EUU, Alm.del - 2010-11 (1. samling) - Bilag 520: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde 10.-11. juli i Warszawa

PROCEEDINGSIN THE CHAIR: Mr Edmund WITTBRODT, Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee of theSenatof the Republic of Poland, and Mr Stanisław RAKOCZY, Chairman of the EU AffairsCommittee of theSejmof the Republic of Poland.Mr Edmund WITTBRODT welcomed two new chairpersons of the Committees on EuropeanAffairs: Mr Joe COSTELLO of the IrishHouses of the Oireachtasand Mr Paulo MOTAPINTO of the PortugueseAssembleia da República.He then gave the floor to Mr BogdanBORUSEWICZ, Marshal of theSenatof the Republic of Poland, for the opening address.1. Opening address by Mr Bogdan BORUSEWICZ, Marshal of theSenatof theRepublic of PolandMr BORUSEWICZ welcomed this meeting as one of the first within the framework of theparliamentary dimension of the Polish Presidency and underlined that parliamentary EUAffairs Committees were especially important as they covered all EU policy areas.Chairpersons were here, in Warsaw, to discuss major issues that the EU faces and to exchangeviews and experiences.Touching on some of the priorities of the Polish Presidency he gave particular attention to theEastern Partnership and relations with southern neighbours. The EU should play an active rolethere in order to help develop modern government structures and a democratic civil society. Inthis context, Mr BORUSEWICZ highlighted the visit he and Mr WITTBRODT had paid toTunisia in May 2011 as well as his visit to Egypt the next day (12 July), both of which aimedat making these countries benefit from the Polish experience of transition to democracy. Themost powerful EU instruments included the efficiency of democracy and of a liberal model ofdevelopment as well as the offer of access to the EU internal market.According to Mr BORUSEWICZ the situation on the eastern borders of the EU might proveto be equally unstable. He mentioned Belarus, a country plagued by both a democratic deficit

and the financial and economic crisis. The EU therefore needed to agree as quickly aspossible on,inter alia,a common asylum policy.This meeting would also be an opportunity to discuss further interparliamentary cooperationon foreign, security and defence policies. Mr BORUSEWICZ concluded that economicprosperity and democracy would not be possible in Europe without transformation anddemocratisation in the neighbouring countries.2. Briefing on the decisions of the Presidential Troika of COSAC and preparation forthe XLVI COSACMr Edmund WITTBRODT informed the participants that the Presidential Troika of COSAC(hereinafter referred to as "the Troika") had approved the draft agenda for the meeting of theChairpersons of COSAC, the draft programme for the XLVI COSAC meeting and the draftoutline of the 16th Bi-annual Report. It had also approved the procedure for the nomination ofthe next Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat.The agenda for the meeting of the Chairpersons was adopted as set out above.On the preparation of the XLVI COSAC, Mr RAKOCZY informed that the meeting wouldtake place on 2-4 October 2011. Topics would include the Multiannual Financial Frameworkfor 2014-2020 (hereinafter referred to as "the MFF") that would be examined both from thebudget and the cohesion policy perspectives, the State of play of the Polish Presidency and areview of parliamentary experiences during the two years since the entry into force of theTreaty of Lisbon.Mr RAKOCZY went on to say that the European Parliament delegation had proposed toinvite Mr Jerzy BUZEK, President of the European Parliament, to speak on "Two years afterthe entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon". It had also suggested inviting Mr SalvadorGARRIGA POLLEDO, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the MFF, asone of the keynote speakers on this topic. Both proposals had been accepted by the Troika.Mr RAKOCZY then briefly presented the outline of the 16th Bi-annual Report of COSACthat consisted of two chapters. Regarding the first one, the MFF for Europe 2020 Strategy, MrRAKOCZY indicated that the