30/12/2021
On 28 December 2021, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ordered the closure of Memorial International.
Memorial International is an non-commercial organisation which has operated in the Russian Federation since 1992 with a view to “studying political repressions in the USSR and in present-day Russia and promoting moral and legal rehabilitation of persons subjected to political repressions”.
It is one of the most prominent civil society organisations active in the field of human rights protection in the Russian Federation. The closure of Memorial International... read more
21/12/2021
On 14 December 2021, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Michael Aastrup Jensen, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on amendments to the Federal Law “On the Bar and the Legal Profession in the Russian Federation”.
21/12/2021
On 16 December 2021 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, Mr Karen Andreasyan, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft laws amending the Judicial Code and the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court.
21/12/2021
On 14 December 2021 the Minister of Justice and Public of Administration of Croatia, Mr Ivan Malenica, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on on the introduction of the procedure of renewal of security vetting through amendments to the Courts Act.
21/12/2021
On 16 November 2021, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Michael Aastrup Jensen, requested a comprehensive opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional and legal framework governing the functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia, taking into account the Venice Commission’s earlier opinion on the draft constitutional amendments on the judiciary.
13/12/2021 - 14/12/2021
Venice, Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista – The Special Representative of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio participated in the Conference of the Ministers of Justice - “Crime and criminal justice – the role of restorative justice in Europe”. The event was organised in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
11/12/2021
Venice/online – During the 129th plenary session the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission held an exchange of views with the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The participants discussed the cooperation between two institutions.
10/12/2021
Venice – Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, member of the Constitutional Council of France since 2010, today was elected President of the Venice Commission, succeeding Gianni Buquicchio, who has been President since 2009. Her two-year term begins today, and she would be eligible for re-election in 2023. She has been a member of the Venice Commission since 2014.
A graduate of the National School of Administration in France (1978-1980), Madame Bazy Malaurie has held many varied positions in the French government, from Senior Public Auditor of the French Court of Audit (1990-1994) to Director o... read more
10/12/2021 - 11/12/2021
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista / online - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 129th Plenary Session was held in a hybrid form, in Venice and online.
The Venice Commission:
- Held an exchange of views with Ms Klotilda Bushka Head of the Committee of Legal Affairs, Public Administration and Human Rights, Parliament of Albania, and adopted the opinion on the extension of the term of office of the vetting bodies for judges and prosecutors in Albania;
- Took note of a message from Ms Stephie Dracos Minister of Justice and Public Order of Cyprus (on... read more
02/12/2021
Tunis – In the framework of the “Project for the Improvement, Functioning, Performance and Access to Justice in Tunisia” (AP-JUST), which is a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe (2019-2021), the Venice Commission and the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies (CEJJ) under the aegis of the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, organised a general training workshop on the quality of regulation and legislation in Tunisia for the benefit of members of the CEJJ and executives of the Ministry of Justice.
The development of high-quality legislation, in line with... read more
01/12/2021
Moscow/online - The Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation organised the XI International Congress of Comparative Law entitled «Emergency situations: challenges of legal regulation in modern world».
Vice President of the Venice Commission Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie represented the Commission and delivered a report at the plenary session of the Congress on the “Key Issues and Problems of Emergencies in the View of the Venice Commission”.
01/12/2021 - 02/12/2021
The Venice Commission organised the 14th UniDem Med Seminar entitled "Good governance and quality of public administration", in co-operation with the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform of the Kingdom of Morocco. This seminar took place in the form of a videoconference on 1-2 December 2021.
More than 100 international experts and senior public officials from the Southern Mediterranean (Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia) attended the event. On the basis of presentations by international and regional experts, participants exchanged and shared experi... read more
28/11/2021
Bishkek - Representatives 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 28 November 2021 in Kyrgyzstan.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
The participation of the Venice Commission in this mission 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 countr... read more
24/11/2021
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission has issued an Urgent Opinion on on revised draft constitutional amendments on the judiciary of Serbia.
The opinion was prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. It will be endorsed at the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
24/11/2021 - 25/11/2021
Mexico City – A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the Global Forum on Democracy on Electoral Management Bodies organised by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico on 24-25 November 2021 in Mexico City.
The Forum was organised with the support and cooperation of Kofi Annan Foundation, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (IIDH), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA International), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Organization of American St... read more
24/11/2021
Kyiv - A representative of the Venice Commission participated online in an international conference entitled “State oversight of campaigning in referendums: Experience, lessons learned, and way forward”.
This event was organised by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) (Kyiv Office) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Affairs Canada, and UK AID, and meant for representatives of electoral management bodies, political finance oversight institutions, as well as civil society representatives.
24/11/2021
Nur-Sultan - The Venice Commission organised, in co-operation with the High Judicial Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an international hybrid round table in Nur-Sultan entitled “The role and place of judicial councils in the judiciary and their current models”. The event was held to support the efforts of the High Judicial Council of Kazakhstan aimed at transforming the Council from an autonomous state institution to a judicial self-government body.
Participants from Kazakhstan as well as from Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shared their experiences with the Euro... read more
22/11/2021 - 23/11/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the law on the prevention of threats to national security, associated with excessive influence of persons having significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs), a delegation of the Venice Commission held online consultations with:
• the Minister of Justice;
• the Ombudsperson;
• the Head of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence;
• representatives of different parliamentary factions;
• the National Agency on Prevention of Corruption;
• the ad... read more
18/11/2021
By letter of 5 November 2021, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Ms Lindita Nikolla, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the term of office of the transitional re-evaluation bodies (vetting bodies) for judges and prosecutors
This opinion is being prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. It will be submitted for adoption at the December 2021 plenary session.
18/11/2021
Nicosia - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the procedure of the appointments of the members of the judiciary in Cyprus, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the following Cypriot interlocutors:
• Minister of Justice and Public Order
• Attorney General of the Republic of Cyprus
• President and Members of the Supreme Court of Cyprus
• President and Members of the Judges’ Association
• Members of the Parliamentary Committee of Legal Affairs
• President and Members of the Cyprus Bar Association.
The request for th... read more
18/11/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr Zdravko Krivokapic, met to discuss the latest developments in the country and future co-operation between the Commission and Montenegro.
Prime Minister Krivokapic is paying an official visit to the Council of Europe.
17/11/2021
By letter dated 17 November 2021, the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Sergiu Litvinenko, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on certain measures relating to the selection of candidates for administrative positions in the self-governing bodies of judges and prosecutors.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the March 2022 plenary session of the Commission (18-19 March 2022).
17/11/2021 - 18/11/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online on 17 and 18 November with Mrs Azimova, Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Shakirov, Deputy Chairman Senate of the Parliament, and representatives of the civil society.
The request for this opinion was submitted by Mr Shakirov, Deputy Chairman Senate of the Parliament, on 23 September 2021. The draft opinion will be on the agenda of the December plenary session of the Commission (10-11 December ... read more
17/11/2021 - 18/11/2021
Pristina – In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law amending Law no. 06/L-056 on the prosecutorial council of Kosovo, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with the representatives of the following interlocutors:
• Ministry of Justice,
• National Assembly Representatives,
• Prosecutorial Council and Chief Prosecutor’s Office,
• International community and NGOs representatives.
The request for this opinion was submitted by the Minister of Justice of Kosovo on 26 October 2021. ... read more
16/11/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the amendments to the Law No.3/2016 on the prosecutor's office of 24 August 2021, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online on 16 November 2021 with the representatives of the following interlocutors :
• the General Prosecutor's Office,
• the Superior Council of Prosecutors,
• the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (the parliamentary majority and opposition),
• the Constitutional Court,
• the Ministry of Justice and
• the civil society.
