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Europaudvalget 2014-15 (1. samling)
EUU Alm.del Bilag 190
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ONTRIBUTION OF THE LII

OSAC

Rome, 30 November - 2 December 2014

1. Mid-term review of Europe 2020 Strategy

1.1. COSAC views the mid-term review of Europe 2020 Strategy as a key step

towards supporting recovery from the economic and financial crisis and making full

use of the European economies' potential for growth and employment by restoring the

confidence of EU citizens and businesses as well as that of markets.

1.2. Taking into account the progress achieved on the implementation of Europe

2020 goals, COSAC is of the opinion that a renewed Europe 2020 Strategy should

pursue the following objectives:

a) contribute to ensure a better alignment of the real and financial economies;

b) strengthen the goals on employment, poverty and social exclusion and take

urgent additional measures in these fields, taking into account that the implementation

has been so far largely unsatisfactory;

c) use social indicators, as set out in the Alert Mechanism Report, to monitor

negative social outcome and to promote positive measures on poverty, equality and

social inclusion;

d) improve the governance of Europe 2020 with the aim of better coordinating

the goals and targets of the EU growth strategy within the European Semester and of

achieving a better balance between fiscal constraints and the growth and

competitiveness agenda, regarding targets, guidelines, initiatives and country specific

recommendations. To that end, the Single Market and Industrial Competitiveness

priorities should be integrated within the European Semester;

e) develop, where feasible, additional indicators with a qualitative dimension

rather than the current one dimensional numerical targets, e.g. a "job quality" indicator

which would help to identify the numbers of the working poor;

f) move away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach in achieving targets and

addressing regional disparities between, and within Member States, which is vital in

order to prevent growing regional inequalities;

g) improving the ”ownership” of Europe 2020, at regional level, by

strengthening its region-oriented dimension.

h) recognise that Member States will fail to deliver the strategy targets if

implementation is centre driven with a top-down and non-inclusive approach and that

this is a weakness of the Strategy.

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1.3. COSAC is convinced that the review of Europe 2020 will be more effective

if carried out within the framework of a general EU strategy aiming both at achieving

higher growth rates in all European countries and at lessening the currently growing

wealth imbalances within the EU. To that end, it is essential to support the aggregate

demand and to supplement growth-friendly fiscal consolidation measures while

making use of the flexibility clauses set out in the Stability and Growth Pact (SPG), at

least by the Member States which are able to do so.

1.4. To this end, COSAC welcomes the commitment of the European Council

(Conclusions of 23-24 October) for a prompt implementation of the guidelines set out

in the Strategic Agenda for the Union in Times of Change, in particular those relating

to jobs, growth and competitiveness and those aimed at empowering and protecting its

citizens. It fully supports the invitation from the European Council to the Commission,

the Council and the Member States to translate this approach into concrete policy

actions.

1.5. COSAC fully supports the new Commission's intention to launch an

initiative mobilising 300 billion euro in additional public and private investment over

the period 2015-2017. It welcomes the establishment of a Task Force, led by the

Commission and the European Investment Bank, in charge of identifying the concrete

actions that are needed to boost investment. These include a pipeline of potentially

viable projects of European relevance, to be launched shortly or over the medium

term. In this respect COSAC calls on EU Institutions to take this investment initiative

forward without delay. At the same time, COSAC points out that the abovementioned

plan could not be sufficient on its own to achieve the goals enshrined in the Europe

2020 Strategy. Consequently, an increase of the resources earmarked for the

implementation of the Strategy should be considered on the occasion of the mid-term

review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020.

1.6. COSAC calls for public expenditure related to the implementation of

programmes co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds to be

completely excluded from the definition of Stability and Growth Pact structural

deficits, because this expenditure is devoted to achieving the goals of Europe 2020 and

supporting competitiveness, growth and job creation, especially where youth

employment is concerned.

2. Future of the EU - EU Institutions and Parliaments

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2.1. COSAC notes that a majority of national Parliaments/Chambers has given a

positive assessment of the implementation of Lisbon Treaty provisions conferring new

powers on national Parliaments, believing that these provisions have been applied in

the best possible way, with a positive impact on the good functioning of the Union,

especially with reference to the information provided by EU institutions, the

participation in interparliamentary cooperation, and subsidiarity checks.

2.2. COSAC notes that some Parliaments/Chambers have pointed out an

excessive use of delegated acts by the European Commission, while others have

stressed that essential elements should not be the subject of a delegation of powers and

that the interpretation of the concept of "duration of the delegation of powers" should

not lead to a delegation of power unlimited in time. In the view of some

Parliaments/Chambers, such practices could deprive national Parliaments of their

power, conferred by the treaties, to scrutinise any amendments to the provisions that

were the object of delegation. The full involvement of the European Parliament in the

procedure of objection to and revocation of power is seen as ensuring democratic

control in all cases. Some Parliaments/Chambers have also asked that future

delegations of power should not exceed a time limit of five years, with a tacit

extension for one further five-year period, subject to presentation of a report by the

European Commission.

