Mr Rafael Bustos Gisbert, Substitute member of the Venice Commission in respect of Spain, took part in the academic event “The Venice Commission and Judicial Independence in Peru”, organised by the Judicial Branch of Peru on 5 August in Lima, Peru, and online, to commemorate the Day of the Judge.

Mr Bustos Gisbert presented the Opinion on a set of constitutional and legislative reforms concerning the judiciary, adopted by the Commission during its Plenary Session on 6-7 March 2026. 

During his intervention, Mr Bustos Gisbert stressed that “judicial independence becomes the keystone of the defence of the rule of law—without judicial independence, there can be no rule of law.” In addition to explaining the working methods of the Venice Commission and the steps taken in the preparation of the Opinion, he summarised its main findings and recommendations around four axes: the legal status of judges in Peru, the constitutional position of the Peruvian Supreme Court, the limitation of certain judicial powers, particularly those regarding the diffuse control of constitutionality, and the cumulative effect of the reforms, concluding that “legal reforms should not be analysed individually, but rather collectively—holistically”.