During a meeting in Strasbourg, and following a request by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica on 6 July 2016, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invited the country to become the 61st member state of the Venice Commission.

The Venice Commission is the common name for the European Commission for Democracy through Law. This is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe.

Costa Rica joins 60 other nations that are interested in bringing their legislative, judiciary and institutional structures in line with European standards. Member nations gain international experience in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The Venice Commission helps to ensure the dissemination and consolidation of a common constitutional heritage, playing a unique role in conflict management, and provides “emergency constitutional aid” to states in transition.

Costa Rica is the first Central American nation to be accepted into the Venice Commission, and it is one of a dozen non-European members. Other Latin American nations in the Commission include: Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. The United States is also a full member; Argentina and Canada are observers.

The Venice Commission works in three areas:

• Democratic institutions and fundamental rights.
• Constitutional justice and ordinary justice.
• Elections, referendums and political parties.

The Commission was established in May 1990 by 18 Council of Europe Member States. The total population od member states is more than 1.5 billion people.

Since the Commission was founded, more than 500 opinions have been issued on more than 50 countries and 80 studies. Since 2002, the European Court of Human Rights has referred to Venice Commission opinions in more than 50 cases (since 2002).