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Europaudvalget 2013-14
EUU Alm.del Bilag 197
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CONTRIBUTION OF THE L COSAC

27–29 October 2013, Vilnius

1. COSAC’s Contribution to the Strengthening of Interparliamentary Cooperation in the

European Union

1.1. On the occasion of its jubilee 50

plenary meeting in Vilnius, COSAC welcomes its founder

Mr Laurent FABIUS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France, former Speaker of

the French

Assemblée nationale,

and wishes to express its profound gratitude to Mr FABIUS for

his 1989 initiative and subsequent efforts in bringing about the establishment of the

Interparliamentary Conference of Bodies Specialised in European Affairs, known as COSAC.

1.2. As the oldest interparliamentary conference recognised in the Treaties of the European

Union (EU), COSAC remains committed to the strengthening of democratic legitimacy and

accountability in the EU, promoting the pro-active role of national Parliaments in the EU

decision-making process and cooperation between national Parliaments and the European

Parliament.

1.3. COSAC calls on the EU institutions to start a discussion with Parliaments on how to exploit

to full extent the possibilities provided in Article 10 of Protocol 1 of the Treaty of Lisbon.

2. State of Play of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

2.1. COSAC takes note of the political agreement reached on 27 June 2013 at the highest

political level between the European Parliament, the Presidency of the Council and the

Commission on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and looks forward to the swift

conclusion of the complementary legal acts that will be decisive for making the new financial

framework operational, consistent, transparent and better adapted to the needs of the citizens of

the Union. COSAC is of the opinion that the EU budget should play a significant role in

stimulating growth, providing the needed investments in research and innovation, as well as

helping to address the problem of intra-EU macroeconomic imbalances. COSAC stresses that the

prime goal now is to ensure that the financial funds for the period 2014-2020 would reach the

European citizens and businesses in time.

2.2. COSAC welcomes

the agreement reached by the European Council in June 2013 on a €6

billion youth jobless fund, known as the “youth guarantee”, to implement the youth employment

package, yet stresses that further concrete steps are urgently needed. COSAC emphasises that

Gedimino pr. 53, LT-01109 Vilnius, LITHUANIA

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

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efforts to combat youth unemployment must rely on a comprehensive strategy, including

measures to support small and medium enterprises, foster entrepreneurship among young people

and reduce failure at school.

2.3. COSAC is of the opinion that the completion of a fully functional internal energy market

as well as the completion of the work on the Directive concerning the posting of workers in the

framework of the provision of services, which besides the energy market and digital technology

and in accordance with the national laws relating to wages and social protection, would complete

the creation of the Single Market, are among the major EU objectives which in turn would

stimulate the development of a more stable and competitive European economy, thus leading to a

greater role for the EU internationally. Therefore it urges the EU institutions to do everything

possible to achieve tangible progress in these fields, including providing policy certainty that will

incentivise medium and long-term investments.

2.4. COSAC recognizes the EU’s interest to have safe, stable, economically strong and pro-

European Eastern Neighbours and emphasises that the success of the Eastern Partnership could

only be achieved upon joint efforts of the EU institutions, EU Member States and the Eastern

Partners themselves.

2.5. COSAC welcomes Croatia as the 28th Member State of the EU. COSAC emphasises the

importance of the implementation of the “fundamentals first”

principle reflected by the recent

European Commission progress reports, and recognises the accession process as the right tool to

continue the reunification of Europe also with the Western Balkans region.

2.6. COSAC welcomes the start of historic negotiations between the EU and the United States on

the Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership and considers that, if concluded in a way that

fully respects the legitimate interests of the European enterprises, the TTIP could provide the

much needed boost

to EU economy, possibly adding, according to the Commission’s estimates,

up to 400,000 new jobs and 0.5% of additional GDP growth per year. However, COSAC

denounces unauthorised cyber interceptions directed at institutions and individuals.

2.7. COSAC expresses its deep sadness and regret at the tragic loss of life in the Mediterranean

and calls on the EU and the Member States to take determined action in order to avoid that such

human tragedies happen again. COSAC notes the measures discussed in this regard by the

European Council on 24-25 October, in particular the newly established Task Force on the

Mediterranean, and calls for a coordinated approach to migration flows guided by the principle

of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility as laid down in Article 80 of the TFEU.