The request for this opinion was su... read more
16/11/2021 - 17/11/2021
Kyiv - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law of Ukraine “On Improving the Procedure for Establishing the Impossibility of Holding National and Local Elections, All-Ukrainian and Local Referenda in Certain Territories and Polling Stations”, a delegation of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR met on 16 -17 November 2021 with representatives of the following Ukrainian institutions:
• Parliamentary Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning;
• Central Ele... read more
15/11/2021 - 18/11/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of Act LXXIX amending certain Acts for the protection of children, on 15, 17 and 18 November 2021, a delegation of the Venice Commission met (online) with the following Hungarian interlocutors :
• MPs, representatives of the Parliamentary majority (“Fidesz” and KDNP);
• MPs, representatives of the Parliamentary opposition (“Jobbik” and MSZP);
• The Ministry of Justice;
• The Ministry of Human Resources;
• The National Media and Informati... read more
13/11/2021 - 15/11/2021
Sofia - Representatives 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 and early parliamentary elections of 14 November 2021 in Bulgaria.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
10/11/2021 - 11/11/2021
Seoul/online - The Venice Commission participated in the 3rd International Symposium of the AACC Secretariat for Research and Development of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) on “Constitutional Rights and AACC Members”.
09/11/2021
Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission has issued an Urgent Opinion on the revised draft law on the referendum and the people’s Initiative of Serbia.
The opinion was prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. It will be endorsed at the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
07/11/2021
By letter of 27 October 2021 the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova requested an amicus curiae Brief on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).
The draft amicus curiae brief will be on the agenda of the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
05/11/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, participated in the meeting of the Committee of Minsters’ Rapporteurs Group on the External Relations (GR-EXT).
President Buquicchio presented an overview of the co-operation between the Venice Commission and non-European countries and exchanged views with the members of the GR-EXT on the Council of Europe contribution to the international order and global governance, as well as to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
04/11/2021
By letter of 22 October 2021, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mr Ruslan Stefanchuk, requested an opinion ofn the Venice Commission on the draft law of Ukraine “On local referendum”.
04/11/2021
By letter of 26 October 2021, the Minister of Justice of Kosovo requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law amending and supplementing Law no. 06/L-056 on the Prosecutorial Council.
The draft opinion will be submitted for the adoption by the December 2021 plenary session (10-11 December 2021). It will be prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
03/11/2021
By letter of 26 October 2021, the Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly requested an urgent opinion on the revised version of the draft constitutional amendments on which the Venice Commission adopted an opinion at its 128th Plenary Session.
This Urgent opinion will be prepared under the Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
This opinion will be issued in the course of the month of November. It will subsequently be submitted to t... read more
29/10/2021
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe held the 18th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) online, operating from the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. This year the conference was devoted to the “Lessons learned from the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on electoral processes”.
Representatives of electoral management bodies of Venice Commission member States, i.e. Europe and the Americas among other parts of the world, academics and election experts participated in the event, which was exceptionally open to publi... read more
28/10/2021
Chisinau – The Venice Commission participated in the Post-electoral review conference entitled “Lessons learned, recommendations and steps ahead”.
The event was organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and the Center for Continuous Electoral Training.
27/10/2021 - 28/10/2021
Nur-Sultan/online - The Venice Commission took part in the international round table entitled “Reforms of the Judiciary in Kazakhstan : addressing new challenges using the best international practices”. The Round Table was organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A representative of the Venice Commission intervened in the first session of the event dedicated to the administrative justice and presented the Commission’s 2018 opinion on the draft text of the "Administrative procedural and process-related code of the Repu... read more
21/10/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the Urgent Opinion on the revised draft law on the referendum and the people’s Initiative of Serbia, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the following institutions and interlocutors:
• the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government,
• the Ministry of Justice,
• the Parliament (majority and minority MPs),
• the Republic Election Commission (RIK),
• international community, present in Serbia, and civil society organisations.
The opinion is prepared under the Expertise Co-ordinatio... read more
19/10/2021
By letter dated 8 October 2021, the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia, Ms Marija Obradovic, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the revised draft law on referendum and the people’s Initiative. During the 128th plenary session, the Commission authorised the preparation of this Urgent Opinion and its publication prior to the 129th plenary session (10-11 December 2021).
On 24 September 2021, the Commission had issued an urgent opinion on the first draft of this law, submitted for opinion by Minister Obradovic on 2 August 2021. This opin... read more
19/10/2021
By letter dated 24 September 2021, the Chair of the Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning of the Parliament of Ukraine, Mr. Andrii Klochko, requested an opinion on the draft law of Ukraine “On Improving the Procedure for Establishing the Impossibility of Holding National and Local Elections, All-Ukrainian and Local Referenda in Certain Territories and Polling Stations”.
The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR will prepare the opinion on this draft law jointly. It will be on the agenda of the 129th plenary sess... read more
19/10/2021 - 21/10/2021
Chisinau - The President and the Secretary of the Venice Commission are participating in the visit of the Council of Europe High Level Working Group on Justice Reform.
The Working group is meeting the following representatives of the Moldovan authorities:
• The President of the Republic of Moldova,
• the Constitutional Court,
• the Deputy Chairman of the Parliament and the Legal Committee for appointments and immunities of the Parliament,
• the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration,
• the Minister of Justi... read more
15/10/2021 - 16/10/2021
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista /online - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 128th Plenary Session was held in a hybrid form, in Venice and online.
The Venice Commission:
- Adopted the amicus curiae Brief for the Constitutional Court of Albania on the competence of the Constitutional Court regarding the validity of the local elections held in Albania on 30 June 2019;
- Held an exchange of views with Mr Arman Tatoyan, Ombudsman of Armenia, and Mr Vache Khalashyan, Acting Head of the Civil Service Office in the Prime Minister’s Office (online... read more
14/10/2021
Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista/online - The Council for Democratic Elections (CDE) approved the draft amicus curiae Brief on the competence of the Constitutional Court of Albania regarding the validity of the local elections held on 30 June 2019 and the draft Joint Opinion on the 2020 amendments to the electoral legislation of Hungary prior to the adoption of these documents by the Commission’s plenary session.
The CDE was informed about the Venice Commission’s activities in the electoral field carried out between the 71 and 72nd meetings. The participants were e... read more
14/10/2021 - 15/10/2021
Maputo/online - The Venice Commission participate the International Symposium on the “Transparency of Elections in Africa” organised by the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa and the Constitutional Council of Mozambique.
05/10/2021
Tashkent - The Venice Commission took part in the International conference “UZBEKISTAN: FIVE YEARS OF REFORMS” organised on 5 October 2021 in Tashkent as a hybrid event. The conference focused on the reforms carried out by the Republic of Uzbekistan since the adoption of the Strategy of Actions 2017-2021.
The Vice President of the Venice Commission, Mr Philip Dimitrov, intervened in the first session of the conference entitled “Improving the state of society construction, scope of reforms to ensure the rule of law”.
The participation of the Venice Commission in this eve... read more
05/10/2021 - 06/10/2021
The Venice Commission organised the 13th UniDem Med Seminar entitled "Public Administration facing the COVID 19 Pandemic: Modernisation and digital innovations", in co-operation with the General Personnel Council of Palestine*. This seminar took place in an hybrid format on 5-6 October 2021.
More than 150 international experts and senior public officials from the Southern Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia) participated online in the event, in addition to 80 face-to-face participants in Palestine*.
Based on presentations by European and regional ... read more
04/10/2021
The Supreme Court of Sweden joined the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, which now has 118 members.
04/10/2021
Tonight, the debates moderated by Patrick Cohen "The rule of law in the face of crises" took place at the French Constitutional Council. The event brought together French and international personalities:
• Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 2020 Sakharov Human Rights Prize;
• Dr. Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize;
• Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice;
• Cynthia Fleury, philosopher and psychoanalyst;
• Denis Podalydès, Member of the Comédie-Française accompanied by Sébastien Boudria, musician and composer.
