The European Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission, after the name of the city where it meets, is an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe established in 1990 on an Italian initiative. It is also financially supported by the Veneto Region.

The Venice Commission is the CoE body that assists states in consolidating and strengthening democratic institutions. Initially conceived as an emergency constitutional engineering instrument in a context of democratic transition, the Commission has seen its activities gradually evolve to become an internationally recognised, independent body for legal reflection.

The Commission is composed of independent experts with renowned experience in the field of democratic institutions or of high scientific standing in the fields of law and political science. Members are appointed for four-year terms by the participating countries, which, in 2021, in addition to the 47 member states of the CoE, include Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Costa Rica, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Tunisia. Belarus is an associate member in 2021, while Argentina, Japan, the Holy See and Uruguay participate in the work of the Commission as observers. A special form of association allows for the participation of the European Union, South Africa, the Palestinian National Authority, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Organisation of American States (OAS). The Italian Gianni Buquicchio, chaired the Commission from 2009 to 2021.