The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria hosted a high-level International Conference on the theme of “The Role of Constitutional Courts in Guaranteeing the Rule of Law” on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria, which took place from 14th to 16th October 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Mr Eirik Holmøyvik, Vice-President and Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Norway took part in the Conference. Mr Holmøyvik made a speech, in which he underlined the Venice Commission’s view that constitutional courts are the guardians per excellence of the Rule of Law and emphasised their importance as such that the Venice Commission included the constitutional justice as a separate benchmark in its Updated Rule of Law Checklist. The Venice Commission’s co-operation with Bulgaria in view its constitutional history, as reflected in the Venice Commission Opinions, was also examined and highlighted.