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The Opinion, requested on 21 May 2015 by the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, dealt with a new system for the appointment and accountability of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia. Overall, the Venice Commission, OSCE/ODIHR and the CCPE/DGI consider that the reform of the Prosecutor’s Office goes into the right direction. However, the Georgian authorities are encouraged to pursue further changes to ensure the depoliticisation of the office of the Chief Prosecutor, including by introducing clear qualification and experience criteria; introducing more transparency in the manner of selection of candidates by Parliament; ensuring that the power to nominate prosecutors to the Prosecutorial Council does not belong exclusively to the top officials of the prosecutorial system; introducing further guarantees for the independence of the Prosecutorial Council, and by clearly defining the coercive powers of the Special Prosecutor, as well as the nature of the investigation he/she may conduct.

The Opinion notes many positive aspects of the draft amendments, such as the newly introduced possibility for police bodies to issue emergency restraining orders on site, the criminalization of the violation of protection orders issued by courts, and the willingness to exclude alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in domestic violence cases – which demonstrates Moldova’s willingness to render its legislation compliant with international standards. At the same time, in light of the latest case law of the European Court of Human Rights and recent reports from international human rights bodies, the main challenge remains the actual implementation of the relevant legislation in practice, and ensuring the effective investigation and prosecution of domestic violence cases in Moldova. The Opinion states that a number of provisions of the draft amendments could be drafted in a clearer manner and provides a number of recommendations to ensure a more effective implementation of the legal framework on preventing and combating domestic violence in Moldova.

Prior to taking up the agenda, the Chairperson of the Permanent Council welcomed the new Permanent Representative of Moldova to the OSCE, Ambassador Andrei Popov. Presentations on challenges linked to Afghanistan after 2014 by: – H.E. Ambassador Y. Fedotov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); – H.E. Ambassador J. Kubiš, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Afghanistan; – H.E. Ambassador M. Pesko, Director of the Office of the Secretary General.

Prior to taking up the agenda, the Chairperson and several delegaitons expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic crash of Germanwings flight 9525 in France. Germany thanked delegations for their expressions of condolence. Report by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Dr. Halil Yurdakul Yiğitgüden. Update by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan. Update by the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1164 on the topic and dates of the Human Dimension Seminar in Warsaw. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1165 on the agenda, timetable and organizational modalities of the 2015 OSCE Asian Conference. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1166 on the dates of the 2015 Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC). Ongoing aggression against Ukraine and violations of OSCE principles and commitments by the Russian Federation. Situation in Ukraine and the need to implement the Minsk agreements. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on 21 March 2015. The death penalty in Belarus. Arrests of suspects in connection with the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The case against human rights defender Mr. A. Sarymsakov in Uzbekistan. Human rights concerns in Tajikistan. Situation in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Ceasefire violations along the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Response to a statement made by the Russian Federation on the protection of children in the OSCE area at the 1045th plenary meeting of the Permanent Council. Growing manifestations of violent radicalism and aggressive nationalism in the Russian Federation. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office. Federal elections in Switzerland, to be held on 18 October 2015.