EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

Europaudvalget 2023-24
EUU Alm.del Bilag 159
Offentligt

CONTRIBUTION OF THE LXX COSAC

26-28 NOVEMBER, 2023, MADRID

Ukraine

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COSAC reiterates the statements made in its meetings held in Prague

and Stockholm of firm and strong condemnation of Russia’s

unprovoked, unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine, its war of

aggression against Ukraine as well as temporary occupation and

attempted annexation of some parts of Ukraine’s territories, which

represents a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter.

COSAC reiterates its demand for an unconditional and immediate

cessation of Russia’s illegal military actions, the withdrawal of all its

forces and military equipment from Ukraine’s territory, within its

internationally recognized borders, and an immediate end to the use of

force or any other form of aggression against Ukraine.

Once again, COSAC expresses its unwavering support to the

independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its

internationally recognized borders, as well to this country’s inherent

right of legitimate defence against Russia’s aggression.

COSAC calls on the European Union and its Member States to

continue providing a robust political, diplomatic, economic, military,

technical and humanitarian support to Ukraine and to its population for

as long as it takes to end Russia´s war of aggression and to restore the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In terms of military

support, it looks forward to continuing military assistance on the

bilateral tracks as well as through the European Peace Facility, in

particular, accelerating the deliveries of missiles and ammunition under

the one million rounds of artillery ammunition initiative and air defence

systems to protect the Ukrainian people and its critical and energy

infrastructure. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the

security and defence policy of certain Member States.

COSAC reiterates its satisfaction and support to the European and

international efforts in favour of the repair, recovery and reconstruction

of Ukraine. It calls on EU institutions and Member States to accelerate

the work aimed at using Russia’s immobilised assets to support

Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

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EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

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COSAC welcomes the ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure the widest

possible international support to the main principles and objectives of

the Ukraine Peace Formula. It stresses its support to the

implementation of the Peace Formula and to the organization of a

Global Summit for Peace, recalling that a comprehensive, fair, and

lasting peace in Ukraine must be cemented on the full respect of its

independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its

internationally recognized borders. Achieving this goal would be a

significant contribution to strengthening international peace and

security.

COSAC welcomes the fact that the European Council of October 2023

reiterated its commitment to secure a stable, predictable and

sustainable financial support to Ukraine in the coming years and

encourages it to adopt the financial assistance package i.e. Ukraine

Facility in its December meeting.

COSAC considers it necessary to hold Russian leaders accountable

for the aggression war against Ukraine as well as any individual having

participated in or perpetrated war crimes or other serious crimes and

fully supports the investigation of the International Criminal Court in

Ukraine, as well as any other initiative aimed at preventing such crimes

from going unpunished, notably establishing a tribunal for the

prosecution of the crime of aggression against Ukraine and the

establishment of a future compensation mechanism.

COSAC supports the measures aimed at weakening Russia’s capacity

to wage its aggression war, including the sanctions adopted by the

European Union and calls for its full and effective implementation, and

to step-up efforts, in cooperation with partners, to block any attempt to

circumvent these sanctions. It calls on the EU Member States to

accelerate the adoption of the next 12th package of sanctions to further

raise the costs of Russia’s aggression. It welcomes the European

Parliament resolution of 9 November 2023 on the effectiveness of the

EU sanctions on Russia, including the call for a full ban on the import

of Russian LNG and liquefied petroleum gas into the EU and to prohibit

the shipment of Russian oil and LNG exports through EU territory.

COSAC deplores the military, material and other type of support that

certain countries continue to provide to Russia’s war of aggression

against Ukraine and urges them to put an end to such actions.

COSAC reiterates its firm condemnation of illegal deportations and

transfers of children and other Ukrainian civilians to Russia and Belarus

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EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

and demands that these countries guarantee their immediate and safe

return.

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COSAC condemns Russia’s deliberate attacks against Ukrainian civil

and critical infrastructure, including grain storage and export facilities,

and its actions to hamper freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, which

show that Russia continues to weaponize food, thus undermining

global food security. It welcomes Ukraine’s resolute actions in opening

an alternative sea route to maintain grain exports after Russia’s

unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. COSAC

conveys its support to all efforts aimed at facilitating grain exports,

particularly to those countries in greater need in Africa and the Middle

East, and to enhance the capacity of the EU solidarity lanes and other

export routes for Ukrainian grain. It is also important to foster resilience

of agriculture in Africa.

