The anniversary exhibition "Romania and the Venice Commission: 1991–Present, A Constitutional Journey for Democracy through Law" was presented on 20 October 2026 at the Central University Library "Carol I" in Bucharest, on the occasion of the 2nd edition of the Rule of Law Forum, marking more than thirty-five years of cooperation between the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and Romania.
The exhibition is curated by Ms Laura-Iuliana Scântei, Judge at the Constitutional Court of Romania and Member of the Venice Commission in respect of Romania, with support of the secretariat of the Venice Commission. The exhibition is structured around nine thematic panels tracing the journey of the Commission and Romania, covering the establishment of the Venice Commission, the drafting of Romania's 1991 Constitution, the rights of national minorities and Romanians living abroad, constitutional reform, the independence of the judiciary, rights and freedoms, constitutional dialogues with successive Presidents of Romania, constitutional revision and elections, and the relationship between the Venice Commission and the Constitutional Court of Romania.
Delivering the keynote speech of the Rule of Law Forum, the President of the Venice Commission, Ms Marta Cartabia, paid tribute to the journey between the Commission and Romania, echoing that the exhibition “serves as a reminder of how much has been built together“, offering “younger generations an opportunity to reflect on what we can still build together”. She also referred to recent history. “Romania’s experience of the cancellation of presidential electoral results in 2024 has been an important occasion for the Venice Commission to reflect on the new challenges to national security, that may affect all our democracies. The Commission eventually adopted a report that — without assessing the decision of the Constitutional Court — provides general principles to be considered also by other national authorities confronted with similar threats to electoral integrity “. Closing her remarks, Ms Marta Cartabia underlined that the importance of the Forum and the exhibition cannot be overstated: “it is an exercise of civil culture and civic participation“ recalling that, “democracy, the Rule of Law and human rights can only survive if people are aware that these safeguards matter for their own lives“.
Alongside the anniversary exhibition, the Venice Commission's "The Rule of Law: A User Guide" exhibition was presented in its Romanian version. Through the original illustrations by Ms Nadine Theuma, a Maltese artist and illustrator, students and visitors will discover the key concepts of the Rule of Law from a fresh and creative perspective. Presented in both English and Romanian, the exhibition will remain in Romania as a travelling exhibition, moving on to law faculties and legal institutions across the country, bringing the principles of the rule of law directly to students and the wider public.
The anniversary exhibition, the Rule of Law: A User Guide" exhibition and the Romanian translation of the Updated Rule of Law Checklist was produced with the support of the EEA and Norway Grants, forming part of the Council of Europe cooperation initiative promoting the rule of law across fifteen beneficiary countries.
Links:
- Anniversary exhibition
- Exhibition - The Rule of Law: A User Guide (bilingual English-Romanain)
- Romanian translation of the Updated Rule of Law Checklist - Lista actualizată a criteriilor privind statul de drept - Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
