of the Commission accomplished in 2019.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
16/06/2020
As a follow-up to the Opinion of the Venice Commission of December 2018, the Maltese Government prepared Proposals for legislative changes and on 20 April 2020 requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on those Proposals.
As part of preparation of the opinion, the Commission organised a series of virtual meetings with the Maltese authorities. Most recently, on 12 June, the rapporteurs exchanged views with the Minister of Justice.
The adoption of the opinion is scheduled on 19 June, by special written procedure in the framework of the June plenary session of the Veni... read more
68th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
15/06/2020
The meeting was held by videoconference.
11/06/2020 - 12/06/2020
In the framework of the preparation of two draft opinions on the draft amendments to law N° 97/2013 on the Audiovisual Media Service and on the appointment of members of the Constitutional Court, the Commission’s rapporteurs held video conferences with the Albanian authorities.
10/06/2020
The Venice Commission is preparing, jointly with OSCE/ODIHR, at the request of the Parliament of Montenegro, an opinion on a proposal for a new Law on elections of members of Parliament and councillors.
TURKEY - Request for opinion by the PACE
05/06/2020
At its meeting by videoconference on 27 May 2020, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on Bar Associations of Turkey.
05/06/2020
The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Mr F. Nagacevschi, requested a follow-up opinion of the Venice Commission and Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law on the revised draft law on amending and supplementing the Constitution (the role and composition of the Superior Council of Magistracy).
11/05, 29/05, 3-5/06/ 2020
By letter of 13 February 2020 then Prime Minister Kurti of the Republic of Kosovo requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). In particular, the request is to assess whether the proposed amendments concerning trial in absentia (Article 306) and suspension of officials from office (Article 177) are compatible with the provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Its adoption is foreseen for the upcoming plenary session to take part from 18 to 19 June in written procedure.
As part of... read more
Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers – exchange of view on pandemics
03/06/2020
The Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers invited Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, to take part in an organisation-wide exchange of views by videoconference on the following theme:
"Protection of human life and public health in the context of a pandemic – Effectively responding to a sanitary crisis in full respect for human rights and the principles of democracy and the rule of law ".
29/05/2020
The National Electoral Institute of Mexico, in cooperation with the Kofi Annan Foundation, organised a presentation of the Report "Protecting electoral integrity in the digital age", prepared by the Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age of that Foundation. The event was attended by representatives of electoral management bodies of several Latin American countries. A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the discussions.
The participation of the Venice Commission was funded through the joint EU-Council of Europe project “Support to reforms of ele... read more
RUSSIA - Request for opinion by the PACE
29/05/2020
At its meeting by videoconference on 27 May 2020, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional amendments and the procedure for their adoption in the Russian Federation.
28/05/2020
The Venice Commission participated in an exchange of views on the role of national parliaments and the holding of elections during emergency situations with the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the PACE.
26/05/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Today five Venice Commission members have published a new report on the respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law during states of emergency.
The Commission has previously produced general reports and country-specific opinions on both constitutional provisions and emergency legislation in its member States; a recent compilation of the Commission’s work in this area provided guidance into its specific findings. The Commission has also launched an Observatory of the implementation of declarations of states of emergency and of emergency le... read more
25/05/2020 - 27/05/2020
In the framework of the preparation of an opinion on three legal questions in the context of the draft constitutional amendments concerning the mandate of the judges of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of videoconference meetings with the representatives of the Constitutional Court, of three parliamentary fractions including the opposition, with the Chairperson of the State and Legal Committee of the Parliament, the Minister of Justice and the diplomatic community in Erevan as well as representatives of civil society organisations. ... read more
25/05/2020
As a follow-up to the Opinion of the Venice Commission of December 2018, the Maltese Government prepared Proposals for legislative changes and on 20 April 2020 requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on those Proposals.
As part of preparation of the opinion, the Commission organised a series of virtual meetings with the Maltese authorities.
Following a video-conference with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Governance of Malta on 5 May 2020, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission had a series of video-conferences on 20, 21 and 25 May 2020 with the President... read more
20/05/2020
Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a meeting organised by the Organisation of the Electoral Management Bodies of Arab countries (Arab EMBs) on the impact of COVID-19 on electoral process. During the meeting among other issues the participants discussed the results of the questionnaire prepared by the organisation on the impact of Covid-19 on EMBs and on additional measures that have to be taken by the electoral administration in order to ensure the electoral process. Members of the Arab EMBs and representatives of the international organisations participating in the even... read more
19/05/2020
On 13 May 2020 the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft Law of Ukraine “On All-Ukrainian Referendum”.
123rd Plenary Session of the Venice Commission
14/05/2020
The Bureau of the Commission decided to hold the 123rd Session of the Commission on 18-19 June 2020 by means of a written procedure.