2.3. COSAC supports the idea of

ad hoc

public consultations aimed at national

Parliaments, including a dedicated section for national Parliaments' replies in the

European Commission’s summary report on the consultation. COSAC invites the

European Commission to explore the possibility of creating such a dedicated section.

2.4. COSAC welcomes further efforts to ensure that early legislative

agreements at the first reading in the framework of the EU legislative process are more

streamlined and leaner. Taking note of the criticism raised about the lack of

transparency and insufficient scrutiny by national Parliaments on the ongoing

negotiations in the trilogue phase, it invites all EU Institutions to take these concerns

into account. If a proposal is significantly altered during interinstitutional negotiations,

COSAC invites national Parliaments to ask their respective Governments for detailed

information and to scrutinise the amended proposal before agreement is reached in the

Council.

2.5. COSAC notes that a majority of Parliaments/Chambers are in favour of

creating new instruments aimed at involving national Parliaments in EU decision-

making without any formal Treaty changes. The most recurring ideas – a complete list

of which is included in the 22

Bi-annual Report – include a possible "green card"

procedure, enhanced political dialogue, scrutiny/consideration of draft trade

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agreements and improvements of the "yellow card" procedure. COSAC could take

these ideas as a starting point for further discussion on the ways how to foster further

interparliamentary cooperation.

2.6. COSAC invites EU Institutions and Member States to open a discussion on

a stronger role for the European Parliament and national Parliaments, taking into

account the complementary role and the institutionalised link between European and

national levels and in view of the fact that participation of national Parliaments in the

EU decision-making has not yet been fully integrated into the debate on democratic

legitimacy and a better functioning of the European Union.

2.7. COSAC fully supports the enhanced participation of EU Parliaments in

interparliamentary cooperation as foreseen in the treaties, pointing out that this has

enabled policy-makers to effectively scrutinise the most relevant EU dossiers. Besides,

interparliamentary cooperation has enhanced the ability of national Parliaments to

monitor national Governments and has proved to be an important tool for qualitative

and in-depth involvement of national Parliaments in the EU decision-making process.

In this context, it is crucial for all Parliaments to work together to target the issues to

be brought up for discussion and to make more effective, if envisaged, the conclusions

to be adopted with reference to dossiers under consideration by the EU legislature.

2.8. COSAC notes that there is no debate on further development of the

European integration process on the agenda of most Parliaments/Chambers; COSAC

however notes that some Parliaments/Chambers take a positive view thereon,

including in a federal perspective, and that others oppose such a process.

3. The role of the EU in the Mediterranean and in Eastern Europe

3.1. COSAC notes that the European Neighbourhood Policy and its

development constitute Union's long-term strategic priority, whereby both the

Mediterranean and the Eastern partnership are the key elements.

3.2. COSAC notes that the Mediterranean and the Middle East are areas of

strategic relevance for the EU and its Member States; it considers that after the rightful

and necessary emphasis placed on Northern and Eastern enlargement over the last

twenty years, it is now essential to re-establish the strategic priority of the Union's

Southern border; it underlines that the presence and visibility of the Union should be

further enhanced through credible provision of assistance to our regional partners, in

the framework of the Neighbourhood Policy, with particular emphasis on supporting

domestic reforms, strengthening democratic institutions, promoting sustainable and

inclusive growth and involving the civil society, in compliance with the principle of

shared ownership and responsibility.

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3.3. COSAC welcomes the Commission's Communication "A

Partnership for

democracy and shared prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean",

of March 2011,

including the roadmap for its implementation, as well as the Communication of March

2014 entitled "Neighbourhood

at the crossroads";

underlines that the neighbourhood

policy should be constantly updated in view of the ongoing political and socio-

economic developments in the region and, for this purpose, welcomes the

strengthening, in the structure of the new European Commission, of the coordination

between the High Representative and the Commissioner responsible for

neighbourhood policy, and between their respective staffs, and hopes for better

coordination between national and EU policies.

3.4. COSAC welcomes Commission’s Communication of 8 October 2014 on

the European Union Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2014-15, noting the

progress made by the countries of the Western Balkans in the area of European

integration, and stresses the importance of continuation of the enlargement policy as

an important contribution to the implementation of internal reforms in candidate and

potential candidate countries.

3.5. COSAC welcomes the recent revitalisation of programmes and initiatives

developed in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean and underlines their

complementarity with the support measures included in the Neighbourhood Policy and

their capacity to attract and involve many public and private players. COSAC also

notes that cooperation among Member States and countries of the Mediterranean area

may be supplemented with new partnership paradigms, attaching priority to a thorough

common approach that goes beyond bilateralism and decentralised cooperation, so as

to enhance the sub-national level and involve the civil society and all relevant

stakeholders (Associations, Universities, NGOs), with the necessary flexibility so as to

ensure the feasibility of programmes. In this framework, cultural projects and projects

for the new generations should be given priority.

3.6. COSAC expresses concern for the risks of further destabilisation in Libya

and stresses the need to preserve its territorial integrity and national unity; for the

security threat posed by the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL);

for the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, at the same time

encouraging both Israelis and Palestinians to re-engage in negotiations for a final

agreement based on a two-State solution; for the stalled negotiations for a peaceful

solution to the conflict in Syria. COSAC invites the Union to develop joint, politically

strong and effective answers, so as to strengthen a commitment towards the

development of a new and updated regional security strategy.

