On 4 March 2026, the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Office in Venice organised a conference entitled “Serenissima Republic and Modern State: Conversations about Rights and Democracy”, in Venice, Italy.
The conference, building on the successful exhibition: “Democracy through Law: from the Serenissima Republic to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe”, held in Palazzo Ducale from October 2025 to January 2026 , fostered an original and dynamic reflexion on the meaning, roots and mechanisms of modern democracy.
In the magnificent Monumental Halls of the Biblioteca Marciana, the conference brought together Marta Cartabia, President of the Venice Commission, Kaarlo Tuori, Honorary President of the Venice Commission, Pier Alvise Zorzi, writer and historian, Renzo Fogliata, lawyer, Stefania Gialdroni, Professor at the University of Padua and Claudia Passarella, Researcher at the University of Padua, under the moderation of Theodoros Rousopoulos, former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
