Chairs
Angelika Nußberger angelika.nussberger@uni-koeln.de
Francesco Biagi francesco.biagi82@gmail.com

The European Commission for Democracy through Law – better known as the Venice Commission (VC) – will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2025. Established in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, the VC has become a benchmark institution in Europe and around the world in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law elaborating common constitutional standards. This workshop aims to explore the role played by the VC, examining its past, present and future challenges. How has the activity of the VC developed over time? How does the VC help to ensure the dissemination and consolidation of a common constitutional heritage? What is the role of the VC in providing constitutional assistance to states in transition? What are the parameters and the methods used by the VC and how have they evolved over time? Are the soft law standards being transformed into hart law? These are some of the key questions this workshop aims to address.