The President of the Venice Commissio... read more
01/10/2021
By letter dated 15 September 2021, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to request an opinion of the Venice Commission on the compatibility with international human rights standards of Act LXXIX of 2021 enacted by the Hungarian Parliament on 15 June 2021, in particular where it amends the following Acts: Act XXXI of 1997, Act XLVIII of 2008, Act CLXXXV of 2010, Act CCXI of 2011 and Act CXC of 2011, and notably as concerns its impact on the freedom to receive and impart information on subjects dealing with sexual orien... read more
29/09/2021
By letter dated 22 September 2021, the Minister of Justice and Public Order of Cyprus, Ms Stephie Dracos, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the procedure of the appointments of the members of the judiciary in Cyprus.
29/09/2021
Today, the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, made the following statement:
"Judicial reform was at the centre of my recent fruitful exchange with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That reform is crucial for the future of the country, it raises very high expectations in Ukrainian society.
I welcome the adoption of the Law "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges and some laws of Ukraine regarding the resumption of the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine" (No. 1629... read more
29/09/2021
By letter dated 23 September 2021, the Deputy Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Askar Shakirov, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft Law "On the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan" and the three accompanying draft bills.
The opinion will be delivered for discussion and adoption at the 129th Plenary session (December 2021).
28/09/2021
Bucharest/online – At the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) organised for the first time a Leaders Forum with the participation of leaders of the prominent international organisations in the field of elections in order to discuss how the global electoral community functions now, and how its operations could be improved in the future. To this end, the following three themes were debated:
• ACEEEO is thirty: What aspects or trends might be highlighted from the past 30 years in terms of promoting free and fair elections globally... read more
27/09/2021
By letter dated 6 September 2021 the Minister of Justice of the Lebanese Republic, Ms Marie Claude Najm, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law amending Legislative-Decree no. 150/1983 on the Organisation of the Judiciary.
24/09/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the urgent opinion on the draft law on the referendum and the people's initiative of Serbia.
This urgent opinion was requested by Ms Marija Obradović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia, on 2 August 2021.
The urgent opinion was prepared under the Expert Coordination Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Horizontal Facility II, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.
23/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the Armenian legislation related to the independence of the Ombudsman’s staff the rapporteurs had online meetings with members of the Ombudman’s Office, members Civil service Office of the Prime Minister and of the Administration of Prime Office.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 128th plenary session of the Venice Commission (15-16.10.2021).
23/09/2021
The Prosecutor General and the President of the Superior Council of Prosecutors of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Alexandr Stoianoglo and Ms Angela Motuzoc respectively, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the compatibility of the recent legislative amendments to the Law on the Prosecution Service with international standards.
23/09/2021 - 23/09/2021
Sofia/Strasbourg (online) – The 19th meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice of the Venice Commission (JCCJ), initially to be hosted by the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria took place online on 23 September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
21/09/2021
The Venice Commission is saddened by the death of its former substitute member in respect of Peru, Mr Carlos RAMOS NÚÑEZ.
Carlos Augusto Ramos Núñez was a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Peru.
He specialised in the history of Peruvian law of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
He was Director General of the Center for Constitutional Studies of the Constitutional Court from Peru, Director of the Judicial Academy of Peru, and Director of the Peruvian Journal of Constitutional Law.
Our sincere condolences to the family and friends. The Venice Commis... read more
20/09/2021 - 21/09/2021
Kyiv – in the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law No 5844 “On the Principles of State Policy of the Transition Period”, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with interlocutors and representatives of the following institutions:
• Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• Deputy Prime-Minister/Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine;
• Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories in Do... read more
17/09/2021 - 19/09/2021
Moscow – Representatives of the Venice Commission accompanied the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) election assessment mission to advise on the legal framework of the general elections of 17 - 19 September 2021 in the Russian Federation.
Judicial Conference of Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils of the OIC Member/Observer States (J-OIC) - 2nd Conference
16/09/2021 - 17/09/2021
Djakarta/on-line – The Venice Commission participated in the 2nd Conference of the Judicial Conference of Constitutional and Supreme Courts/Councils of the Member/Observer States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (J-OIC).
16/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the 2020 amendments to the electoral legislation of Hungary, the rapporteurs a delegation of the Venice Commission and ODIHR met online with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the National Election Office, political parties and civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 128th plenary session (15-16 October 2021).
15/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the draft Law on the State of Emergency of North Macedonia, a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman, the majority and the opposition political parties present in the Assembly as well as of the NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 128th session of the Commission (15-16 October 2021).
The opinion is prepared under the Expert Coordination Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme H... read more
15/09/2021
By letter dated 10 September 2021 the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro Razumkov requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law “On the prevention of threats to national security, associated with excessive influence of persons having significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs)”.
13/09/2021 - 14/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the amendments to the Act on Equal Treatment and Promotion of Equal Opportunities and the Act on the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights adopted by the Hungarian Parliament in December 2020, on 13 and 14 September 2021 a delegation of the Venice Commission met online with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, political parties and NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the October 2021 plenary session.
09/09/2021 - 10/09/2021
Bratislava - In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion regarding the organisation of the legal profession in the Slovak Republic and the role of the Supreme Administrative Court in the disciplinary proceedings against barristers, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with representatives of the Minister of Justice, the National Council, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Judicial Council, the Bar Association as well as NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the October 2021 plenary session.
08/09/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - The Vice President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, presented the 2020 Annual Report of Activities of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The presentation was followed by an exchange of views with the Ambassadors of the member and observer States of the Council of Europe.
07/09/2021 - 10/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the legislative amendments on the judiciary adopted by the Hungarian parliament in December 2020, on 7, 9 and 10 October 2021 the Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the representatives of the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• Minister of Justice
• Supreme Court - Kuria
• National Judicial Office
• National Judicial Council
• Association of Judges
• Political parties
• NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the 128th p... read more
07/09/2021 - 09/09/2021
Rabat - A representative 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 general elections of 8 September 2021 in Morocco.
The delegation held meetings with representatives of political parties, National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) and civil society.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
06/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the opinion on the proposed exclusion of the Ombudsman/Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman from ‘safe space’ investigations in the National Health Service, as foreseen in the Health and Care Bill, the rapporteurs had online meetings with members of the PHSO’s Office, members of the Health Service Investigation Branch, representatives of the Health Care Department and of the Cabinet of Ministers’ Office.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 128th plenary session of the Venice Commission (15-16.10.2021).
03/09/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the urgent opinion on the Law on the Referendum and the People’s Initiative, a delegation of the Venice Commission met with representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the Ministry of Justice, the Republic Electoral Commission, the National Assembly, the international community, as well as NGOs.
The urgent opinion will be issued in due course and submitted for endorsement at the October 2021 plenary session.
The opinion is prepared under the Expert Coordination Mechanism in the framework of t... read more
26/08/2021
Today the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, made the following statement:
"Since the declaration of the state of emergency on 25 July 2021, the President of Tunisia has concentrated in his hands the legislative, executive and, partially, judicial powers. Tunisia does not have a constitutional court.
Tunisia is facing a very deep crisis, caused on the one hand by the difficulties of managing the pandemic and on the other hand by the difficulties of functioning of the state institutions and by the very high level of corruption. A large part of the ... read more
27/08/2021
Nur-Sultan/online – The President of the Venice Commission gave an opening speech at the Symposium on “The Internet Era: the Rule of Law, the Values of the Person and the State Independence”, organised by the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan and the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) . The Symposium coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Independence of Kazakhstan.
The participation of the President of the Venice Commission has been financed by the Central Asia Rule of Law programme.
26/08/2021
By letter of 26 August 2021, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on constitutional reform in Belarus and its compliance with Council of Europe standards.
26/08/2021
Nur Sultan/online – The Secretary General of the World Conference on constitutional Justice participated in the meetings of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) and the Eurasian Association of Constitutional Review Bodies (EACRB).
