President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia Aldis Laviņš has returned from the 20th session of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice
On 10th and 11th March, President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia Aldis Laviņš and Adviser of the President Andrejs Stupins participated in the 134th plenary session of the European Commission on Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and the 20th session of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, where the Constitutional Court of Latvia represented the interests of European constitutional courts in seeking solutions for the restoration of the international legal order.
President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia Aldis Laviņš emphasises: “The main objective of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice is to promote justice as a key element of democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law. However, the current threats to the primacy of rights can bring the world into chaos. Therefore, in the current geopolitical situation, the world family of constitutional courts cannot remain static, but must emphasise the need to restore peace and the international legal order.”
The participants of the 20th session of the Bureau of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice agreed to continue the work on the draft resolution prepared by the Constitutional Court of Latvia on how the world family of constitutional courts will engage in seeking a legal solution to restore peace and the international legal order by establishing an effective mechanism for assessing the responsibility of individuals for violations of international law, crimes of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The European Commission on Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) is the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional law. The role of the Venice Commission is to provide legal support to its Member States, and, in particular, to assist countries wishing to bring their legal and institutional structures into line with European standards and international experience in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The World Conference on Constitutional Justice brings together more than 100 constitutional courts, councils and Supreme courts from Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania. Its agenda focuses on ensuring justice by addressing the issues of constitutional control, democratic development and the protection of fundamental rights in countries around the world. The World Conference is the highest-level platform in the field of constitutional justice. Since 6th October 2022, the Constitutional Court of Latvia has been part of the executive body of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice – the Bureau.