“Venice Commission is preparing other opinions, especially in connection with the European Union path,” said Director/Secretary of the Venice Commission, Simona Granata-Menghini, in her press point in Tbilisi.

She went on to say that the Commission “does set red lines based on standards which are obligatory.”

“Venice Commission has worked with Georgia for almost 25 years. We have accompanied the country through many stages of its development. There are many recommendations which have already been given. Some recommendations will be given in December. We are preparing other opinions. There will be more given in the future, especially in connection with the European Union path. We believe that the implementation of our recommendations, which as you know, they are not binding, we are an advisory body, but we do set red lines as our vice president said, and these red lines are based on standards which are obligatory. They’re not obligatory because we say they are obligatory, they stem from the European Court of Human Rights, from the European Convention, from the instruments that constitute hard law. So we set these red lines and these recommendations, there are past ones, there are present ones, and there will be future ones.

We believe that the implementation of these recommendations is a process. It is a process which we are willing to take part in, we think we are a good, a necessary part of that process. And we believe that this process needs to be inclusive. It needs to take the time that it takes, and we are aware that there are time constraints, but we do think that time is conducive to quality. And we also think that it is necessary to take a look at these reforms in a global manner, as much as possible. So this is the wish we have for the following month and for the following stage of your procedure. We are there to work with the Georgian authorities, but also with the Georgian society. As you know, our method consists of talking to everybody. Today we are here to recommit to this process, which we hope you will be successful,” she stated.

Simona Granata-Menghini noted that “the largest agreement possible should be reached. Electoral reforms, judicial reforms, they are key reforms for a country, and it is necessary that they should be shared to the extent possible.”

“We believe the process is important. The responsibility of the decision is with the authorities, but the process requires consultation. There is another principle which we have underlined, we consider it part of constitutionalism and that is the loyal cooperation among institutions. And that is a very difficult principle to apply in practice, but it is very important.

We do consider that those are elements in Georgia, as elsewhere, that guarantee that key reforms should be accomplished according to the principles. Judiciary, election – these are areas where we normally consider that the trust that the people must have in these reforms also requires a process,” she added.