debate had started and that the 16th Bi-annual Report shouldshow the role of national Parliaments in this debate. The second chapter would deal withreasoned opinions, the informal political dialogue and delegated acts.Mr WITTBRODT explained the proposed procedure for the nomination of the nextPermanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat. The term of the current Permanent Member,Ms Loreta RAULINAITYTĖ, would expire on 31 December 2011. Letters of intent tocontribute to the cofinancing scheme for 2012-2013 had been received from sufficient numberof Parliaments. The procedure could therefore be launched and a decision on the nominationof the new Permanent Member should be taken during the XLVI COSAC meeting. On 12July 2011 the Polish Presidency would send a letter to all national Parliaments inviting themto propose candidates for the post. Candidacies should include a CV and a cover letter (amotivation letter). The 2 October Troika meeting would then conduct interviews with allcandidates and select a single candidate for nomination. Subsequently, the 3 October meeting

of the Chairpersons of COSAC would formally appoint the selected candidate, whose tenurewould begin on 1 January 2012.Following this briefing by the Chairman several participants took the floor.Mr Luděk SEFZIG (the CzechSenát)stressed the importance of focussing more on futurerelations and dialogue with the European Commission, e.g. on its work programme and on theEuropean Semester. On these issues COSAC could have an input debate and - followingpublication of EU draft legislative acts - an exchange of views. Mr Herman DE CROO (theBelgianChambre des Représentants)agreed and argued that there was a clear tendencytowards "semesterisation". The economic crisis had changed the whole picture and one shouldrather focus on topical debates instead of sticking to the "archaic" approach of having longdebates on subsidiarity and proportionality. Mr Pierre LEQUILLER (the FrenchAssembléenationale),too, insisted that Parliaments should reflect on their powers in the aftermath of theeconomic crisis. It was significant that national Parliaments had not stated that the EuropeanSemester was an intrusion on their powers. He added that citizens were not bothered bydebates on subsidiarity. Finally, Mr Fernand BODEN (the LuxembourgChambre desDéputés)underlined the crucial importance of the debate on the MFF, including EU ownresources and the common agricultural policy, as there was a clear role for nationalParliaments to play. He called for an end to debates on net contributors, insisting on theprinciple of solidarity.In his reply Mr RAKOCZY said that the aim of reviewing the two-year period since the entryinto force of the Treaty of Lisbon was precisely to draw conclusions for the future. It was allabout highlighting best practices and avoiding mistakes in the future. He added that thecommon agricultural policy would anyhow be discussed as part of the debate on the MFF, asit constituted a very substantial percentage of the EU budget.In the absence of any proposals for modification Mr WITTBRODT concluded that theChairpersons approved the draft programme for the XLVI COSAC, the outline of the 16th Bi-annual Report and the procedure for the nomination of the next Permanent Member of theCOSAC Secretariat.3. Priorities of the Polish Presidency – guest speaker: Mr Mikołaj DOWGIELEWICZ,Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic ofPolandSecretary of State for European Affairs, Mr Mikołaj DOWGIELEWICZ, started by reiteratingthe Polish support for the involvement of national Parliaments in European debates which isbeneficial to the democratic legitimisation of the European Union. Mr DOWGIELEWICZadded that one of the goals of a rotating Presidency was to cooperate with nationalParliaments and to restore confidence in the European project.With this challenge comes the first priority of the Polish Presidency, Secure Europe, whichshould be treated as multidimensional, in particular in the context of defence security, energysecurity and food security. In this context, Mr DOWGIELEWICZ mentioned also theSchengen agreement.

