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The updated rule of law checklist (2026)

International law
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The principle of the Rule of Law is enshrined in legal texts – at national, European and international level. Despite its frequent use in political debates, the meaning of the Rule of Law is not always clear. To address this, in 2016, the Venice Commission adopted the Rule of Law Checklist, outlining detailed questions to assess the degree of respect for the Rule of Law in any given country.

Various developments since 2016 have made an update of the Rule of Law Checklist timely and necessary. Following a comprehensive consultation process involving a wide variety of stakeholders, the Venice Commission adopted its Updated Rule of Law Checklist in December 2025, reflecting new challenges since 2016, particularly those arising from technological changes, Rule of Law regression and growing private sector influence. It now includes new benchmarks on checks and balances and constitutional review.

The Updated Rule of Law Checklist is a tool that is available to all stakeholders, including international organisations, national authorities and civil society.
I. INTRODUCTION 
A. Updating the Rule of Law Checklist 
B. Recent Developments 
C. Purpose of the Checklist 
D. The Rule of Law, human rights and democracy 
E. A Multi-Layered Approach 
II. BENCHMARKS 
A. Legality 
1. Supremacy of the law 
2. Compliance with the law by public authorities 
3. Rule of Law guarantees for the conduct of private actors 
4. Relationship between international law and domestic law 
5. Law-making powers of the executive 
6. Law-making procedures 
7. Exceptions in emergency situations 
8. Duty to implement the law 
9. Compliance with the law and new technologies 
B. Legal certainty 
1. Accessibility and foreseeability of the law 
2. Stability and consistency of law
3. Legal certainty in court decisions 
4. Basic principles of legal certainty: Legitimate expectations, non-retroactivity, nullum crimen et nulla poena sine lege, res judicata and ne bis in idem 
5. Legal certainty and new technologies 
C. Prevention of abuse of power 
1. General safeguards 
2. Procedural safeguards 
3. Corruption and conflicts of interest 
D. Checks and balances
1. Institutional checks and balances 
2. Guaranteeing the legal framework of civic space 
E. Equality and non-discrimination 
1. Non-discrimination 
2. Equality in law 
3. Equality before the law 
4. Positive action 
5. Equality, non-discrimination and new technologies 
F. Access to justice
1. Independence and impartiality of the judiciary
2. Independence and impartiality of other actors in the judicial process 
3. Fair trial 
4. Digital technologies within the judicial system 
G. Constitutional review 
1. Constitutional review
2. Composition and appointment 
3. Access to constitutional justice 
4. Effects of decisions 
H. Particular challenges to the Rule of Law 
1. Restoration of the Rule of Law 
2. Legal and civic education 
a. Legal education
b. Civic education

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