“We have always believed in the importance of co-operation between the Congress and the Venice Commission which is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. In the course of our work, we pay particular attention to the constitutional dimension of the decentralisation reforms under way in Council of Europe member states,” declared the President of the Congress Jean-Claude Frécon at a meeting of the Venice Commission on 14 October 2016. 

“We have always believed in the importance of co-operation between the Congress and the Venice Commission which is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. In the course of our work, we pay particular attention to the constitutional dimension of the decentralisation reforms under way in Council of Europe member states,” declared the President of the Congress Jean-Claude Frécon at a meeting of the Venice Commission on 14 October 2016. “That is why, too, almost all the roadmaps which have been signed with the national authorities of the countries where post-monitoring procedures have been carried out contain provisions relating to constitutional amendments and references to the work of the Venice Commission,” he stressed. Mr Frécon went on to say that Congress members would consider for adoption, at their October session, a draft resolution aimed at promoting the Rule of Law Checklist adopted recently by the Venice Commission. He also said that the Congress’s agenda for 2017 would include a draft report on the right of migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons to vote at local and regional level, as well as a mission to observe the local elections in Finland and 11 monitoring visits.