3. Ensuring the Success of the Eastern Partnership

3.1. COSAC emphasises the strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership to the long-term

security, democratic development and economic prosperity of its Eastern neighbours. COSAC

expects that the 3rd Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius will deliver concrete results and open

the door to closer political association and deeper economic integration for those Eastern

Partnership countries that meet the necessary commitments and requirements. COSAC welcomes

the progress that has been achieved in the negotiations on the bilateral Association Agreements

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and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements with the Eastern partners and expects that

agreements with Georgia and Moldova will be successfully initialled during the Vilnius Summit.

3.2.

Bearing in mind that the economic and political situation in the countries of the Eastern

Partnership varies,

COSAC stresses the particular importance of Ukraine for the success of the

Eastern Partnership. COSAC commends the results of the European Parliament Monitoring

mission to Ukraine and wishes to thank Mr Pat COX, former President of the European

Parliament and Mr Alexander KWASNIEWSKI, former President of the Republic of Poland, for

their relentless commitment and dedication for resolving selective justice problems and

facilitating the necessary judiciary reforms in Ukraine. COSAC hopes that Ukraine will continue

with reforms in order to fulfil the required conditions, as formally defined by the 10 December

2012 Foreign Affairs Council and supported by the European Parliament resolution of 13

December 2012, and that the Association Agreement with Ukraine will be signed during the

Vilnius Summit. COSAC supports the provisional application of the EU-Ukraine Association

Agreement upon signature and expresses its intent to proceed swiftly with the full ratification of

the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in respective national parliaments, once all the

necessary requirements are met. COSAC would like to stress the importance of solidarity in all

ways with the Ukraine both during and after the process of Association.

4. Democratic Legitimacy in the EU and the Role of EU Parliaments

4.1. COSAC notes that the democratic deficit persists within the political and institutional

architecture of the EU decision-making process. COSAC recalls that 2013 is the European Year

of Citizens and therefore believes that it is necessary to take measures ensuring that the EU

governance, in particular economic governance, and the functioning of its institutions are

democratic and transparent, with the aim of reducing the gap between the European citizens and

the EU institutions.

4.2. COSAC notes that the institutional architecture of the EU is based on a dual legitimacy

resting on both national and European levels, and that the right balance has to be found between

parliamentary control exercised by national Parliaments and by the European Parliament.

COSAC, aiming at reinforcing the parliamentary dimension of the Union, urges national

Parliaments to exercise full parliamentary scrutiny of decisions taken at the Union level and to

engage in a thorough discussion on how to use the powers provided by the Treaty of Lisbon to

their full extent in their efforts to build a more accountable and legitimate system of governance

in the EU.

4.3. COSAC notes that a sufficient number of national Parliaments or Chambers have submitted

a Reasoned Opinion triggering the "yellow card" mechanism, this time on the proposal for a

Council Regulation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office

4.4. COSAC calls upon the European Commission to learn lessons from the experience of the

first "yellow card" in response to the "Monti II" proposal, as highlighted in the Contribution of

the XLIX COSAC. COSAC welcomes the Commission’s undertaking to pay particular attention

to subsidiarity issues and for reaffirming the procedures as laid out in the Annex to President

BARROSO'S letter of 1 December 2009 and its firm commitment to communicating directly

with national Parliaments.

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4.5. COSAC reaffirms its commitment to enhancing the democratic legitimacy in the EU and

therefore suggests the following:



COSAC calls on the EU institutions to demonstrate the impact of reasoned opinions and

political dialogue contributions made by national Parliaments



COSAC calls on the European Commission, again, to ensure better quality and more timely

responses to reasoned opinions and political dialogue contributions made by national Parliaments



COSAC underlines the important role played by national Parliaments in the national decision-

making process on EU affairs. EU affairs need to be integrated into the daily life and work of

national Parliaments. Respecting each Member State’s national procedural legislation

and

established practices, COSAC calls on Ministers, gathered in the Council of Ministers, to

safeguard the involvement of national Parliaments in forming the positions represented by

Member States in the Council.

5. Political Dialogue

5.1. COSAC invites the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, to engage with

national Parliaments in a closer, more effective and more constructive political dialogue aimed at

tangible results on topical EU matters, especially on its flagship initiatives and other. COSAC

recalls the Contributions of the last three Presidencies, which contain proposals on how to

improve political dialogue between the European Commission and national Parliaments.

5.2. COSAC invites the European Commission to take into consideration the comments by

national Parliaments expressed in the 20

Bi-annual Report of COSAC on the effectiveness of

the political dialogue focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of interactions.