13/05/2020
The Minister of Justice of Armenia asked for the opinion of the Venice Commission on how to best implement the new model of the Constitutional Court as contained in the amendments to the Constitution adopted in 2015, on the scope of the review of constitutional amendments by the Constitutional Court and on the power of parliament to cancel a referendum already called.
10/05/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, President Gianni Buquicchio made the following statement:
"On 10 May 1990, eighteen ambassadors of Council of Europe member states took the decision to establish the European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission. What looked at the time like the creation of just another technical advisory body proved to be an event of major significance for the development of the rule of law and democracy in Europe an... read more
07/05/2020
On 7 May 2020 the President of the Commission participated in the virtual seminar on "Evaluation of the first mandatory presidential debate and its implementation" in Argentina, organised by the Cámara Nacional Electoral of Argentina.
04/05/2020
The Venice Commission held a videoconference on 4 May 2020 on the theme "Legislative and regulatory framework of Tunisian independent bodies: state of play and challenges".
This meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the legislative and regulatory provisions governing independent bodies and brought together the presidents of the bodies, Tunisian and European experts as well as representatives of the Council of Europe and the European Union.
The event is part of the project to support independent bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T) which is a joint project between the Coun... read more
30/04/2020
Mr José Luis VARGAS VALDEZ, Venice Commission substitute member in respect of Mexico, Mr Josep Maria CASTELLA ANDREU, Venice Commission member in respect of Spain, Mr Rafael RUBIO NUÑEZ, substitute member in respect of Spain and the Deputy Secretary of the Commission participated on 30 April 2020 in the (virtual) Fifth Scientific Committee Meeting of the Global Network on Electoral Justice.
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 instrumen... read more
Kyrgyz Republic - Expert discussion on amendments to the Law on non-commercial organisations
30/04/2020
Bishkek - Representatives of the Venice Commission participated in a videoconference on proposed amendments to legislation on non-commercial organisations (NCOs) organised by the Delegation in Kyrgyz Republic and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia.
Representatives of the authorities, NCOs, national and international experts exchanged views on proposals to change national legislation and introduce new reporting rules for NCOs.
27/04/2020
On 27 April 2020 a videoconference was held between representatives of OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission on the one side, and a delegation of the National Assembly of Armenia on the other side, on the implementation of the Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on draft amendments to the legislation concerning political parties.
The Armenian authorities are planning to adopt revised legislation which should follow the recommendations of the opinion.
27/04/2020
On Monday 27 April 2020, Mr Nicos Alivizatos, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Greece, took part in an exchange of views with Mr Boris Cilevics, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Mr Vladimir Vardanyan, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Human Rights and Ms Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on 'the impact of Covid-19 on human rights and the rule of law'.
This webinar was organised by PACE Secretariat.
24/04/2020
On 24 April 2020 the President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, participated in a video conference on “Presidential government. Constitutional practice and political practices” organised by the Foundation of the 1st President of Kazakhstan, the Constitutional Council and the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan.
21/04/2020
On 21 April 2020 two Venice Commission members participated in a webinar on “Council of Europe, the conscience of Europe in a time of crisis” organised by the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool.
20/04/2020
On 20 April 2020 the Maltese Government asked for an opinion of the Venice Commission on the concept prepared by the Government for legislative changes and reforms in order to implement the recommendations of the Opinion of the Venice Commission of December 2018.
16/04/2020
The Scientific Council of the Venice Commission has prepared a compilation of the Commission’s general reports and country-specific opinions on constitutional provisions and legislation on emergency situations. This document facilitates access to the Commission’s analysis of the compatibility of emergency powers with the fundamental principles of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
20/03/2020 - 21/03/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Following the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission decided not to hold the scheduled 20-21 March 2020 plenary session in Venice.
Instead, today, three opinions were adopted by a written procedure, as follows:
• Armenia: the Joint Opinion with the OSCE/ODIHR on draft amendments to the legislation concerning political parties;
• Kyrgyzstan: the Joint Opinion with the OSCE/ODIHR on the amendments to some legislative acts related to sanctions for violation of electoral legislation;
• Republic of M... read more
20/03/2020
Strasbourg - Following the spread of COVID-19, the 15th meeting of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice was replaced by a written procedure.
12/03/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe Mr Gianni Buquicchio made the following statement:
“I welcome that the judgment of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of 11 March declares unconstitutional the amendment to the Law on the Judiciary and the Status of Judges which reduced the maximum number of judges in the Supreme Court from 200 to 100. In its Opinion of December 2019 the Venice Commission asked for this provision to be removed.
