18 - 19 May, 2007 - Under the auspices of Mr. Stjepan Mesić, President of the Republic of Croatia, and organised by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, the Universities of Zagreb and Glasgow, UniDem Seminar on "The participation of minorities in public life" was held in Zagreb in the Old City Hall. On the two-day Seminar representatives of international institutions, Croatian authorities, national minorities and Croatian and foreign experts talked about the position of national minorities in different constitutional orders (including the Republic of Croatia) and about the influence of international standards on the participation of minorities in public life as well as about the role of cultural autonomy in the promotion of participation of minorities in the decision making process. Within the Seminar, the participants paid a visit to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, where they were received by Prof. Petar Klarić, President and Prof. Jasna Omejec, deputy President of the Court. On this occasion Mr. Gianni Buquicchio, Secretary of the Venice Commission, which, within the Council of Europe, deals with constitutional matters, acknowledged successful cooperation between the Commission and the Croatian Constitutional Court that has been continously going on since 1990.