Mr DOWGIELEWICZ presented the initiative of the Polish Presidency to organise at the endof October 2011 a conference on the MFF with the participation of representatives from theEuropean Commission, the European Parliament and national Parliaments.Concerning the second priority, European Integration as a Source of Growth, he underscoredthat the debate on economic issues should be about the development of a long-term strategy,fostering economic growth and jobs creation. One of the main goals of the Council in thecoming six months will be the deepening of the internal market. According to MrDOWGIELEWICZ, the current situation is conducive to the conclusion of several tradeagreements between the European Union and third countries (e.g. Ukraine, India, Singaporeand Canada) and commencing negotiations with Moldova and Georgia.Turning to the third priority, Europe Benefiting from Openness, Mr DOWGIELEWICZemphasized that openness had been a great asset of the European Union and therefore the EUshould be able to present benefits coming from it. In this context, he brought up the accessionnegotiations with Croatia, completed during the Hungarian Presidency at the end of June2011, and announced the acceleration of the accession negotiations with Iceland, furtherdialogue concerning the candidature of Serbia and steps towards a decision on startingaccession negotiations with Montenegro.Finally, Mr DOWGIELEWICZ highlighted the most important issue for the weeks andmonths to come, i.e. crisis in the eurozone, which is a challenge both for the Presidency andfor the EU institutions. He stressed that it was important to help and support countries facingdifficulties and reminded that Poland once had been able to tackle the transition challengesthanks to support from European countries.Following the presentation, 20 Members of national Parliaments and the European Parliamenttook the floor. They welcomed the priorities of the Polish Presidency and discussed questionsraised during the presentation. The main topics of the debate were: the MFF, the EuropeanNeighbourhood Policy and the Schengen related issues, in particular the Danish CustomsControl Agreement and accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. ManyMembers stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to economic issues, which includenot only the MFF but also cohesion policy and a reform of the common agricultural policy.Mr Richard HÖRCSIK from the HungarianOrszággyűlésunderscored that nationalParliaments, as thevox populi,should take care of the appropriate funds for cohesion policy inthe MMF. Ms Anne-Marie MELDGAARD from the DanishFolketing,presented factualinformation about the Danish Customs Control Agreement. Mr Carlo CASINI from theEuropean Parliament noted that the Schengen agreement should not be compromised andunderlined his support for the enlargement policy - in his opinion, the example of Croatiawould give hope to other countries. Mr Miguel Angel MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ, Vice-President of the European Parliament, congratulated the visual identification of theparliamentary dimension of the Presidency and expressed satisfaction with priorities which hedescribed as close to the priorities of the European Parliament. Other topics raised during thedebate included the role of FRONTEX, the Polish-Franco-German "Weimar Battle Group",the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base Directive (hereinafter referred to as "theCCCTB") and energy security.In his reply Mr DOWGIELEWICZ stressed that the debate on the MFF and the EU ownresources had just started and first compromises were expected to be found during the DanishPresidency in the first half of 2012. He noted that of the discussion on the CCCTB Directive

continued and that it had been a sensitive issue for a number of national Parliaments (nine ofwhich adopted reasoned opinions amounting to 13 votes). He also pointed out that the specificquestions on the Schengen area should be addressed to Ms Cecilia MALMSTRÖM,Commissioner responsible for Home Affairs, who was to take the floor on the next point ofthe agenda.3. EU institutions vis-à-vis conflicts at the EU’s external borders - guest speaker: MsCecilia MALMSTRÖM, Commissioner responsible for Home AffairsMs Cecilia MALMSTRÖM, Commissioner responsible for Home Affairs, in her speech,noted that human mobility had always been a source of economic, cultural and technicaldevelopment. She underlined the four fundamental principles of the European Union, i.e. thefree movement of capital, goods, services and people. Admitting that increased mobilityposed challenges both for countries of destination and countries of origin, the Commissionersaid they did not, however, outweigh the benefits. In the context of recent developments inNorth Africa and the Arab world, Ms MALMSTRÖM noted that there was a clear need toincrease the external dimension of the EU migration policy, as Europe faced seriousdemographic challenges, resulting in ageing societies, and needed labour immigration to beable to sustain its way of life. The Commissioner went on to say that although Member Statescould decide on the volumes of admission of migrant workers. To attract talented migrants,the EU needed a common framework with clear admission rules and rights of the workers. Sofar, two directives concerning the issue are in place: Blue Card and Single Permit, whileanother two regarding intra-corporate transferees and seasonal workers are being negotiated.Referring to the migration from the eastern neighbourhood countries, Ms MALMSTRÖMstressed the importance of good relations with eastern neighbours that resulted in a number ofinitiatives such as e.g. the Söderköping process, the Prague process and the Budapest process.Nevertheless, the Commissioner warned against creating too many structures with a view toensuring synergies and streamlining.Ms MALMSTRÖM informed the audience that migration profiles were being prepared for allthe states of the Eastern Partnership within the context of the EU financed project "BuildingMigration Partnerships". Having in mind the EU's commitment to promote the mobility ofcitizens of the Eastern Partnership countries, the Commissioner emphasized the importance ofgood cooperation on readmission, and visa facilitation agreements that may lead to visaliberalisation. So far there were readmission and visa facilitation agreements with Moldova,Georgia and Ukraine. Visa-free travel was a goal for all six countries of the EasternPartnership. Moreover, Action Plans on visa liberalisation in Moldova and Ukraine haveturned out to be important for reforms in the migration management area in those countries.Furthermore, the EU supports the countries of the Eastern Partnership in their capacitybuilding to prevent irregular migration.Ms MALMSTRÖM specified that the Mobility Partnerships EU-Georgia, and EU-Moldovawere at an advanced stage and consisted of more than 100 projects and initiatives. Finally, aMobility Partnership with Armenia was under way. The Commissioner concluded by sayingthat the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Warsaw on 29-30 September 2011 would bean opportunity to review the progress of the Eastern Partnership and to outline the actions tobe taken over the next two years.