6. European Elections 2014: a Platform for Debate on the EU Future with its Citizens

6.1. COSAC expresses its conviction that the success of the European project is impossible

without the active engagement of the citizens of the Union. Realising that the powers of the

European Parliament are greater than ever before, COSAC underlines the importance of active

participation of the citizens of the Union in the 2014 European elections and invites national

Parliaments consider and make operational the measures on enhancing the democratic and

efficient conduct of the elections to the European Parliament, and to engage in political debates

on the key issues prior to the elections. The approval of the statute of European political parties

could also represent a tool of great importance for raising the interest of the European citizens on

the main European topics.

6.2. COSAC emphasises that the 2014 European elections will be the first held elections after the

entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, which stipulates that the European Council must take

into account the elections to the European Parliament and having held the appropriate

consultations shall propose a candidate for President of the European Commission to be

elected

by the newly assembled European Parliament. COSAC believes that the establishment of such a

link between the European Council, constituted by the heads of state and government, mandated

by national Parliaments or through direct elections, and the elections to the European Parliament,

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as an institution directly elected by the citizens on the one hand, and the selection of the

President of the European Commission on the other hand will be a significant step in reducing

the democratic deficit in the EU.

6.3. COSAC regrets that until now European election campaigns have been focused primarily on

issues of national significance, leaving the debate on specific EU matters outside the remit of the

campaigns. COSAC therefore calls on national and European political parties to seek that the

2014 European elections should become a platform for a constructive, informative and inclusive

debate on the future of Europe with its citizens. 6.4. COSAC welcomes the commitment

expressed by Mr

José Manuel BARROSO,

President of the European Commission, in his 2013

State of the Union address to present ideas on the future of the Union and on measures to

consolidate and deepen the community method.

7. Implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy

7.1. COSAC supports the ambitious goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy; however, it considers

that in order to achieve these goals, it is crucial to strengthen the structure of management of the

Strategy and to improve the mechanisms of funding of the priorities of the Strategy, in particular

by more effective absorption of cohesion funds, by involving such institutions as the European

Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as by

attracting more private capital.

7.2. COSAC notes that progress towards smarter, more sustainable and inclusive, resource-

efficient and job-creating growth and the promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

(SMEs) in the EU should be more actively addressed at the national level and that national

Parliaments should exercise on-going parliamentary scrutiny of the progress achieved with

regard to the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy. COSAC also considers that the implementation

of the seven Europe 2020 flagship initiatives should be evaluated with a clear indication of what

has been achieved and of the ways to remove the existing remaining obstacles.

7.3. COSAC considers that the current level of engagement of national Parliaments in the

process and procedures of the European Semester could be developed further based on the

experience of the recent interparliamentary meetings on this subject. COSAC calls on the

European Commission to follow through on its commitment within the framework of the

European Semester, as outlined in the official replies of the Commission to the Contributions of

the XLVII COSAC and the XLIX COSAC. COSAC encourages national Parliaments to actively

scrutinise the national reform programmes and stability and convergence programmes of their

respective governments before they are submitted to the Commission. COSAC stresses the need

for national Parliaments to actively engage in accelerating the necessary structural reforms in

their respective countries.

7.4. COSAC expresses its deep concern about the negative long-term social consequences

caused by the recent economic and financial crisis, particularly in terms of increased

unemployment, especially among young people, and deepened social exclusion throughout

Europe. COSAC, therefore, welcomes the communication of the European Commission on

strengthening the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), adopted on 2

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October 2013

, and encourages the EU Parliaments to actively engage in the debate on the

development of the social dimension of the EMU.

8. Digital Agenda: Benefits for Business

8.1. In the context of the 20

anniversary of the establishment of the single market in Europe

COSAC expresses its concern that the EU Digital Single Market has not been fully implemented

yet. COSAC invites competent EU institutions and national Parliaments to actively contribute to

the creation of an effective Digital Single Market in Europe, which would have a significant

positive impact on Europe’s competitiveness and job creation and would serve as an impetus for

the development of digital industry in Europe, especially small and medium-sized enterprises,

such as start-ups.

