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147th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission
During its 147th Plenary Session (12-13 June 2026), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe will examine, with a view to adoption, seven opinions in respect of five countries (Albania, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Poland and Serbia), as well as endorse three urgent opinions in respect...
87th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections
The 87th meeting of the Council for Democratic Elections will be held on 11 June 2026 in Venice, Italy. The Council for Democratic Elections is the only tripartite body of the Council of Europe, comprising members of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and...
Presentation of the 2025 Annual Report of the Venice Commission
On Wednesday 3 June 2026, Ms Marta Cartabia, President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission of the Council of Europe), presented the 2025 Annual Report of the Commission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This report highlights the main...
Armenia – parliamentary elections – legal assistance to the PACE election observation mission
A delegation of the Venice Commission, composed of Ms Veronika Bílková, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Czechia, and Mr Adrià Rodríguez-Pérez from the Secretariat of the Venice Commission, will provide legal assistance to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s...
Albania - Forthcoming opinion - Country visit
On 27-29 May 2026, a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of meetings in Tirana in view of the preparation for the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the Draft law "On the Financing of...
Republic of Moldova - Forthcoming opinion - Online meetings
On 28 May 2026, a delegation of the Venice Commission held a series of online meetings in preparation for the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the draft legislative amendments on the integrity...
President of the Venice Commission participates in a meeting of PACE’s Standing Committee: “The Rule of Law is much more than a slogan - it has precise and practical implications”
On 22 May 2026, Ms Marta Cartabia, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, participated online in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the Venice Commission’s Updated Rule of Law Checklist. In her intervention,...
Zagreb – 22nd Meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice (JCCJ)
The conference and the 22nd meeting of the Joint Council on Constitutional Justice (JCCJ) of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe took place in Zagreb, Croatia, on 21 and 22 May 2026. The event brought together liaison officers and representatives of constitutional courts and equivalent...
Participation of the Venice Commission in the Monitoring Committee of the PACE hearings on Serbia and Spain
Ms Regina Kiener, Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Switzerland, and Mr Cesare Pinelli, Substitute Member in respect of Italy, participated in a meeting of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) of...
The President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe participates online in the 16th Meeting of the Ibero-American Conference on Constitutional Justice
On 13 May 2026, Ms Marta Cartabia, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, participated online in the conference entitled “Constitutional Justice and Democracy”, organised by the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil on the margins of the 16th Meeting of the Ibero-American...
Republic of Moldova – Request for an Opinion
By letter dated 5 May 2026, Mr Vladislav Cojuhari, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, requested an Opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft legislative amendments on the integrity checks and the evaluation of judges in the Republic of Moldova. The draft opinion is scheduled for...
Albania - Request for an opinion
By letter dated 27 April 2026, Mr Niko Paleshi, Speaker of Parliament of Albania, requested an Opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft law “on the Financing of Political Parties”. The draft opinion is scheduled for discussion and adoption at the 147th Plenary Session of the Venice...
The Updated Rule of Law Checklist was presented at the launch of the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria
Members of the Venice Commission Secretariat presented the Updated Rule of Law Checklist and participated in a panel on the Rule of Law and human rights, forming part of the launch of the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria in Sofia on 12 May 2026. Adopted at the Venice Commission’s December 2025...
Montenegro - Request for a follow-up opinion
By letter dated 6 May 2026, Mr Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, requested a follow-up opinion of the Venice Commission to previous opinions on the Draft Law on the Government. The draft opinion is scheduled for discussion and adoption at the 147th Plenary Session of...
Serbia – Request for a Follow-up Opinion
By letter received on 8 May 2026, Ms Ana Brnabić, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, requested a Follow-up Opinion to the Urgent Opinion on the 28 January 2026 Amendments to Laws governing the Judiciary and the Prosecution. The draft Opinion is scheduled for discussion...
Electoral Training on Electoral Dispute Resolution: Lessons from Moldova’s 2024-2025 Elections
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Office in Chișinău, together with the Central Election Commission, the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training, and the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, co-organised a post-electoral training on...
Republic of Moldova – Forthcoming opinion – Country visit
On 4 and 5 May 2026, a delegation of the Venice Commission conducted a visit to Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, in preparation of the Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on Amendments to Laws No. 65/2023...
Lithuania – Urgent Follow-up Opinion issued
By letters dated 3 March and 7 April 2026, Ms Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, Director General of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, requested an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the Draft Law XVP-1247(2) amending the Law on the National Lithuanian Radio and Television...
Participation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe in the XIII Annual International Forum on the Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights
Mr Serhiy Holovaty, member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe in respect of Ukraine, participated in the XIII Annual International Forum on the Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights titled "The European Convention on Human Rights in the Legal System and Legal Education in...
Participation of the Venice Commission in a hearing organised by Committees of the Parliament of Iceland
The Venice Commission participated online on 29 April 2026 in a parliamentary hearing organised by the Foreign Affairs Committee together with the Constitutional and Supervisory Committee of the Parliament of Iceland, relating to the Urgent Opinion on the compatibility with international...