As regards the southern neighbourhood, Ms MALMSTRÖM underscored that the latestdevelopments in North Africa and in the Arab world might have far-reaching effects forEurope. With this in mind she stressed that the EU supported the democratisation movementsand was ready to do more to foster democracy in the region. The Commissioner noted that theEU had made more than 100 million EUR available for humanitarian assistance to migrantsfleeing North Africa. However, stressed that the Commission believed that a mid-termstrategy was required. In order to address these needs, on 24 May 2011 the Commissionpresented a Communication "A dialogue for migration, mobility and security with thesouthern Mediterranean countries"1in which it proposed a number of measures with the aimof reinforcing long-term relations between the EU and the countries of North Africa bysupporting the democratic and economic transition in the region and thus preventing irregularmigration. Ms MALMSTRÖM recalled that the Communication had been endorsed by theEuropean Council on 24 June 2011 which paved the way for the conclusion of MobilityPartnerships with southern Mediterranean countries starting with Egypt, Tunisia andMorocco.During the ensuing debate 14 speakers took the floor. Ms Tineke STRIK from the DutchEerste Kamersaid that FRONTEX should not prevent migrants from arriving to Europe anddeplored the fact that some 16 000 drowned while trying to reach the shores of Europe.Moreover, she called for support for those countries and regions outside the EU which acceptmost refugees from Libya. She also drew attention to the need - in addition to supportingeconomic reforms - of strengthening civil society in the countries of North Africa. Mr EnricoFARINONE from the ItalianCamera dei Diputatistated that the EU institutions had not beenprepared for the developments in North Africa and that the High Representative of the UnionForeign Affairs and Security Policy had been unable to coordinate their activities. Mr AngelTILVAR from the RomanianCamera Deputațilorstressed that poverty in Eastern andSouthern Europe must be reduced, otherwise sustainable development would not be possibleand migration would always be a problem. Mr Andrzej GAŁAŻEWSKI from theSejmof theRepublic of Poland stated that the situation in North Africa revealed weaknesses in theEuropean Neighbourhood Policy and added that in future it should focus on civil societiesrather than authorities of the partner countries. He also said that all the neighbours of theEuropean Union were equally important. Mr Miguel Ángel MARTÍNEZ MARTÍNEZ fromthe European Parliament stressed the need for more European solidarity and underlined thatEuropeans also used to emigrate in hope of a better life. The objective should be that no oneshould ever be forced to emigrate. Several other speakers called for visa liberalisation for thecountries of the Western Balkans. Mr Ludĕk SEFZIG from the CzechSenátasked about aproposed EU-Venezuela agreement in the context of Venezuela recognising the independenceof Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Some members stressed theneed to support the neighbouring countries while maintaining the freedom of movement andthe achievements of the Schengen Agreement. They also raised questions on visa and asylumregulation.Ms MALMSTRÖM responding to the questions said that FRONTEX had helped save manylives and could not be held responsible for the activities of people engaged in human-trafficking or those selling tickets to overloaded boats. As regards the EU reaction to thedevelopments in North Africa, the Commissioned noted that everybody had been surprised bythe domino effect of the events, but now the EU could help immigrants. She also noted thatthe EU could be stronger if individual ministers of its Member States would send a coherent1