Quick Response Mechanism (QRM)
Quick Response Mechanism during the Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2023)
The Quick Response Mechanism is a Partnership for Good Governance tool, by which the European Commission for Democracy through Law (better known as the Venice Commission) may provide ad-hoc legal advice to respond to requests for legislative analysis and related assistance from the concerned countries or the European Commission.
Geographically, the QRM covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Its scope of work includes all the issues falling within the area of competence of the Venice Commission, in particular:
- democratic institutions and fundamental rights;
- elections, referendums and political parties;
- constitutional and ordinary justice
Examples
Some recent examples of the use of the QRM include opinions by the Venice Commission for cases in Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Armenia
- Urgent Joint Opinion on Draft Amendments to the Electoral Code and Related Legislation (21 April 2021)
- Opinion on three questions concerning the constitutional amendments pertaining to the mandate of the judges of the Constitutional Court, adopted by the Venice Commission by a written procedure replacing the 123rd Plenary Session (Venice, 18 June 2020)
- Amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of Armenia relating to Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code, adopted by the Venice Commission by written procedure replacing the 123rd Plenary Session (18 June 2020)
- Joint opinion on draft amendments to the legislation concerning political parties, adopted by the Venice Commission by written procedure replacing the 122nd Plenary Session (20 March 2020)
- Opinion on the constitutional implications of the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), adopted by the Venice Commission at its 120th Plenary Session (Venice, 11-12 October 2019)
- Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate of Human Rights (DHR) of the Directorate General of Human Rights, and rule of law (DGI) of the Council of Europe, on the amendments to the Judicial Code and some other laws, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 120th Plenary Session (Venice, 11-12 October 2019)
- Opinion on three questions in the context of constitutional amendments concerning the judges of the Constitutional Court
Georgia
- Urgent Opinion on the amendments to the organic law on common courts (29 April 2021)
- Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on amendments to the Election Code, the Law on Political Associations of Citizens and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament approved by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 71st meeting (online, 18 March 2021) and adopted by the Venice Commission at its 126th Plenary Session (online, 19-20 March 2021)
- Urgent Opinion on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges, endorsed by the Venice Commission at its 119th Plenary (Venice, 21-22 June 2019).
- Opinion on the concept of the legislative amendments to the Criminal procedure code concerning the relationship between the prosecution and the investigators, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 118th Plenary Session (Venice, 15-16 March 2019).
- Opinion on the draft Organic Law amending the Organic Law on Common Courts
Republic of Moldova
- Amicus curiae on three legal questions concerning the constitutional review of the law-making procedures in Parliament adopted by the Venice Commission at its 126th Plenary Session (online, 19-20 March 2021)
- Opinion on the draft Law amending some normative acts relating to the People’s Advocate, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 126th Plenary Session (Online, 19-20 March 2021)
- Opinion on the revised draft law on amending and supplementing the Constitution, adopted by the Venice Commission by a written procedure replacing the 123rd Plenary Session (Venice, 18 June 2020)
- Urgent opinion on the draft law on amending the Electoral Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services, adopted by the Venice Commission by a written procedure (Venice, 30 July 2020)
- Joint Opinion on the draft law on amending and supplementing the Constitution with respect to the Superior Council of Magistracy, adopted by the Venice Commission by written procedure replacing the 122nd Plenary Session (20 March 2020)
- Amicus Curiae Brief on the amendments to the Law on the Prosecutor's Office, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 121st Plenary Session (Venice, 6-7 December 2019)
- Amicus Curiae brief on the criminal liability of constitutional court judges, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 121st Plenary Session (Venice, 6-7 December 2019)
- Joint Interim Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate of Human Rights (DHR) and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the draft law on the reform of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 120th Plenary Session (Venice, 11-12 October 2019)
- Opinion on the constitutional situation with particular reference to the possibility of dissolving parliament, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 119th Plenary Session (Venice, 21-22 June 2019)
- Opinion on the Revised draft Law on amending and supplementing the constitution with respect to the Superior Council of Magistracy
- Urgent opinion on the draft law on amending the Electoral Code and the Code of Audiovisual Media Services
Ukraine
- Amicus Curiae Brief on draft law 10257 on the early termination of a Deputy's mandate, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 121st Plenary Session (Venice, 6-7 December 2019)
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