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A recap of the COSAC Chairpersons’ meeting in Budapest, 28-29 July 2024
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Mr István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, addressed the COSAC Chairpersons during the opening session. He welcomed delegates to the second COSAC organised by Hungary (the first was in 2011) and stressed the importance of interparliamentary cooperation.
COSAC Chairpersons’ meeting in Budapest, 28-29 July 2024
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The COSAC Chairpersons' meeting marks the opening event of the parliamentary dimension of the Council of the EU by the Hungarian National Assembly.
The conference will start with the Meeting of the COSAC presidential Troika on Sunday 28 July. The next day, the Chairpersons' meeting will begin with an opening session, during which Mr. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly will give an opening speech. Following this, there will be dedicated session to procedural issues and miscellaneous matters.
International Day of Parliamentarism, 30 June 2024
Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments (EUSC) in Palma de Mallorca, 21-23 April 2024
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The European Parliament will be represented by a delegation headed by First Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mr Othmar Karas and Vice-President Dita Charanzova. They will be accompanied by staff from the Vice-Presidents' Secretariat and DG PART.
The EUSC will start with the Summit of Women Speakers and continue with discussions on important topics, such as the strategic autonomy of the European Union faced with the new challenges for liberal democracies and strengthening the European Union from an economic and social perspective.
What happened at the LXXI COSAC: A Recap of the Plenary Meeting
The European Parliament delegation was headed by Mr Othmar Karas, First Vice-President responsible for the relations with national Parliaments and COSAC, and Mr Salvatore De Meo, as Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO). The other members of the delegation were Mr Vangelis Meimarakis (EPP/EL), Mr Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D/ES), Mr Marc Angel (S&D/LU) and Mr Helmut Scholz (The Left/DE).
The LXXI COSAC started with a welcome address from Eliane Tillieux, President of the Belgian House of Representatives and Mr. Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven, Belgian Senator. They emphasized the key priorities of the Belgian Presidency, covering aspects such as gender equality policies, the defence of the rule of law, the EU strategy agenda for 2024-2029, EU strategic autonomy and EU enlargement reform. It was followed by a speech from Othmar Karas, First Vice-President, on behalf of the President of Roberta Metsola. He stressed the honour of hosting the COSAC at the hemicycle of the European Parliament, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming national and European elections and the need to raise awareness among citizens and encourage voter participation.Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (FEMM ICM) on “Women in sport”, 7 March 2024, Brussels
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The European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments (DG PART), invited Members of national Parliaments of the EU Member States and EU Candidate Countries to attend an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) in person, in Brussels.
The meeting took place on Thursday, 7 March from 9:00 - 12:30 CET in the European Parliament in Brussels in room ANTALL 4Q1.
Inter-parliamentary Conference on CFSP/CSDP in Bruges, 3-5 March 2024
The meeting was organised by the Parliamentary Dimension of the Belgian Presidency (www.parleu2024.be). Members of Parliaments from EU national Parliaments, the European Parliament, observer and candidate countries as well as officials were invited.
Discussions were articulated around four main items: Supporting Ukraine against the Russian aggression; The ongoing process of enlargement; The Strategic Compass and EU Resilience; Priorities of the CFSP/CSDP and an urgent debate on the situation in the Middle East.
A staff seminar for officials of national Parliaments was also held in the margins of the Inter-parliamentary Conference on the topic of the Implementation of the Strategic Compass and the European Peace Facility.
European Parliamentary Week 2024, 12-13 February 2024, Brussels
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In the context of the economic, employment and budgetary policies scrutiny, the European Parliament together with the Belgian Senate and the House of Representatives representing the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency of the Council of the EU organised the European Parliamentary Week 2024, on 12 and 13 February 2024 in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Annually the European Parliamentary Week brings together Parliamentarians from the European Union, candidate and observer countries to discuss economic, budgetary and social matters. It includes the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union established by the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union (Fiscal Compact).
Inter-parliamentary Committee Meeting (LIBE ICM) on ‘The situation of the Rule of Law in the EU’ , 4 December, Brussels
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The meeting took place on Monday, 4 December 2023, from 14.00 to 17.00, in the European Parliament premises in Brussels.
The interparliamentary committee meeting was dedicated to an assessment of the fourth Commission's rule of law report with a specific emphasis on combating corruption. The meeting served as a follow up on previous such interparliamentary meetings, including the one which took place in December 2022, as well as on the Parliament's resolution of 30 March 2023 on the Commission's 2022 Rule of Law Report. The meeting also served as input into the ongoing work on the LIBE own-initiative report on the Commission's 2023 Rule of Law Report.
The meeting, which was held in-person, provided the occasion for an in-depth exchange of views on the rule of law situation in the EU and on the role of National Parliaments in the context of the EU efforts to protect and enforce the Union values.
Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (EMPL ICM) on “Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process”, 4 December, Brussels
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The European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments organized an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on "Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process" took place on Monday, 4 December 2023 from 16.00 to 18.30 CET in the European Parliament in Brussels (ANTALL building, room 6Q2), in physical presence and remotely.
The event was structured around two sessions. The first panel discussed "Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process ‐ State of play and remaining obstacles", and the second looked into "Preparing for the European elections 2024 ‐ How can improvements still be achieved?. The debate allowed for discussions on common experiences, to share best practices, foster mutual learning, and to raise awareness of the common challenges related to this right.
This event gathered alongside national and European Parliaments Members, Council and Commission representatives, as well as NGOs. In view of the upcoming European elections 2024, its first aim was identifying the state of play regarding persons' with disabilities participation in electoral processes, progress made and remaining legal or accessibility barriers. Subsequently, all participants were invited to share best practices and discuss how improvements can still be made for the upcoming European elections.
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The Belgian Presidency organised the LXXI Plenary Meeting of COSAC from 24 to 26 March 2024 at the European Parliament, in Brussels.
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The Meeting of Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for European Union Affairs (COSAC) convened on 14-15 January 2024, in Namur, Belgium.
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The Belgian Presidency will host the COSAC Chairpersons’ meeting in Namur on Sunday 14 January and Monday 15 January.