On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters – this open access book examines its evolution and impact, highlighting both its achievements and the challenges ahead.

Bringing together leading and emerging constitutional law scholars in dialogue with current and former members of the Venice Commission, the volume explores how the Commission has evolved from an experts' body established to assist Central and Eastern European countries in constitution-making during their transition to democracy into a key player in shaping constitutional standards worldwide.

At a time when the principles of democracy and the rule of law are increasingly under threat and disregarded at a global level, the book reflects on the Venice Commission's achievements to draw insights into how it can continue to fulfil its mission of strengthening and protecting democracy and the rule of law.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Council of Europe.

Marta Cartabia is Professor of Constitutional Law at Bocconi University, Italy.
Simona Granata-Menghini is Director/Secretary of the Venice Commission.
Angelika Nußberger is Professor of Law at the University of Cologne, Germany.
Davide Paris is Associate Professor of constitutional law at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.