PACE monitors urge Georgian authorities to request Venice Commission opinion on changes to process for appointing Supreme Court judges
PACE monitors urge Georgian authorities to request Venice Commission opinion on changes to process for appointing Supreme Court judges

The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Georgia, Titus Corlatean (Romania, SOC) and Claude Kern (France, ALDE), have taken note of the amendments to the law on the Common Courts regarding the process for appointing Supreme Court judges proposed by the ruling majority.

“In our previous statements, we have consistently called on the authorities to amend the legal framework for the selection process of Supreme Court judges in line with Venice Commission recommendations in order to address the deficiencies noted in the most recent selection process,” the PACE co-rapporteurs said.

“We welcome the willingness of the authorities to amend the law on the Common Courts, and emphasise the importance of fully implementing Venice Commission recommendations to ensure public trust in the selection process of Supreme Court judges – and thus, in the end, in the independence and impartiality of this important institution itself. We, therefore, urge the authorities to request a Venice Commission opinion on the proposed amendments before they are adopted,” stated the two co-rapporteurs.

The co-rapporteurs intend to present their next report on Georgia early in 2021.