On 20 and 21 October, a Venice Commission delegation led by Ms Marta Cartabia, President of the Venice Commission, including Mr Eirik Holmøyvik, Vice-President of the Venice Commission and members, Ms Laura-Iuliana Scântei, Ms Domnica Manole, Mr Iain Cameron, accompanied by Ms Simona Granata-Menghini, Director, Secretary of the Commission and Tone Sørfonn Moe of the Secretariat, participated in the 2nd edition of the Rule of Law Forum in Bucharest, Romania. 

Devoted to European Rule of Law standards in practice, the 2nd edition of the Rule of Law Forum brought together European and Romanian leaders and institutions, judges, legal professionals, academics and civil society. The two-day programme included sessions on constitutional review, electoral integrity, anti-corruption, judicial independence, civic space and freedom of expression. The Forum was co-organised by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe alongside the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Rule of Law Programme South East Europe, the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, the European Commission Representation in Romania, and the Centre for Strategic Analysis, forming part of the Council of Europe co-operation funded by the EEA and Norway Grants.

Opening the Forum, Ms Marta Cartabia delivered its keynote address and participated in a moderated discussion, presenting the Romanian translation of the Updated Rule of Law Checklist. In her address, she walked through the seven benchmarks of the Updated Checklist — legality, legal certainty, prevention of abuse of power, checks and balances, equality and non-discrimination, access to justice, and constitutional review — highlighting the interdependence of the Rule of Law, human rights, and democracy as three complementary pillars of the Council of Europe. Closing her remarks, Ms Cartabia spoke to the importance of engaging the next generation. “A democratic country governed by the Rule of Law cannot turn a deaf ear to the young generations and cannot perpetuate the mentality of "the winner take all".  We live in a world captivated by power exercised as force and domination. Against this mindset, we defend the Rule of Law as a contribution to counter violence, destruction, and war, and as an unwavering commitment to a peaceful and inclusive coexistence for all”. 

The delegation also contributed to the Forum's panel discussions. Ms Simona Granata-Menghini participated in the panel on measuring the Rule of Law, Ms Laura-Iuliana Scântei and Ms Domnica Manole in the panel on constitutional review as a cornerstone of the Rule of Law, Mr Eirik Holmøyvik in the panel on artificial intelligence and electoral integrity and Mr Iain Cameron in the panel on civil society ecosystems for the Rule of Law, with the latter supported by the EEA Civil Society Fund in Romania. 

Presenting the methodology of the Updated Rule of Law Checklist, Ms Simona Granata-Menghini underlined that, “the Rule of Law Checklist is not an index or a method for ranking countries. It is a tool available to everyone – from national authorities and courts to civil society organisations and citizens – to assess the state of the Rule of Law in a transparent, holistic and context-sensitive manner, enabling the identification of weaknesses that may lead to its erosion”. Participating in the panel on Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Integrity, Mr Eirik Holmøyvik also stressed the importance of regulating the use of digital technologies in elections, “to increase transparency for voters, to identify irregularities and to prevent information disorders having an impact on the election result”. In his address, Mr Iain Cameroon stressed that "the Updated Checklist provides a clear list of duties which states have vis-à-vis NGOs and thus, rights that NGOs have vis-à-vis states", noting that the only way to ensure the survival of the Rule of Law, is if the value of Rule of Law is internalised as a value of the people. “If the people as a whole don’t see the point of it, it will not survive”.

The Forum also featured the opening of an anniversary exhibition, "Romania and the Venice Commission: 1991–Present, A Constitutional Journey for Democracy through Law", tracing more than thirty-five years of cooperation between the Venice Commission and Romania. Speaking at the opening, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Marta Cartabia, underlined that the exhibition serves as a reminder of how much Romania and the Venice Commission have built together and the strength that lies in continued dialogue and partnership.