Council of Europe’s advisory body for legal affairs, Venice Commission, released on October 18, it final opinion on Georgia’s constitutional reform adopted by the Commission at its session on October 15-16.

The final opinion is in line with the Commission’s second preliminary recommendations, released on October 8, a week before the Georgian Parliament passed the draft of constitutional amendments with its third and final reading.

The Commission reiterates in its final opinion that the new constitution system in Georgia, which will go into force upon the inauguration of next president, elected in October 2013, “provide for several important improvements and significant steps in the right direction, which the Venice Commission welcomes.”

“The Commission considers nevertheless that it would be desirable to further strengthen the powers of parliament. In this respect, the provisions on the formation of the government and especially those on the motion of non-confidence, as well as those about the parliament’s powers in budget matters, should be reconsidered,” the Venice Commission said.