8.2 COSAC underlines that e-commerce is becoming an essential part of trade and an important

impulse for consumer choice, competitiveness and technological innovation. It therefore

considers that further development of e-commerce and other online services would positively

contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy. COSAC takes note of the

Commission’s communication on e-commerce

and other online services

iii

and encourages the

Commission to continue identifying means to ensure the protection of consumer rights in the

digital market. In this context, COSAC wishes to point out that many European citizens are still

unable to access the digital market. It is important to counteract the creation of a digital

exclusion as a consequence of the increased availability of the Internet.

8.2. COSAC considers that in international competition Europe, thanks to its internal market and

its tradition geared towards knowledge and learning, is in a perfect position to think of an

ambitious digital strategy. A regulatory system that is favourable to digital development should

therefore be promoted as a driver for growth and European integration balancing the demands of

investment, jobs, business competitiveness, innovation, respect for personal data, consumer

protection, spatial planning, and development of use and security of networks.

8.3. COSAC welcomes the conclusions of the European Council of 24-25 October 2013 on the

guidance towards the completion of the Digital Single Market by 2015. COSAC supports the

focus of the European Council on the need to boost investment and encourage innovation in the

digital sector. It therefore considers essential that the regulatory framework in the digital sector is

streamlined across the EU, that a single copyright regime is established, licensing procedures are

facilitated, while a high level of protection of intellectual property rights is ensured taking into

account the cultural diversity. COSAC trusts that the funding instruments to encourage

innovation in the digital sector, such as COSME, Horizon 2020 and the Risk-Sharing Finance

Facility, will be fully made use of and that the European Research Area will be completed by the

end of 2014. COSAC supports the insistence of the European Council that pending legislative

proposals should be finalised as soon as possible, especially in areas such as e-identification and

trust services and e-invoicing and payment services. COSAC shares the concern expressed by

the European Council about the mismatch of skills that exists in the labour market in the EU’s

digital sector and the concrete steps that the European Council is proposing to redress the

situation.

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9. Digital Agenda: Cyber Security

9.1. COSAC welcomes the Cyber Security Strategy of the EU put forward by the European

Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

It also welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive concerning measures to

ensure a high common level of network and information security across the Union

. COSAC is

convinced that cyber security is a vital component of the business and security policies of the EU

and should be one of the strategic pillars of the security and defence policy in every Member

State.

9.2. COSAC expresses its concern over fundamental differences that exist in Member States in

their preparedness, security, strategic culture and ability to draft and implement national

strategies on cyber-security. A number of Member States having not adopted their national

strategies on cyber-security also remains a source of concern.

COM(2013) 0534 final

COM(2013) 690 final

iii

COM(2013) 627 final

JOIN(2013) 1 final

COM(2013) 48 final

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ANNEX

DECLARATION

ON THE FOUNDING OF THE COSAC WOMEN’S FORUM

29 October 2013, Vilnius

We, women parliamentarians,

having been elected

to national Parliaments of the European Union Member States and

candidate countries and the European Parliament;

taking part

in the inaugural Meeting of the COSAC Women’s Forum held during the L

COSAC Meeting on 27–29 October 2013 in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuanian in Vilnius

and

seeking

more effective use of the existing forms of interparliamentary cooperation and

more active engagement in the activities of COSAC;

recognising

that sometimes women, at the beginning of their political careers and aspiring

to implement their ideas and fulfil their expectations, lack self-confidence and support from

experienced politicians;

support

the initiative of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, as the Presidency

Parliament, to set up the COSAC Women’s Forum aimed at promoting more active involvement

of women parliamentarians in the activities of COSAC;

and

emphasise

the necessity to highlight to the European political parties the issues of gender

equality, equal opportunities policy, gender balance within society and more active participation

of women in politics, thereby urging them to focus more on those matters;

and

call on:

1) politicians to be actively engaged in meetings of the COSAC Women’s Forum and to

discuss the most relevant matters on the political agenda of the European Union;

2) leading women parliamentarians to widely communicate the achievements of women

politicians, aiming to encourage women to be more ambitiously and actively engaged in politics

and decision-making in the European Union;

Gedimino pr. 53, LT-01109 Vilnius, LITHUANIA

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

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3) women parliamentarians to contribute more actively to parliamentary scrutiny, which

ensures democratic legitimacy and accountability, by focusing more on those areas which lack

attention from governments; and

4) the upcoming Presidency Parliaments to take over and continue developing the initiative

of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania of promoting engagement of women parliamentarians

in the activities of COSAC.

Gedimino pr. 53, LT-01109 Vilnius, LITHUANIA

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