COSAC reiterates its support to the ongoing enlargement process for

Ukraine and Moldova based on the fulfilment of the requirements for

their accession process to the European Union according to the

Commission’s 2023 Enlargement Package.

COSAC considers that, as stressed in the Granada Declaration issued

by the EU leaders on October 6, 2023, enlargement is a geo-strategic

investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity. It is a driver for

improving the economic and social conditions of European citizens,

reducing disparities between countries, and it must foster the values on

which the Union is founded.

COSAC welcomes the Commission’s 2023 Enlargement Package

published on 8 November 2023 and the recommendations to open

accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and

Herzegovina (once the necessary degree of compliance with the

membership criteria is achieved), as well as to grant the candidate

status to Georgia.

COSAC reiterates its support for the Western Balkans as it was

expressed in the Thessaloniki Agenda 20 years ago; it supports their

accession process and welcomes the Growth Plan for the Western

Balkans presented recently by the Commission.

COSAC calls on aspiring members to step up their reform initiatives,

with the assistance of the European Union, notably in the area of rule

of law, in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process. In

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EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

parallel, the necessary reforms must be conducted so that an enlarged

European Union can continue to work effectively for the benefit of

European citizens.

European Pact on Migration and Asylum

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COSAC recognizes that the discussion on the migration debate has

regained relevance as a result of the last migration crises and the

mounting pressure on EU external borders, as illustrated especially by

the cases of the islands of Lampedusa and El Hierro.

COSAC considers that it is urgent to reach a balanced and viable

political agreement as regards the Pact on Migration and Asylum

guaranteeing solidarity and a fair sharing of responsibility. In this sense,

COSAC urges the European Parliament, the Council and the

Commission to intensify their efforts to conclude this dossier before the

end of the European legislative term. In light of the latest alarming

developments in the Middle East, COSAC calls for the EU to be

proactive in addressing the possible new refugee flows and in providing

support particularly to the front-line Member States.

COSAC recalls that the Pact on Migration and Asylum must articulate

the two levels of the European migration policy. In the first place, the

internal dimension, combining the management of migration, the

efficient protection of external borders and the enhancement of police

and judicial cooperation, with a correct functioning of the Common

European Asylum System (CEAS). And, in the second, the external

dimension, aimed at managing migration flows, fighting human

trafficking and migrant smuggling, in cooperation with the main origin

and transit countries, addressing the root causes of migration and

providing opportunities for legal migration, as well as the integration of

migrants and asylum seekers. COSAC calls for drafting and

implementing more MOUs with third countries in an effort to tackle

irregular migration and migrant smuggling. Furthermore, a more

effective return policy is necessary, including measures to strengthen

the legal and operational framework, to improve the quality and rates

of returns, as well as reintegration programmes and cooperation with

partner countries.

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COSAC stresses the importance of the functioning of the Schengen

Area for battling irregular migration and reiterates the call to approve

Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to Schengen without further delay.

Energy Crisis and Green Transition

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COSAC considers that curbing the climate crisis and environmental

degradation is not only an unavoidable need, but also an opportunity

to drastically increase the EU’s strategic autonomy on energy and

resources, making European businesses more competitive. The

European Union must continue leading the global fight against climate

change and the loss of biodiversity, creating wealth and new

opportunities, taking care of and supporting the most vulnerable

citizens, businesses and regions in the green transition and taking into

account the collateral effects of the deployment of renewable energies,

both from an environmental point of view and from the point of view of

the new dependencies it is likely to engender. Hence, the relevance of

dossiers such as the reform of the design of the electricity market, the

hydrogen gas package, the regulation on nature restoration, air quality,

the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Fit for 55 package, or the Critical Raw

Materials Act. COSAC trusts that during the Spanish and Belgian

Presidencies the said measures will be adopted to contribute to the

objectives listed above as well as to help face future challenges.

COSAC stresses that the green transition must contribute to reducing

the EU’s energy dependence, while respecting the energy mix of each

Member State, it must be inclusive, leaving no one behind and

effectively tackling bottlenecks such as the shortage of skilled staff,

proper infrastructure and storage of renewable energy.