The Commission was deeply worried that this amendment would have led to ma... read more
04/03/2020 - 06/03/2020
Nouakchott, Mauritania - the Organisation of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) of Arab countries, assisted by the UN Development Programme’s Regional Electoral Support Project (UNDP), the National Independent Election Commission of Mauritania and the Venice Commission, organised the 4th General Assembly of Arab EMBs and the international conference on the role of media in elections.
The conference gave the EMBs from Arab counties an opportunity to exchange views on international principles and standards in the field of media coverage of elections and identify key challenges facin... read more
122nd Plenary session of the Venice Commission cancelled
03/03/2020
Strasbourg - Following the spread of the COVID-19 in the north of Italy, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission decided not to hold the plenary session or the other usual meetings in Venice but instead, the most urgent opinions requested by states and uncontroversial texts will be adopted by a written procedure to be established by the Bureau.
02/03/2020 - 03/03/2020
Yerevan – a delegation of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR representatives is in Armenia in the framework of the preparation of the joint opinion on draft amendments to the legislation concerning political parties.
02/03/2020 - 03/03/2020
Moscow – A delegation of the Venice Commission, within the framework of the preparation of the Opinion on some draft Amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation (as proposed by the President of the Russian Federation on 15 January 2020) relating to the execution of decisions by international bodies, travelled to Moscow on 2 and 3 March 2020.
The members of the delegation held meetings with representatives of the authorities of the Russian Federation, with representatives of the Russian academic community and with members of the civil society.
28/02/2020
Zurich - A Venice Commission delegation participated in an international workshop entitled “The legal limits of direct democracy” by presenting the Code of good practice on referendums and its revision process.
The event was organised by the Institute for International and Comparative Constitutional Law of the University of Zurich with the support of the European Research Council.
25/02/2020 - 26/02/2020
Cairo - The Venice Commission, in co-operation with the National Human Rights Council of Egypt, organised a conference on “Open government”; The general principles of open government, civic participation and the role of the judiciary, the administration and the Ombudsman were on the agenda.
This is the first time that the Venice Commission and the National Human Rights Council of Egypt have co-organised an event.
25/02/2020 - 27/02/2020
Doha, Qatar – The Venice Commission participated in the High-level Meeting of the UN Global Judicial Integrity Network, organised with the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
23/02/2020 - 24/02/2020
Algiers - A Venice Commission delegation participated in the Conference on "the protection of rights and freedoms by the Constitutional Council" on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Council of Algeria.
20/02/2020 - 21/02/2020
Riga - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the recent amendments to the legislation on education in minority languages, the Venice Commission delegation participated in a series of meetings in Riga on 20-21 February 2020.
The exchanges of views with the following interlocutors have been scheduled: the President of the Republic, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Speaker of Parliament, the President of the Constitutional Court and other relevant authorities as well as the civil society including the representatives of the national minorities.
This op... read more
19/02/2020 - 20/02/2020
Chisinau – Chisinau – In the framework of the preparation of the joint opinion on the draft law on amending the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, a Venice Commission delegation held a series of meetings in Chisinau.
19/02/2020
On 17 February 2020 the Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Armenia requested a Venice Commission opinion on draft amendments to the legislation concerning political parties.
19/02/2020 - 21/02/2020
Chisinau - The Venice Commission participated in the International conference on “Constitutional justice and the society’s reaction: When the solutions of the Constitutional Courts are in disagreement with the majority opinion of the society”.
13/02/2020 - 14/02/2020
Tirana - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court, the Venice Commission delegation held a series of meetings in Tirana, on 13 and 14 February 2020.
11/02/2020 - 12/02/2020
Bishkek - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the amendments to some legislative acts of the Kyrgyz Republic related to sanctions for violation of electoral legislation, the Venice Commission delegation participated in a series of meetings with the Kyrgyz authorities and national experts in Bishkek, on 11 - 12 February 2020.
This visit was organised 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... read more
10/02/2020 - 11/02/2020
Tirana - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the draft amendments to the Law no 97/2013 on the Audiovisual Media Service, the Venice Commission delegation participated in a series of meetings in Tirana, on 10 and 11 February 2020.
This opinion is on the agenda of the March 2020 Plenary session of the Commission (20-21 March 2020).
09/02/2020
Baku - 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 early parliamentary elections held on 9 February 2020 in Azerbaijan.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
ROMANIA - request for opinion by PACE
07/02/2020
Strasbourg - At its meeting on 29 January 2020, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly) decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft laws of Romania amending:
- Law No. 115/2015 on the Elections of the Authorities of the Local Public Administration,
- Law No. 215/2001 on Local Public Administration and
- Law No. 393/2004 on the Status of Local Elections.
