In her address to the Council of Europe advisory body on constitutional matters, also known as the Venice Commission, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić appreciated its work as “an important pillar of Europe’s legal architecture”.
Speaking to its 62 members and others participating in one of four annual plenary sessions, she emphasized the Venice Commission’s “key role” to uphold the rule of law through its highly respected opinions.
The Secretary General also called on all countries that have not yet done so to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, as one of the opinions on today’s agenda concerned the constitutional implications of its ratification by Armenia.
“Where countries have ratified and implemented the treaty, public fears about its impact have come to nothing, while victims and potential victims – primarily women – have been better served and protected,” she told the Venice Commission.