COSAC welcomes the agreement reached at the Transports,

Telecommunications and Energy Council held last October to amend

the configuration of the EU’s electricity market and encourages

European institutions to conclude the necessary legislative actions to

reduce the volatility of electricity, making it less dependent on the price

of fossil fuels, thus protecting consumers and industry, and improving

the functioning of the electricity market in the long term.

COSAC shares the view of the European Council of October 2023 in

the sense of stressing the need to adopt effective measures to

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EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

guarantee the security of critical infrastructures, within a

comprehensive and coordinated approach to crisis response, ensuring

that all sectors contribute to a preventive approach that takes all threats

into account.

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COSAC emphasises that the legislative measures related to the Green

Transition should comply with the EU Social Pillar and ensure

economic and social sustainability, taking into account the needs of

workers and businesses as well as the national specificities and the EU

strategic autonomy.

Open Strategic Autonomy and relations with Latin America and the

Caribbean

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COSAC welcomes the fact that the informal European Council held in

Granada last October 6 addressed open strategic autonomy as one of

the main discussion topics, and calls for parliamentary involvement and

discussions on this issue.

The said matter, considered again at the European Council of October

26 and 27, represents one of the key elements for the present and

future work of the European Union. Indeed, it sets out several lines of

work and helps to define the parameters of the Union from the new

institutional cycle scheduled from 2024 onwards.

COSAC reiterates the need for the Union to strengthen the economic

and industrial base and the resources and capabilities necessary to

ensure its strategic autonomy in an increasingly competitive and

complex world, without renouncing the benefits of an open global

economy.

COSAC welcomes that the concept of open strategic autonomy, which

was initially more closely linked to security and defence, has today an

economic scope. The recent Conclusions and Statements of the

Leaders during this year of 2023, several of them on occasion of the

Spanish Presidency, go in this same line, as well as the Resilient 2030

document, presented during the informal European Council of

Granada.

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COSAC encourages an internal strengthening of the Union, without

renouncing a close relation with its partners. This is the case with Latin

America and the Caribbean, a region with which, after 8 years without

high level meetings, the III EU-CELAC Summit was held last July 17

and 18, which COSAC welcomes. A joint declaration was adopted at

the said Summit structuring and regularizing the bi-regional relation

between the two partners, establishing the commitment to hold regular

Summits, as well as the setting up of a coordination mechanism with a

road map for 2023-2025.

Likewise, COSAC welcomes the fact that the III EU-CELAC Summit

has contributed to bolstering the EU-Latin America Digital Alliance, as

well as to agreeing an ambitious investment agenda within the

framework of the Global Gateway initiative. Moreover, this occasion

contributed to making progress in matters of common interest and

concluding cooperation agreements in key sectors such as energy,

(with Argentina and Uruguay) or raw materials (with Chile).

COSAC shares the conclusions of the EU-CELAC Summit in the sense

of calling for the ratification of the agreements signed and currently

applied, welcoming ongoing processes, taking into account human,

social and environmental rights, towards the signature of the

modernised agreement between the EU and Chile and between the EU

and Mexico in the coming months, and taking note of ongoing work

between the EU and MERCOSUR.

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Middle East

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COSAC expresses its support to the strong condemnation agreed in

the European Council in its meeting of October 15, reiterated on

October 26, of Hamas for its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks

across Israel. The use of civilians as human shields by Hamas is a

particularly deplorable atrocity.

COSAC stresses Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international

law and international humanitarian law. It reiterates its call on Hamas

to immediately release all hostages without any precondition.

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EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 159: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 26-28/11-23 i Madrid

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COSAC reiterates the importance of ensuring the protection of all

civilians at all times in line with international humanitarian law. It

deplores all loss of civilian life.

COSAC expresses its gravest concern for the deteriorating

humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for continued, rapid, safe and

unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need

through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and

pauses for humanitarian needs.

COSAC recalls the need to avoid regional escalation and to engage

with partners in this respect including with the Palestinian Authority.

COSAC is ready to contribute to reviving a political process on the

basis of the two-state solution, including through the Peace Day Effort,

welcomes diplomatic peace and security initiatives and supports the

holding of an international peace conference soon.

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