09/08/2021
By note verbale dated 6 August 2021, the Permanent Representation of North Macedonia with the Council of Europe requested a Venice Commission opinion on the draft Law on the State of Emergency.
The Commission will prepare a draft opinion with a view to adoption at the 128th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission.
02/08/2021
By letter of 2 August 2021, Ms Marija OBRADOVIĆ, Minister of Public Administration and Local-Self Government of Serbia, requested an urgent Opinion of the Venice Commission on the “Draft Law on the Referendum and the People’s Initiative” of the Republic of Serbia.
The urgent opinion will be subsequently issued and published on the website of the Venice Commission in due course. It will be submitted to the Venice Commission for endorsement at the 128th Plenary Session (15-16 October 2021).
20/07/2021
In the context of the preparation of the assessment of the constitutional reform in Serbia and following two opinion requests by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, a delegation of the Venice Commission met (online) with the Working Group of the National Assembly of Serbia to discuss proposed amendments to the constitution.
15/07/2021
Tunis - The Venice Commission and the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) organised an online workshop on referendums.
This event allowed for an exchange on the legal framework relating to referendums in Tunisia, both nationally and locally, in order to contribute to the process of the preparation of possible legislative changes. International standards as well as best practices were presented by international experts.
14/07/2021
The European Parliament and the Parliament of Georgia organised an online conference on the importance of ensuring the rights and responsibilities of the opposition in a modern and inclusive parliament.
The main speakers were prominent politicians with extensive experience in the European and national parliaments. They offered both normative framework as well as comparative analysis of best practices across Europe. A member of the Venice Commission presented its report on the “Role of the opposition in a democratic Parliament”.
The primary audience of the conference were... read more
12/07/2021
On 9 July 2021 the President of the Constitutional Court of Albania requested an amicus curiae opinion to address in particular the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court over the constitutionality of the election process and the interrelation of the fundamental constitutional principles of periodicity of local elections and political pluralism, in relationship with the 2019 local elections.
The draft amicus curiae brief should be submitted for adoption by the 128th plenary session of the Venice Commission.
12/07/2021
By letter dated 14 May 2021, the Ombudsman and Chair of the Parliamentary and Health Service requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the proposed exclusion of the Ombudsman from “safe space” investigations in the National Health Service.
The draft opinion will be delivered for discussion and adoption at the 128th Plenary session (14-16 October 2021).
10/07/2021 - 12/07/2021
Sofia - 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 scheduled on 11 July 2021 in Bulgaria.
The delegation held meetings with representatives of political parties and of the Central Election Commission.
The delegation observed the opening, voting and counting processes of the elections.
08/07/2021 - 12/07/2021
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 early parliamentary elections scheduled on 11 July 2021 in the Republic of Moldova.
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.
07/07/2021
By letter dated 2 June 2021, the Minister of Justice of the Slovak Republic, Ms Mária Kolíková, requested a Venice Commission’s opinion on two questions regarding the organisation of the legal profession in the Slovak Republic and the role of the Supreme Administrative Court in the disciplinary proceedings against barristers.
The Commission will prepare a draft opinion with a view to adoption at the 128th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission.
07/07/2021
By letter dated 4 June 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Mr Oleksii Reznikov, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law “On the principles of state policy of the transition period”.
The Commission will prepare a draft opinion with a view to adoption at the 128th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission.
06/07/2021 - 09/07/2021
Saint–Petersburg - The Vice President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, took part online in the opening session of the high level international conference co-organised by the Council of Europe and the office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation on the role of the prosecution service in the defence of individual rights and of the public interest.
Ms Bazy Malaurie also participated in a panel discussion on the functions of the prosecution service outside of the criminal law field.
02/07/2021 - 03/07/2021
The plenary session was held in a hybrid form: on-line and at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice.
The Commission adopted the following opinions:
• an opinion on the draft Law on preventing conflict of interests in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• an opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of bills introduced late last year to the Russian State Duma, to amend laws affecting so-called “foreign agents”;
• an opinion on constitutional amendments adopted by the Hungarian parliament in December 2020;
• ... read more
25/06/2021
The Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan and the Venice Commission organised an international online seminar on the “Execution of decisions of constitutional courts and equivalent bodies – theory and practice”. The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, as well as several other members of the Commission participated in the seminar.
The event was financed by the joint Council of Europe – European Union “Central Asia Rule of Law Programme”. The Venice Commission implements the third component of this programme, namely “Promoting Efficient Functioning of State Inst... read more
24/06/2021 - 25/06/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the legal protection of citizens, in particular under administrative law and the system of checks and balances in theory and practice, including the Houses of the States General and the judiciary, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs held online meetings with representatives of the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• Members of Parliament,
• Ministries of Social Affairs and Employment, of Justice and Security, of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and of Finance,
• the Supreme Court and the Council ... read more
24/06/2021
Kiev - The Constitutional Court of Ukraine, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary as well as the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine, organised an international conference on "The Constitution of 1996: Ukraine within the framework of European constitutionalism" in co-operation with the the IRZ-Foundation and the Venice Commission.
23/06/2021
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death of Zambia’s first female Chief Justice, Ms Irene Mambilima, who passed away on 20 June 2021 during an official visit to Egypt.
The Supreme Court of Zambia is a member of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) since 2013. At the 4th Congress of the World Conference in 2017 in Lithuania, Chief Justice Mambilima co-chaired the joint meeting of the Southern African Chief Justices Forum and Commonwealth Courts.
We express our sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of the late Ms Mambilima.
19/06/2021 - 21/06/2021
Yerevan - 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 20 June 2021 in Armenia.
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.
18/06/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Today the Venice Commission jointly with the OSCE/ODIHR issued the Urgent opinion on the revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia.
The revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia have been prepared in close cooperation between the ruling party and several opposition parties, which is particularly noteworthy against the background of the parliamentary boycott by all elected opposition parties after the October 2020 parliamentary elections and of the fact that most of the opposition parties had therefore not participated in... read more
PACE - hearing on balanced gender representation in the Assembly
09/06/2021
The Equality Committee and the Rules of Procedure Committee held a joint hearing on gender representation in the Parliamentary Assembly on 3 June 2021.
A representative of the Venice Commission provided expert input showing that gender-balanced representation in elected bodies is on the way of becoming an international standard, and how it can effectively be promoted in practice through appropriate legislation.
08/06/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the joint urgent opinion on the revised amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, the Venice Commission’s rapporteurs and OSCE/ODIHR expert held online meetings with representatives of the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• the Central Election Commission,
• the political parties which signed the 19 April 2021 agreement and several parties who did not,
• civil society and diplomatic community present in Georgia.
This urgent opinion is prepared under the Quick response Mechanism in the framework of the EU/C... read more
07/06/2021 - 08/06/2021
Kyiv – The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, Honorary President of the Commission, Ms Hanna Suchocka, and the Secretary of the Venice Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, represented the Commission at the high-level “Zero Corruption Conference”, organised by the Anti-Corruption Action Centre of Ukraine.
07/06/2021
The Hague - The Venice Commission participated in the online conference to mark the 25th anniversary of The Hague Recommendations regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities, which was first published in 1996.
07/06/2021
Kyiv - The Venice Commission President, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, held an exchange of views with the President of Ukraine, Mr Volodymyr Zelensky, and with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Dmytro Razumkov, on the pending judicial reforms in Ukraine.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA - Countering misuse of administrative resources in electoral period – Online awareness raising event with electoral stakeholders and media representatives
04/06/2021
The Electoral Assistance Division of the DG-II the Council of Europe, the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and its Centre for Continuous Electoral Training co-organised an online awareness raising event with electoral stakeholders and media representatives on “Countering the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes”.
Mr Richard Barrett, Irish member of the Venice Commission, intervened on “The international framework on combating the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes”.