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3.7. COSAC stresses that the escalating and continuing instability in the

Mediterranean area makes the development of an EU migration policy implementing

the principles of solidarity and burden sharing – also at financial level – among

Member States under Article 80 of the TFEU even more compelling; welcomes the

Conclusions adopted by the Council on 10 October 2014 on "Taking

action to better

manage migratory flows"

and urges Member States and the European institutions to

fully implement them. In this regard, COSAC supports the three pillars outlined, based

on: cooperation with third Countries with a specific focus on the fight against

smugglers and traffickers in human beings, strengthening the ability of FRONTEX to

respond in a flexible and timely manner to emerging risks and pressures, and thorough

and consistent implementation of the Common European Asylum System, also

through increased operational cooperation. COSAC emphasises, in this context, the

need to support the new European initiative "Operation Triton", which accounts for a

natural development of the successful "Mare Nostrum" experience implemented by the

Italian Government and the need to ensure effective support for countries (most

notably Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan) bearing the brunt of the inflow of new refugees

from Syria.

3.8. COSAC expresses serious concern about the renewed tensions in the

Eastern Mediterranean and calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of the

Republic of Cyprus in its Exclusive Economic Zone. COSAC also wishes that

progress be achieved in the UN-led negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus

problem according to the relevant UN Resolutions and the values and principles of the

European Union.

3.9. COSAC reaffirms the importance of the EU's Eastern Partnership Policy.

Democratisation, modernisation and the outlook for a true Eastern Partnership remain

essential for the EU and its Member States; whilst taking into account the regional

differences in development and the resulting different capability to fully engage in the

processes. COSAC also acknowledges the need for reviewing and renewing the aims

of the Eastern Partnership defined in the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern

Partnership Summit.

3.10. COSAC welcomes the recent parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The

elections marked an important step in Ukraine's aspirations to consolidate democratic

elections in line with its international commitments. COSAC also welcomes the

provisional application of important parts of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

as of 1st November 2014; this will be a key instrument for carrying out the much-

needed reforms in Ukraine in the years to come, underpinned by the EU's support. A

reinvigorated reform process, including the launching of a country-wide national

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dialogue, will be crucial in view of Ukraine's political association and economic

integration with the EU and in order to consolidate Ukraine's unity and internal

cohesion.

3.11. COSAC condemns Russia's military intervention in Ukraine; calls on

Russia to take concrete steps to de-escalate the crisis in Eastern Ukraine by stopping

the movement of armed combatants and weapons across the Russian-Ukrainian border,

by distancing itself from the activities of armed separatists in the Eastern regions of

Ukraine and fully respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

3.12. COSAC calls on EU institutions and Member States parliaments to

establish clear criteria for addressing further application or lifting of sanctions against

the Russian Federation, in accordance with the conclusions of the 5-7 November Ιnter-

Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and

the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP); among others, these criteria shall

include complete withdrawal of the Russian armed forces from the occupied territories

of Ukraine and from the Ukrainian border region, and re-affirmation of the territorial

integrity of Ukraine, both in Crimea and in the Eastern Regions.

3.13. COSAC calls on Russia to resume its role as EU's strategic partner, in a

renewed, peaceful regional environment. It is crucial, for the regional and global

medium and long-term political and economic stability, that the Russian Federation

demonstrate its efforts to have a cooperative and constructive relationship with the EU.

4. EU Agencies and national Parliaments

4.1. COSAC underlines the important role that EU agencies can play in

implementing EU policies in various fields, in conducting independent surveys and in

providing evidence-based assistance and expertise to EU institutions and Member

States, thereby helping the institutions to concentrate on core policy-making tasks and

contributing to enhance the cooperation between Member States and the EU in key

policy areas.

4.2. COSAC notes that some Parliaments/Chambers expressed concerns in

relation to the role and the functioning of some EU agencies, especially with reference

to the lack of adequate oversight, governance and accountability, the risk of agency

capture by sectoral interests, the usefulness or cost-effectiveness of agencies, their

proliferation and a possible duplication of their activities, and would urge that these

matters be given greater and the most detailed and transparent consideration before

further agencies are proposed or established.

4.3. COSAC supports the European Parliament's call for the introduction of a

legal basis to the establishment of agencies which may carry out the specific executive

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and implementing tasks conferred upon them by the European Parliament and the

Council in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.

4.4. COSAC considers the current mechanisms making agencies accountable to

the European Parliament adequate, although it is essential that instruments enabling

national Parliaments to monitor such agencies should be explored.

4.5. COSAC notes that to date, only some national Parliaments make use of

information or expertise provided by EU agencies in the framework of their activities

under the form of studies, reports, statistics, or in the framework of formal and

informal meetings. The relations between national Parliaments and EU agencies

should be further improved by enhancing contacts and cooperation, and by

encouraging EU agencies to inform national Parliaments as widely as possible on their

activities and work programme.