07/02/2020
On 5 February 2020, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Fadei Nagacevschi, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova as to the Supreme Council of Magistracy.
07/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Venice Commission published Issue 2019/2 of its e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, sharing the summaries of key judgments delivered by constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction with the world-wide legal community.
06/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – On 22 January 2020 the government of the Kingdom of Belgium has generously allocated 1.000.000 Euros to the Venice Commission’s budget for the period of four years (2020-2023).
The funds are destined for the modernisation of the Commission’s database on the constitutional case law CODICES and the website as well as the preparation of opinions.
06/02/2020 - 07/02/2020
Ankara - In the framework of the preparation of the opinion regarding the replacement of elected candidates and mayors, the Venice Commission delegation participated in a series of meetings in Ankara, on 6 and 7 February 2020.
This opinion will be discussed at the March 2020 Plenary session of the Commission (20-21 March 2020).
06/02/2020
Rabat - The 5th coordination meeting of the UniDem project for the southern Mediterranean took place in Rabat of the 6th February 2020. This annual meeting gathers the national coordinators of the following partner countries: Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia. The participants took stock of the 2019 UniDem Med seminars and discussed the priorities as regards the modernisation of the public administration in their respective countries. During the meeting the participants determined the topics, dates and venues of 2020 UniDem Med seminars.
The UniDem seminars were est... read more
05/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - Today the Committee of Ministers has endorsed the Venice Commission's checklist aimed at ensuring that election winners uphold democratic practices.
The Checklist gives governments guidelines on how to maintain the checks and balances of democracy, no matter what kind of system is used in that country.
It follows a warning by the Commission, echoed by former Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland in his 2016 report, that some governments, on gaining power in an election, are trying to dismantle democratic safeguards, rushing... read more
05/02/2020
On 5 February 2020, 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 and supplementing the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova.
03/02/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - "Following my statement of 29 October 2019, I remain preoccupied about the open conflict involving the Constitutional Court of Armenia. I share the concerns of the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in this respect.
I would like to recall the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission adopted in October 2019 that any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary, exclude any undue political or personal pressure on the judges concerned and must be designed not to inf... read more
31/01/2020
The Supreme Court of Somalia joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 117 members.
30/01/2020
Strasbourg - Mr Michael Frendo, member of the Bureau of the Venice Commission, took part on behalf of the Commission in a hearing of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the topic «Countering ill democracies in Europe».
30/01/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Secretary of the Venice Commission, Director Thomas Markert met with the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine Ms Valentyna Danishevska.
30/01/2020
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio and the Commission’s Secretary, Director Thomas Markert met with a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine led by its President Oleksandr Tupytskyi.
29/01/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - President Buquicchio exchanged views with Mr Igor Dodon, President of the Republic of Moldova in the presence of Mr Fadei Nagacevschi, Minister of Justice, and Ambassador Ms Corina Calugaru, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the Council of Europe. The Venice Commission’s Urgent Opinion on the Superior Council of Magistracy ( prepared jointly with the Directorate of Human Rights of the DG-I), the constitutional reform, the strategy for the judicial reform and the electoral legislation were discussed.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION – request for an opinion
29/01/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft amendment to
the Constitution of the Russian Federation (as proposed by the President of the Russian Federation on 15 January 2020) according to which, international agreements and treaties, as well as decisions by international bodies may apply only to the extent that they do not entail restrictions on the rights and freedoms of people and citizens, and do not contradict the Constitution.
EU TAIEX Workshop on Political party financing
27/01/2020 - 28/01/2020
Sarajevo - A representative of the Venice Commission took part in the TAIEX Workshop on “Political party financing – experience so far and next steps”, organised by the European Commission in co-operation with Bosnia and Herzegovina Election Commission, which took place in Sarajevo on 27 and 28 January 2020.
22/01/2020
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The Minister of Justice of Moldova requested a Venice Commission urgent opinion on the draft amendments to the Law of the Republic of Moldova No. 947/196 on Superior Council of Magistracy.
The urgent opinion was made public on 22 January 2020.
21/01/2020
The President of Albania requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.
20/01/2020
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on Albanian Law no. 97/2013 “on Audiovisual Media Service”.
09/01/2020 - 10/01/2020
The Marshal of the Senate of Poland, Mr Tomasz Grodzki, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments to the Law on Organisation of Common Courts, the Act on the Supreme Court and some other acts, adopted by the Polish Sejm on 20 December 2019.
These amendments were to be examined by the Senate at the upcoming January Session. For this reason, the Bureau of the Venice Commission authorised the preparation of an urgent opinion by the rapporteurs.
A Venice Commission delegation visited Warsaw on 9 and 10 January 2020 and met with the requesting authority and ... read more