04/06/2021
The first Steering Committee meeting of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 took place online on 4 June 2021.
High level officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as representatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe took part in the meeting. Representatives of the Venice Commission in charge of the implementation of the Programme’s component entitled “Promote efficient functioning of state institutions and public administration in Central Asia” also participated in the event.
The participants o... read more
01/06/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the urgent opinion on the Reform of Fair Trial Requirements relating to Substantial Administrative Fines in Malta.
This urgent opinion was requested by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Governance of Malta, Mr Edward Zammit Lewis.
28/05/2021
The Electoral Assistance Division of the Council of Europe, the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova co-organised a webinar for judges and election commissioners on “Election dispute resolution by the Moldovan courts – International and national framework on the use of administrative resources during electoral processes”.
Mr Eirik Holmøyvik, Norwegian substitute member of the Venice Commission, intervened on “Election dispute resolution – good Europea... read more
28/05/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the constitutional amendments adopted by the Hungarian parliament in December 2020, on 17, 18, 21 and 28 May 2021 the Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the representatives of the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• Minister of Justice;
• Minister of Family Affairs;
• Ministry of Human Resources;
• Supreme Court (Kuria);
• Political parties;
• Data Protection and Freedom of Information Authority, and
• NGOs.
The draft opinion will be submitte... read more
27/05/2021
The 6th coordination meeting of the UniDem project for the southern Mediterranean took place via videoconference on 27 May 2021. This annual meeting gathers national coordinators representing Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia. Participants took stock of the UniDem Med 2020 seminars and discussed their respective priorities as regards modernisation of public administration. During the meeting, the participants determined the topics, dates and venues of the next UniDem Med seminars in 2021.
The UniDem seminars were established for the Southern Mediterra... read more
26/05/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on the conflict of interests, on 25 and 26 May 2021 the Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as with the MPs in Parliament from the majority and opposition parties, Agency on the Prevention of Corruption, the Conflict of Interests Commission, representatives of the civil society and the international community.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption during the 127th plenary session (2-3 July 2021).
25/05/2021
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 3/2020 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mailing reports... read more
25/05/2021
The Venice Commission and the World Conference on Constitutional Justice participated in the 9th Conference of Head of Institutions of the Association of Francophone Constitutional Courts on "Collegiality" (online).
21/05/2021
The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia Mr Kakha Kuchava requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft (revised) amendments to the Election Code of Georgia.
On 25 May 2021, the Bureau of the Venice Commission authorised the preparation of this urgent opinion to be issued prior to the next Plenary Session of July 2021.
The opinion will be prepared under the Quick response Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by the Council of... read more
BELGIUM - Hearing of the Institutional Affairs Committee of the Senate
21/05/2021
A member of the Venice Commission participated in a hearing of the Belgian Senate on three special bills amending the special law on the Belgian Constitutional Court. He contributed to the debate on the issue of the composition of Constitutional Courts from a viewpoint of comparative law.
19/05/2021
Following the request for an opinion by the PACE Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee dated 18 December 2020 on the compatibility with international human rights standards of a series of Bills introduced to the Russian State Duma between 9 and 23 November 2020, to amend laws affecting so-called "foreign agents", the Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings on 7 and 17 May 2021.
First, the rapporteurs exchanged views with the Chairman of the Committee of the Federation Council on Constitutional Legislation and State Construction and with the Chairman of the Inte... read more
14/05/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law for dismantling the section for the investigation of offences committed within the judiciary, on 12 and 14 May 2021 the Commission’s rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the representatives of the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• Minister of Justice
• Parliament
• High Court of Cassation and Justice – President and other representatives
• Superior Council of Magistracy
• Professional associations of judges and prosecutors
• Head of the Anti-Corruption Dire... read more
11/05/2021
The National Electoral Chamber of Argentina organised a two-day online training event on "Elections and risks of misinformation: Good practices in digital campaigns and social networks" held on 11 and 13 May 2021.
Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, Secretary of the Venice Commission, participated in the panel discussion of 13 May.
The event was opened by Mr Santiago Corcuera, President of the National Electoral Chamber of Argentina, and was closed by Mr Alberto Dalla Via, Judge at the National Electoral Chamber of Argentina and representative of this country on the Venice Comm... read more
11/05/2021
On 27 April 2021, the Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Josip Grubesa, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on the prevention of conflicts of interest in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 127th plenary session of the Commission (2-3 July 2021).
The draft opinion will be prepared under the Expert Coordination Mechanism in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Horizontal Facility II, co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union and implemented by ... read more
11/05/2021 - 12/05/2021
The Venice Commission is organising in cooperation with the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen (FIO) an online Conference on "The Venice Principles and Ombudsman Institutions in the protection of Human Rights in Latin America and Europe", on 11-12 May 2021.
The main objective is to raise awareness of the "Venice Principles" in Latin America and to strengthen a common tradition of democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance in Latin America as well as to compare the regional experience with the European one. The Conference is an opportunity to make the "Venice Princ... read more
10/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission issued the Urgent opinion on the revised draft amendments to the Law on the State Prosecution Service of Montenegro.
This urgent opinion was requested on 26 April 2021 by Deputy Prime Minister Abazović and is a follow-up to the opinion adopted by the Venice Commission at its 126th Plenary Session (19-20 March 2021) on a previous version of these amendments (CDL-AD(2021)012).
09/05/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the urgent opinion on fair trial requirements in relation to substantial administrative fines in Malta, between 26 April – 3 May 2021 the rapporteurs held a series of online meetings with the following authorities and other interlocutors:
• Parliamentary majority
• Parliamentary opposition
• Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance
• Attorney General
• Police Commissioner
• Ombudsman
• Malta Financial Services Authori... read more
06/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe issued the Urgent Opinion on the draft Law amending certain provisions of the Code of Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the liability of public officials for inaccurate asset declaration (no. 4651, of 27 January 2021).
The urgent opinion was requested by letter dated 12 March 2021 by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV.
05/05/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe – Today the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe issued the Urgent opinion on the draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the procedure for electing (appointing) members of the High Council of Justice and on the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice.
The urgent opinion was requested by letter dated 15 March 2021 by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV.
04/05/2021 - 05/05/2021
At its meeting on 27 January 2021, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights decided to request a Venice Commission opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of Law no. 7262 on the Prevention of Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction recently passed by Turkey’s National Assembly, amending, inter alia, the Law on Associations (No. 2860) and Law on Aid Collection (No. 5253).
Following this request, the rapporteurs held virtual meetings with the five parliamentary groups.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adopt... read more
30/04/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – Today the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR issued their urgent joint opinion on the draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, following an urgent request for assistance by the then Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr Archil TALAKVADZE, addressed to the OSCE/ODIHR on 9 March 2021.
Proposed amendments to the Election Code include some positive changes but raise some new concerns which add to long-standing fundamental issues that remain unaddressed. A more comprehensive and systemic reform is still needed.
This urgent opinion ... read more
29/04/2021
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has issued the urgent opinion on the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia.
The request for the urgent opinion came from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Mr Archil Talakvadze, by letter dated 8 April 2021.
The Venice Commission welcomes the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts, which are crucial for the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges, currently taking place in Georgia. Having taken several of the Venice Commission’s previous recommendations into account, th... read more
28/04/2021
On 26 April 2021 the Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, M. Dritan Abazović, requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the revised draft amendments to the Law on the State Prosecution Service of Montenegro. This request follows up to the opinion issued by the Commission in March 2021 on the previous version of the amendments (see CDL-AD(2021)012).
The Venice Commission’s Bureau has accepted such request and the urgent opinion will be issued in due course.
ALBANIA – parliamentary election – legal assistance to the PACE election observation mission
24/04/2021 - 26/04/2021
Tirana - 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 25 April 2021 in Albania.
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.
23/04/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg - "I am extremely alarmed by the present situation in the Republic of Moldova.
