PDF to HTML - Convert PDF files to HTML files

Europaudvalget 2013-14
EUU Alm.del Bilag 197
Offentligt

CONCLUSIONS OF THE L COSAC

Vilnius, 27–29 October 2013

1. 20th Bi-annual Report of COSAC

1.1 COSAC welcomes the 20th Bi-annual Report prepared by the COSAC Secretariat and

sincerely thanks the Secretariat for the excellent work. The Report provides useful

information on the means that could be used to ensure more active citizens’ engagement in

debating the EU future and participation in the 2014 European elections. It also discusses the

effectiveness of ensuring and enhancing democratic legitimacy and accountability, and

fruitful interparliamentary cooperation.

1.2 COSAC notes the challenge facing the COSAC Secretariat of many delayed replies to the

questionnaire. It calls on Parliaments to try to ensure more timely responses are provided to

aid the work of the Secretariat in preparing Bi-annual Reports and the work of the Presidency

Parliament in preparing for COSAC plenary meetings.

1.3. COSAC appreciates the practice introduced by the Irish Presidency to organise informal

sessions during the plenary meetings of COSAC. It recognises such sessions as a useful

means of exchanging views on procedures and practices relevant to parliamentary scrutiny

and on topical EU matters. COSAC thanks those involved in the sessions held in Vilnius and

calls on future Presidencies to continue working to that end by putting forward topics for

focused informal discussions.

2. Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat

2.1. COSAC recalls that the co-financing of the current Permanent Member and the office of

the COSAC Secretariat and website maintenance costs ends on 31 December 2013. The Irish

Presidency, in the first half of 2013, invited Parliaments to renew their commitment to the co-

financing agreement for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015. So far 40

Chambers of 27 national Parliaments have signed and sent their letters of intent indicating that

they are willing to participate in the co-financing for the above stated period. COSAC

welcomes the fact that this number is above the minimum threshold, therefore the co-

financing of the Permanent Member and the office of the COSAC Secretariat and the costs of

website maintenance will continue. COSAC invites the remaining few Parliaments/Chambers

to submit letters of intent as soon as possible.

Gedimino pr. 53, LT-01109 Vilnius, LITHUANIA

Tel. + 370 5 239 6762 E-mail [email protected]

PDF to HTML - Convert PDF files to HTML files

2.2. COSAC thanks the European Parliament for hosting the COSAC Secretariat in Brussels.

2.3. COSAC expresses its gratitude to the UK

House of Commons

for seconding Mrs Libby

KURIEN for the post of the Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat. COSAC warmly

thanks Mrs Libby KURIEN, whose term of office expires on 31 December 2013, for her

devoted and productive work.

2.4. COSAC welcomes the decision of the Chairpersons of COSAC of 28 October 2013 to

elect Ms Christiana FRYDA seconded by the

House of Representatives

of Cyprus as

Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat for 2014-2015. COSAC is convinced that the

newly elected Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat will smoothly continue to

manage the work of COSAC Secretariat and contribute to the successful development of the

COSAC activities, in accordance with Rule 9.3 of the COSAC Rules of Procedure.

3. Democratic Legitimacy and the Role of Parliaments

3.1. COSAC supports closer and more constructive interparliamentary cooperation and active

participation of Parliaments in EU policy shaping. COSAC encourages Parliaments to

actively share best practices and information and to discuss EU’s political matters of common

interest.

3.2. COSAC notes the responses of Parliaments to the Bi-annual Report that call for the

ongoing evolution of parliamentary democracy in the EU, as closer European integration

should foresee greater parliamentary involvement. COSAC welcomes the call for

strengthening of existing mechanisms including the interparliamentary dialogue and better use

of the political dialogue by national Parliaments.

3.3. COSAC calls on Parliaments to initiate more parliamentary clusters of interest to

examine specific issues of EU policy making and sincerely thanks the Danish

Folketing

for

starting this initiative.

3.4. COSAC expresses its hope that there will soon be a full debate on the strengthening of

democratic legitimacy of the Union and the fundamental role of national Parliaments for the

good functioning of the Union as well as on how this role could be further enhanced. COSAC

calls on future Presidencies to consider this topic to be put on the agenda of the forthcoming

meetings of COSAC.

4. Macro-regional Cooperation

4.1. COSAC welcomes the initiative of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, as the

Presidency Parliament, to convene parliamentarians of the EU Member States from the Baltic

Sea region for an informal discussion about the prospects of the macro-regional EU Strategy

for the Baltic Sea Region.

4.2. COSAC welcomes the European Commission’s report on the added value of macro-

regional strategies

and the idea that macro-regional strategies provide regional building

blocks for EU-wide policy, marshalling national approaches towards a more coherent

implementation at the EU level. COSAC supports the strengthening of the parliamentary

dimension in the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and other

PDF to HTML - Convert PDF files to HTML files

macro-regional strategies of the EU, which contributes to and promotes comprehensive

regional cooperation.

5. COSAC Women’s Forum

5.1. COSAC welcomes the initiative of the

Seimas

of the Republic of Lithuania to convene

the COSAC Women’s Forum to encourage greater involvement of women parliamentarians in

COSAC activities and underlines the need for urging the political parties of the EU Member

States to give more focus to gender equality, equal opportunities policy, creation of gender

balance in society, and wider inclusion of women in politics. COSAC calls on Parliaments to

take gender balance into consideration when forming parliamentary delegations and on

national political parties to promote better representation of women on the lists of candidates

to the 2014 European elections.

5.2. COSAC welcomes the good participation in the COSAC Women's Forum in Vilnius and

encourages women politicians both to exploit existing formats of interparliamentary co-

operation and to become more involved in COSAC activities by participating in the COSAC

Women’s Forum and debating topical issues on the EU's political agenda.

5.3. Considering the fact that democratic policy-making in the EU may rest on both formal

and informal structures, COSAC encourages future Presidency parliaments, to take over and

further develop the initiative of promoting women parliamentarians’ involvement in COSAC

activities.

COM/2013/468 final