Parliament Requests Venice Commission Opinion on Court Reform

On September 21, PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Georgia, Titus Corlăţean (Romania, SOC) and Claude Kern (France, ALDE), welcomed the Georgian Parliament’s “last-minute” decision to request an opinion from the Venice Commission on draft changes to the selection process of the Supreme Court Judges.

The Parliament’s decision comes after PACE monitors urged the Georgian authorities on September 18 to seek the opinion of the Venice Commission on the Georgian Dream-proposed amendments to the Law on Common Courts.

“This is a positive response to our appeal on Friday, and we look forward to the Venice Commission’s opinion… if these judges are to have the trust of the public, they should be appointed in line with international standards,” the PACE co-rapporteurs stated.

The proposed amendments were deemed insufficient by the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary, uniting some 40 local civil society organizations, as well as by the Public Defender of Georgia, both arguing that the draft changes do not address fundamental issues facing the judiciary.

Also Read:

• PACE Monitors Urge Georgia to Consult Venice Commission on Court Reform
• CSOs: Draft Amendments to Common Courts Law Insufficient
• Public Defender Slams Bill on Selection of Supreme Court Judges 
• Courts Reform Moves Ahead after Constitutional Court Split Ruling

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