I call on all state institutions to exercise restraint, to enter into a dialogue and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the operation of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which is what the Moldovan people deserves especially when confronted with the current health and economic crisis.
Today’s declaration of the Parliament that it does not recognise the Opinion of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova of 15 April 2... read more
22/04/2021
Strasbourg – The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR have issued an joint urgent opinion on amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation of Armenia. Having examined the conformity of the procedure of their elaboration, as well as the conformity of the amendments with international standards, the opinion concludes that the package is to be broadly welcomed, as it addresses the majority of previous recommendations. At the same time, the opinion suggests a series of key recommendations aimed at improving the draft amendments submitted.
The opinion was requested by the Spe... read more
22/04/2021 - 23/04/2021
Berlin – The Venice Commission is invited to participate in the Conference of the Presidents of the Constitutional Courts of the Member States of the Council of Europe. The event is organised by the German Presidency of the Council of Europe (November – May 2021).
22/04/2021 - 23/04/2021
Tashkent – Following an invitation by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Ruslanbek Davletov, the President of the Venice Commission’s President, Mr. Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the International Legal Forum “Tashkent Law Spring”.
The 2021 edition of this biennial Forum is entitled “Law 4.0. The vision of law in the age of fourth industrial revolution” and it was held as a video conference. The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. A number of high ranking officials from different countries, international organisation... read more
21/04/2021
The OSCE/ODIHR, the Venice Commission and the Kyiv Office of the Council of Europe as well as the National Democratic Institute organised an online roundtable discussion of the Joint Opinion on the draft law on political parties in Ukraine, adopted last March by the Venice Commission.
The rapporteurs presented the conclusions of the opinion and the Working Group of the Verkhovna Rada informed the participants on the latest developments concerning the draft law.
21/04/2021
Upon request of the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Mr Dmytro Razumkov to assess the draft law No 4561 amending provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the liability of public officials for inaccurate asset declaration (reg. No. 4651 of 27 January 2021), the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission held a series of meetings with the representatives of the following Ukrainian authorities:
• The Office of the President of Ukraine,
• The Parliamentary Committee on Law Enforcement,
• The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine... read more
European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) - 13th meeting
15/04/2021 - 16/04/2021
The Venice Commission participated in the 13th meeting - via videoconference - of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG). A representative of the Commission presented the Principles for a fundamental rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes, adopted in December 2021.
13/04/2021
The Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales and the Venice Commission organised a seminar to highlight the interaction between Spain and the Commission since the Commission’s origins, in Europe and in Latin America.
12/04/2021 - 13/04/2021
In the framework of the preparation of a joint Venice Commission – OSCE/ODIHR urgent opinion on the electoral reform in Georgia, the rapporteurs and experts met online with the representatives of the political parties and the Central Electoral Commission, as well as with of the civil society and international community present in Georgia.
At its 126th Plenary Session (online, 19-20 March 2021), the Venice Commission authorised the preparation of this urgent opinion to be issued prior to the next Plenary Session. This opinion is prepared under the Quick response Mechanism in the fra... read more
08/04/2021
On 1 April 2021, the Venice Commission’s Bureau authorised the preparation of an urgent opinion on the planned reform – either through an amendment of the Constitution or through a legislative amendment of the Interpretation Act - of fair trial requirements related to substantial administrative penalties in Malta.
This urgent opinion was requested on 29 March 2021 by the Minister of Justice of Malta.
The opinion will be published before the 127th Plenary Session.
08/04/2021
By letter dated 23 February 2021 the President of the National Assembly of Bulgaria requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the “Law supplementing the Criminal Procedure Code” on the creation of special mechanism for investigation of the Prosecutor General or his/her deputy.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 127th plenary session of the Commission.
08/04/2021 - 09/04/2021
In the framework of the preparation of a joint Venice Commission – OSCE/ODIHR urgent opinion on draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation of Armenia, the rapporteurs and experts met online with the representatives of the following stakeholders:
• Prime Minister’s Office,
• Deputy Minister of Justice,
• Central Electoral Commission,
• Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly,
• political parties seated in parliament and extra-parliamentary parties, and
• Corruption Prevention Commission.
The... read more
07/04/2021
The Ombudsman of the Kingdom of Morocco, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, is organising an international webinar on "The UN Resolution of 16 December 2020 "The role of ombudsman institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and the rule of law" - and the Council of Europe standards".
The aim of the webinar is to present the UN Resolution that established the Venice Principles as the new global standard for ombudsmen, as well as to present the Council of Europe's standards in this field.
07/04/2021
By letter dated 29 March 2021 the Minister of Justice Mr Stelian-Christian ION requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law for dismantling the Section for the Investigation of Offences committed within the Judiciary.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 127th plenary session of the Commission.
07/04/2021
By letter dated 17 March 2021 the Human Rights Defender of Armenia requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the compatibility of the Armenian legislation related to the independence of the Ombudsman institution staff with the applicable international standards.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 127th plenary session of the Commission.
06/04/2021
The Venice Commission experts participated in the Donors’ Partners Coordination Council Working Group for Rule of Law and Human Rights for Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of the Kyrgyz NGOs and national legal experts also attended the event.
Following a presentation of the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and ODIHR on the Draft Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the rapporteurs of the Commission and ODIHR experts had an exchange of views with members of the Working Group and Kyrgyz participants on the constitutional reform process and up-coming referendum organized on 11 A... read more
06/04/2021
By letter dated 12 March 2021 the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law amending provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the liability of public officials for inaccurate asset declaration (reg. No. 4651, of 27 January 2021).
At its 126th Plenary Session (online, 19-20 March 2021), the Venice Commission authorised the preparation of this urgent opinion to be issued prior to the next Plenary Session.
01/04/2021
Following an urgent request for opinion dated 15 March 2021 by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV on the draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the procedure for electing (appointing) members of the High Council of Justice and on the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice, the rapporteurs met with the following interlocutors:
• Chairperson and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy;
• Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine, chairperson of the working group on the judiciary ref... read more
31/03/2021 - 05/04/2021
Sofia - 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 scheduled on 4 April 2021 in Bulgaria.
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.
31/03/2021
By letter dated 25 February 2021 the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Ms Khadija ARIB requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the rule of law in the Netherlands, i.e. on the legal protection of citizens, in particular under administrative law (including scope, legal protection, test of reasonableness and the role of the Council of State) and on the system of checks and balances in theory and practice, including the Houses of the States General and the judiciary.
30/03/2021
Tunis - In the framework of the Project to Support Independent Bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T), a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe (2019-2021), the Venice Commission and the Independent Superior Electoral Authority (ISIE) organised an online workshop on the issue of electoral constituencies in Tunisia*. This term refers to the division of a territory into electoral districts, intended to promote the expression of citizens through voting. The division must be reviewed regularly in order to take into account the evolution of the population and to maintain a compar... read more
26/03/2021
The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission are preparing jointly an opinion on the draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, following an urgent request for assistance by the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr Archil TALAKVADZE, addressed to the OSCE/ODIHR on 9 March 2021.
26/03/2021
By letter dated 15 March 2021 the Minister of Labor and Social Policy of Republic of North Macedonia requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on gender equality.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the 127th plenary session of the Commission in July 2021.
26/03/2021
By letter dated 15 March 2021 the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the procedure for electing (appointing) members of the High Council of Justice and on the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice.
20/03/2021
Strasbourg - The Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice held its 16th meeting online. The Bureau discussed inter alia the preparation of the 5th Congress to be held in Indonesia on 4-7 October 2022 on the theme “Constitutional Justice and Peace”.
18/03/2021
The Council for Democratic Elections reviewed the following draft opinions prior to their adoption by the Venice Commission:
• Georgia - Draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on draft amendments to the Election Code, the Organic Law on the Political Associations of Citizens and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament;
• Georgia - Draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on draft Article 79.1 of the Electoral Code (revocation of party registration);
• Ukraine - Draft joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on... read more
18/03/2021 - 20/03/2021
Due to continued COVID-19 restrictions, the first plenary session of the Venice Commission in 2021 took place virtually.
