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Marta Cartabia New President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

, by Andrea Celauro
She will head for the next two years the group providing legal advice to European countries in the effort to safeguard democracy and the rule of law

Marta Cartabia, full professor of Italian and European constitutional law at Bocconi University, has been elected president of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for the next two years.

President Emeritus of the Italian Constitutional Court, Marta Cartabia joined the Venice Commission in 2017 as a substitute member for Italy, becoming a full member in 2021 and then vice-president in 2023.

"In this era, marked by great concern for the stability of democratic institutions around the world, the relevance of the Venice Commission is set to grow," Cartabia emphasized. "Thanks to over 35 years of experience and the high level of professionalism and complete independence of its members, this body offers legal assistance to states that request it in order to protect and strengthen their democratic institutions, in Europe and beyond. This dialogic and cooperative approach is at the heart of the success of this institution, which is highly respected throughout the world. I am honored by the trust that the member countries have placed in me and in Italy."

The former Justice Minister succeeds France's Claire Bazy Malaurie, who has led the Council of Europe body for the past four years. Marta Cartabia will be joined by Renata Deskoska (North Macedonia), Eirik Holmoyvik (Norway), and Tim Otty (United Kingdom) as vice-presidents.

The Venice Commission, founded by Italian Antonio La Pergola in 1990 with the aim of guiding the newly restored democracies of the former Soviet bloc towards European institutions, is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. Its role is to provide legal advice to states, helping them to align their legal and institutional structures with European and international standards in the areas of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Today, the commission has 61 members, the 46 member states of the Council of Europe plus 15 other countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel, South Korea, some Central and South American countries, and three from the southern shore of the Mediterranean.

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