Venice Commission to give its assessment on amendments to Constitution as soon as possible
Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine -
Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and
Utilities Volodymyr Hroisman paid a visit to the
Council of Europe. In the framework of the visit the Ukrainian official presented
draft amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine prepared on
the initiative of Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko.
The meeting from the Ukrainian side was
also attended by Deputy Head of Presidential
Administration of Ukraine Valeriy Chaly, Minister of the
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Ostap Semerak and
other representatives of the Government. The
Council of Europe was represented by Secretary General of
the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, Representative
of the CE’s Secretary General in Ukraine, Director of Human Rights in
the Council of
Europe's Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law Christos
Giakoumopoulos, representatives of the
Venice Commission and the Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities
of the Council of Europe.
Volodymyr Hroisman handed to CE’s Secretary
General Thorbjorn Jagland a letter
to the Venice Commission, signed by the
President of Ukraine, which refers to the
request to consider the proposed amendments to
the Constitution of Ukraine.
The main part of the meeting the sides have devoted to
the issues of decentralization and the implementation
of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which are
reflected in the draft amendments to
the Constitution of Ukraine.
During the meeting the sides also touched upon the
distribution of powers of central authorities as well
as prosecution reform.
Thorbjørn Jagland has assured the Ukrainian delegation that the Council of Europe fully supports Ukraine's efforts to preserve the territorial integrity, unity and stability, as well as the Government's efforts to decentralize powers. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe said that the Venice Commission would consider proposed amendments to the Constitution and give its assessment as soon as possible.