Unprecedented number of opinions -14 - were adopted including opinions on the Citizens’ security law in Spain, on constitutional amendments and the procedure for their adoption in Russia, on the compatibility with European standards of criminal law provisions in Belarus used to prosecute peaceful demonstrators.
A joint opinion of the Venice Commission and Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe (DGI) on recent amendme... read more
5th European Symposium on the Comprehensibility of Legal Provisions – German Presidency of the Council of Europe
11/03/2021
The President of the Venice Commission Mr Gianni Buquicchio represented the Commission at the 5th European Symposium on the Comprehensibility of Legal Provisions, organised by the German Presidency of the Council of Europe.
08/03/2021 - 09/03/2021
Libreville - The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CCJA) and the Constitutional Court of Gabon are co-organising on 8 and 9 March 2021 the 1st "Meeting of women chief justices and African judges" . The Venice Commission is invited to attend this event.
This Meeting is devoted to the celebration of the International Women's Day.
04/03/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft joint Venice Commission - OSCE/ODIHR opinion on the draft Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, representatives of the two institutions held online meetings with the Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan and representatives of civil society organisations.
The opinion is prepared in the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023, which is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
04/03/2021
By letter dated 4 March 2021 the President of the National Assembly of Armenia requested an opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related laws.
03/03/2021
Mr Gianni Buquicchio, the President of the Venice Commission, opened Day 3 of Forum "Ukraine 30” on “Justice Development”.
The event was organised by the Office of the President of Ukraine as part of the platform “Forum Ukraine 30”, launched to mark the 30th Anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, with the aim to highlight the progress achieved and on-going challenges in the key areas of reforms.
Participants from all layers of the Ukrainian society as well as international organisations took part in the Forum.
02/03/2021
The Venice Commission learned with deep sadness of the death of Mr Silvano Longhin, the warden of its seat in Venice, the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista.
For more than 20 years the members of the Commission have been able to appreciate his generous availability and effective collaboration. For this reason, he had received the medal of honour from the Venice Commission.
Silvano was known by all the members of the Commission and many of them were bound by a sincere friendship.
We will miss his smile and good humor.
Silvano was a great brav’uomo!
01/03/2021 - 02/03/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft amendments to the Law on State Prosecution and the draft law on Prosecutor’s Office for organised crime and corruption, Venice Commission rapporteurs exchanged views with the Ministry of Justice, Supreme State Prosecution Office, Special State Prosecution Office, Prosecutorial Council, Ombudsman, judges of the Supreme Court, members of Parliament, and the representatives of the civil society.
The adoption of this opinion is foreseen for the upcoming plenary session to be held online from 19 to 20 March 2021.
26/02/2021
It is with deep regret that the Venice Commission announces the death of its founding member from Austria, Prof. Franz Matscher.
Born in South Tyrol / Alto Adige, Franz Matscher studied law in Graz and Paris and joined the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served inter alia at the Austrian Embassies in Madrid, Paris and Bonn. Following a position as assistant professor in Innsbruck, he became Professor of civil procedural law at the University of Salzburg, where he founded the Austrian Institute for Human Rights. From 1977 to 1998 he was the Austrian Judge at the Europ... read more
26/02/2021
Nur-sultan - The Venice Commission organised on 26th February 2021 in cooperation with the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan an international roundtable on the question of referral of the decisions to the Constitutional Council by ordinary courts. The roundtable brought together representatives from various national institutions of Kazakhstan (Presidential administration, Parliament, members and staff of the Constitutional Council, scientific institutions, and representatives from non-governmental bodies).
This roundtable was organised at the request of the Cons... read more
24/02/2021 - 25/02/2021
Prague – The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic hosted the XVIIIth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts (CECC). The Congress, initially planned in Prague in 2020, took place online on 24–25 February 2021. The President of the Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, addressed the Congress at the opening session.
In its Resolution no. II of 2018, the Circle of Presidents asked the Venice Commission to cooperate in the organisation of the XVIIIth Congress and to prepare a special issue of the Commission’s electronic Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law on the... read more
23/02/2021
On 16 February 2021 Minister of Justice of Montenegro, V. Leposavić, requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the State Prosecutor’s Office and the Draft Law on the Prosecutor’s Office for organised crime and corruption.
The opinion on these two draft laws will be prepared with a view of adoption at the next Plenary Session of the Venice Commission, which will be held online from 19 to 20 March 2021.
23/02/2021
Chisinau – The President of the Venice Commission sent a congratulatory message to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, which celebrates its 26th anniversary. The message is included in a video clip prepared by the Judges of the Court explaining the mission and activity of the Constitutional Court and its impact on daily life.
22/02/2021
At its meeting on 27 January 2021, the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, on proposal of its Rapporteur on “Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe member States”, Ms Alexandra Louis (France, ALDE), decided to ask the Venice Commission for an opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of Law no. 7262 on the Prevention of Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction recently passed by Turkey’s National Assembly, amending, inter alia, the Law on Associations (No. 2860) and Law on Aid Collection (No. 5253).
The dr... read more
22/02/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law no. 4533 on constitutional procedure and an alternative draft law no. 4533-1 on procedure for consideration of cases and execution of judgements of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the Venice Commission rapporteurs held online meetings with the following interlocutors:
• Chair of the Working Group on the judiciary reform under the President’s Commission on Legal Reform;
• Chair and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada;
• Deputy Head of the President’s Off... read more
19/02/2021
Mr Philip Dimitrov, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, represented the Commission at the conference celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the First Constitution of Georgia entitled “First Constitution of Georgia Legal and Political Aspects”. This online event was organised by the Ilia State University, Georgia.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA – post-electoral review conference
18/02/2021 - 19/02/2021
A member of the Venice Commission took part in the post-electoral review conference, entitled “Presidential Elections from the Republic of Moldova: analysis, conclusions, recommendations and steps ahead“.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA – forthcoming opinion – virtual meetings
18/02/2021 - 19/02/2021
Within the framework of the opinion on the draft amendments to the law introducing a "People's Advocate for the rights of entrepreneurs", the working group of the Commission held an online exchange of views with the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister of Justice, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Economy, the People's Advocate Institution as well as representatives of the civil society.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the March 2021 plenary session.
”Rule of Law under pressure?“ - Videoconference in the framework of Weimar Triangle
18/02/2021
The Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Ms Claire Bazy Malaurie, participated on behalf of the Commission in a videoconference on the topic “Rule of Law under pressure?”. The event was organised in the framework of Weimar Triangle by the German Bundesrat, the French Senate and the Polish Senate.
16/02/2021
Bucharest - The Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania, in cooperation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, organised the 3rd Scientific Electoral Experts Debates on “Accessibility of the electoral process”. The event took place on 16 February 2021, via Microsoft Teams, 14:00 -18:00 (Bucharest time – UTC+2).
The 3rd Scientific Electoral Experts Debates addressed accessibility of the electoral process, which is essential for the implementation of the universal suffrage - one of the main principles of electoral law. The online event approached accessibility from a ... read more
16/02/2021 - 17/02/2021
In the framework of the preparation of the draft opinion on the draft law on political parties of Ukraine, joint on-line consultations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR rapporteurs and experts took place on 16 and 17 February 2021.
The rapporteurs met with:
• the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and members of the Committee and MPs-members of the working group, established at the Parliament to develop the given draft Law,
• representatives of Ukrainian political parties,
• the Deputy Minister of Justice,
• the Head and staff o... read more
15/02/2021
Under the auspices of the German Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, a roundtable on “Regulation in the 21st Century“ was jointly organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representation of Switzerland to the Council of Europe.
