Strasbourg, 19 May 2017 CDL(2017)015* Engl. only EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) PRESIDENT’S ACTIVITIES From 23 February to 16 May 2017 *This document has been classified restricted on the date of issue. Unless the Venice Commission decides otherwise, it will be declassified a year after its issue according to the rules set up in Resolution CM/Res(2001)6 on access to Council of Europe documents. This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL(2017)015 - 2 - 22-23 February - Lithuania - Working meeting with Danius Zalimas, President of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania on the organisation of the 4th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice. - Exchange of views with the Committee of Legal Affairs of the SEIMAS on possible legislative initiatives concerning the individual complaint to the Constitutional Court. - Meeting with Mr Neris Germanas, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs concerning the organisation of the WCCJ 4th Congress. - Attending the ceremony of the award of Doctor Honoris Causa at the Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius. 1-2 March – Republic of Moldova - Visit to the Constitutional Court of Moldova, Chisinau. - Meeting with Mr Andrian Candu, Speaker of the Parliament on possible amendments to the Constitution and the electoral Law. - Joint Press Conference with the Speaker. - TV interview for “Moldova in direct” on the Venice Commission and co-operation with Moldova, at Moldova 1st National Network. - Celebration of “Martisor” at the Nicolae Sulac National Palace. - Meeting with Mr Igor Dodon, President of Moldova on his initiatives for constitutional amendments and on electoral Law. - Opening address at the International Conference on the “Evolution of Constitutional Control in Europe: lessons learned and challenges”, co-organised by the Constitutional Court of Moldova and the Venice Commission. 3 March - Strasbourg - Meeting with Ambassador Erdoğan İŞCAN, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the Council of Europe requesting, on behalf of his authorities, the postponement of the Draft Opinion’s adoption on the Draft Amendments to the Constitution of Turkey. 11 March – Venice - Attending the meeting of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) Bureau 12 March – Francfort - Interview on the Turkish Constitutional revision with Mr Franco Cristini for Radio Suisse 14 March – Strasbourg - Interview on the Kazakh Constitutional revision with Ms Zhanat Akhmetova for the Kazakh TV. 16 March – Strasbourg - Exchange of views with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (AFET) on issues of common interest - 3 - CDL(2017)015 22-23 March – USA - Washington - Address to the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) - Working meetings with Mr Luis Almagro, OAS, Secretary General, Mr Francisco Guerrero, Secretary for Strengthening Democracy, Mr Gerardo de Icaza, Director for Electoral Co-operation and Observation, Mr Jean Michel Arrighi, Secretary for Legal Affairs. - Dialogue with the Inter American Commission on Human Rights - Working lunch with OAS Representatives of Member and Observer States of the Venice Commission, hosted by Ambassador Marilina Armellin, Permanent Observer of Italy. - Working meetings at the United State Department with Mr Hoyt Yee, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Europe and South Central Europe, Mr Michael Kozak, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Ms Kathleen Hooke, Deputy Legal Advisor. 30 March – Strasbourg - Working lunch with Mr Wolfang Ischinger, President of the Munich Security Conference, hosted by Ambassador Gerhard Küntzle, Permanent Representative of Germany to the CoE. 3-4 April – Cyprus – Nicosia - Opening speech at the 5th intercultural Workshop on Democracy on “Interaction between Constitutional Courts and equivalent Juridictions and ordinary Courts”, co- organised with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Supreme Court of Cyprus in the framework of the Cypriot Chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers. 6-7 April – Romania – Bucharest - Opening Speech at the International Conference on the “Interaction between the political majority and the opposition in a Democracy”, co-organised with the Presidential Administration of Romania. - Working lunch hosted by Mr Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania. - Meeting with Mr Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, President of the Romanian Senate. - Meeting with Mr Valer Dorneanu, President of the Constitutional Court of Romania. 24-25 April – South Africa - Cape Town - Opening speech at the 4th Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Juridictions of Africa (CCJA). - Bilateral meetings with Delegations of South Africa, Algeria, Central Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Malawi, Seychelles. CDL(2017)015 - 4 - 28 April – Strasbourg - Meeting with Mr Ucha Nanuashvili, Ombudsman of Georgia, on the Constitutional revision of Georgia. 12 May – Strasbourg - Exchange of views with the European Union Committee for relations with the CoE and OSCE, COSCE, on the activities of the Venice Commission in non-EU member states. - Meeting with Mr Levon Bodzashvili, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia and Ms Anna Dolidze, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Presidential Administration of Georgia on the Constitutional revision. 15 May – St Petersburg - Meeting with Mr Alexey Sergeev, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of CIS. - Opening speech of the 14th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies. - Joint Press-conference with Ambassador Vassily Likhachev, member of the Central election Commission. - Bilateral meetings with Ms Nurzhan Shaildabekova, chairwoman of the Central Commission on Elections and Referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic and Mr Lorenzo Cordova, President of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico. - Courtesy visit to Mr Valery Zorkin, President of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation; - Interview with Mr Angelina Galanina for Izvestia on co-operation with Russia. - Working dinner hosted by Secretary General, Alexey Sergeev. 16 May – St Petersburg - Opening speech of the International Conference on “Constitutional Justice: Doctrine and Practice”, organised by the Russian Federation Constitutional Court in the framework of the 7th St Petersburg International Forum. .