The purpose of this event was to foster a better understanding of how international regulation works in the 21st century while launching a first international discussion on the development and impact of soft law in particular.
Mr Martin Kuijer, the substitute member of the Venice Commis... read more
12/02/2021
By letter of 17 November 2020, the Venice Commission received a request of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for an opinion on the “recent amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications and the law on Broadcasting in Georgia”.
As part of the preparation of the opinion, a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of video-conferences from 8 to 12 February 2021, exchanging with representatives of civil society organisations, business community, the EU Commission, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Georgian National Co... read more
12/02/2021
On 9 February 2021 the President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio and the Director, Secretary of the Commission, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini met with the Director of the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies of the Kingdom of Spain (CEPC), Ms Yolanda Gómez Sanchez and the Permanent Representative of Spain at the Council of Europe, Ambassador Manuel Montobbio.
During the meeting the participants discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the CEPC and the Venice Commission signed on 19 December 2020 and had a fruitful exchange on t... read more
11/02/2021 - 12/02/2021
Following the request of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament on 24 December 2020, the Venice Commission in cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR, is preparing two draft opinions on:
• the draft amendments to the Election Code, the Organic Law on the Political Associations of Citizens and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament;
• the draft Article 79.1 of the Electoral Code (revocation of party registration).
In the framework of the preparation of these two draft opinions, the rapporteurs of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR met online with the represen... read more
11/02/2021
By letter dated 5 February 2021 the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional and legal framework governing the functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption to the October 2021 plenary session.
11/02/2021
By letter dated 5 February 2021 the Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE requested an opinion of the Venice Commission on the legislative and constitutional package adopted by the Hungarian parliament in December 2020.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption to the June 2021 plenary session.
04/02/2021
The Venice Commission participated in the meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
As part of discussions on the follow up to Resolution 2326 (2020) “Democracy hacked: how to respond?”, the Committee exchanged views with a member of the Venice Commission on recently adopted “Principles for a fundamental rights-compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes”.
In addition, a member of the Venice Commission presented its “Parameters on the relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition in a democracy: a Checklist” ... read more
01/02/2021
Strasbourg, Council of Europe - Ms Simona Granata-Menghini is the new Director/Secretary of the Venice Commission, upon appointment by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
She has previously exercised the function of Deputy Secretary of the Commission for ten years.
29/01/2021
On 19 December 2020 the Director of the Centre for Constitutional and Political Studies of the Kingdom of Spain (CEPC), Ms Yolanda Gómez Sanchez, and the Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission (a.i.), Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at establishing the terms for co-operation and technical assistance on issues related of the rule of law and the separation of powers, as well as fundamental rights, constitutional justice, political systems and representative democracy.
28/01/2021 - 29/01/2021
Following the request of the Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Venice Commission is preparing an opinion on the draft law on amendments to the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council.
In this context, the Venice Commission organised a series of virtual meetings with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina which took place on 28-29 January 2021.
The rapporteurs of the Venice Commission virtually met with the Ministers of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the two entities, representatives of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, ... read more
28/01/2021
By letter dated 26 January 2021 the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mr Dmytro RAZUMKOV, requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the draft Law “On Constitutional Procedure” and on the draft Law “On the Procedure for Consideration of Cases and Execution of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine”.
This request is a follow-up to the recommendations of the Commission expressed in its two urgent opinions of December 2020 on the legislative situation regarding anti-corruption mechanisms and the reform of the Constitutional Court following judgment no.13-r/202... read more
28/01/2021
The President of the Venice Commission, Mr Gianni Buquicchio, the Secretary of the Commission (a.i.), Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, and the Head of the elections and political parties division, Mr Pierre Garrone, met a delegation of Georgian PACE members led by Mr Irakli Kobakhidze, President of the majority Georgian Dream party.
The discussion focused in particular on the preparation of the three opinions relating to Georgia which will be submitted to the next plenary session in March 2021, relating to legislation on elections, political parties as well as electronic communication a... read more
26/01/2021
By letter dated 20 January 2021 the Chair of the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan Mr K. Mami requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the Concept Paper regarding the referral of the decisions to the Constitutional Council by ordinary courts as well as effectiveness of the Council’s decisions.
The draft opinion will be submitted for adoption at the March 2021 plenary session of the Commission.
All activities linked to the preparation of the opinion will be organised within the framework of the joint Council of Europe – European Union project for Central Asia “Prom... read more
19/01/2021 - 20/01/2021
Council of Europe, Strasbourg – The Venice Commission participated in the 2nd meeting of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Media Environment and Reform. The elaboration of the Draft recommendation by the Committee of Ministers to member States on electoral communication and media coverage of election campaigns was one of the main points on the agenda of the meeting.
The representative of the Venice Commission contributed to the discussions by outlining the Commission’s “Principles for fundamental rights - compliant use of digital technologies in electoral processes”, a... read more
19/01/2021
The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission will be preparing jointly an opinion on the Draft Law on Political Parties of Ukraine, following a request for assistance by the Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, addressed to the ODIHR on 30 December 2020.
The draft joint opinion will be submitted for adoption to the 126th plenary session of the Venice Commission.
19/01/2021
The Venice Commission is pleased to announce the publication of the issue 2/2020 of the e-Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law, including a number of interesting cases relating to Covid-19.
The e-Bulletin reports three times a year on the case-law of constitutional courts and courts with equivalent jurisdiction, including case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The e-Bulletin is sent to liaison officers of these courts and to subscribers by e-mail three times a year, each mai... read more
11/01/2021
By letter dated 12 December 2020 the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova requested an amicus curiae brief of the Venice Commission on three questions concerning constitutional review of the law-making procedures in Parliament.
The draft amicus curiae is planned to be submitted for adoption to the 126th Plenary Session in March 2021.
08/01/2021
On 24 December 2020 the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia requested two opinions of the Venice Commission on the following legislative texts:
- the draft amendments to the Election Code, the Organic Law on the Political Association of Citizens and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament;
- draft Article 791 of the Electoral Code (revocation of party registration).
The draft opinions will be submitted for adoption at the March 2021 plenary session.
08/01/2021
By letter dated 18 December 2020, the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion concerning the Russian Federation on the compatibility with international human rights standards of a series of Bills introduced by the Russian State Duma between 10 and 23 November 2020, to amend Laws affecting so-called “foreign agents”.
The draft opinion is planned to be submitted for adoption to the 126th Plenary Session in March 2021.
08/01/2021
On 8 December 2020 the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the PACE requested the Venice Commission’s opinion on the compatibility with European standards of certain criminal law provisions used to prosecute peaceful demonstrators and Members of the Belarusian “Coordination Council”.
The draft opinion will be prepared for adoption at March 2021 plenary session.
European Parliament – Rule of Law situation in Bulgaria
08/01/2021
A representative of the Venice Commission took part in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) exchange of views on the Rule of Law situation in Bulgaria.
The event was organised by the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG) of the LIBE Committee.
07/01/2021
On 16 December 2020 United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution A/RES/75/186 on “The role of Ombudsman and mediator institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and the rule of law”.
The resolution provides strong endorsement of the Principles developed by the Venice Commission on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution – “the Venice Principles”. It establishes these principles as the new global standard for the ombudsmen institutions.
The Venice Principles are the 25 principles that protect and promote the Om... read more
07/01/2021
The Venice Commission is saddened by the death after a long illness of its former substitute member in respect of France Mr Alain LANCELOT.
He was a widely recognised expert in constitutional law at home and abroad and an extremely appreciated proponent of the Venice Commission, he sat on the Commission in the capacity of substitute member in respect of France from 2002 to 2006.
The Director of the Sciences-Po (1987-1996) Mr Alain LANCELOT was a member of the French Constitutional Council (1996-2001), a member of the Board of Directors (2002-2005) and the Chairman of th... read more