EUU, Alm.del - 2010-11 (1. samling) - Bilag 444: Bidrag og konklusioner fra COSAC-mødet 29-31/5-11 i Budapest

1. The way to recovery: Economic governance, Europe 2020 Strategy and theEuropean Semester1.1. COSAC supports the efforts of the European Union institutions to strengtheneconomic coordination within the European Union and for the sake of fasterrecovery and sustainable growth underlines the need to streamline theseefforts within the Europe 2020 Strategy.1.2. COSAC affirms that the package of six legislative proposals on economicgovernance is essential to ensure fiscal discipline and to avoid excessivemacroeconomic imbalances as stated in the conclusions of the EuropeanCouncil of 24-25 March 2011. Therefore COSAC invites all EU institutionsconcerned to take each necessary measure in order to adopt the abovementioned proposals by June 2011. In this respect, COSAC highly appreciatesthe efforts of the Presidency-in-office to find a compromise between the EUinstitutions.1.3. COSAC invites the Governments of EU Members States to facilitate theinvolvement of Parliaments in the European Semester, in order to respect thebudgetary powers of Parliaments. COSAC reaffirms that Parliaments intendto actively participate in this new initiative using their traditional means ofparliamentary involvement including through their scrutiny of nationalreform programmes.1.4. COSAC welcomes the initiative of a possible annual interparliamentaryconference on budget and calls on the EU institutions to actively contributeto the substantial discussion to be held in this framework.1.5. COSAC acknowledges the efforts of several Member States aiming for closercooperation in the economic, fiscal and monetary policy fields and urges allMember States to exploit the possibilities for closer cooperation provided bythe Treaties with special respect to the internal market.1

2. Parliamentary scrutiny of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) andthe common security and defence policy (CSDP)2.1. COSAC takes note the ongoing discussion in the framework of the Conferenceof Speakers of EU Parliaments concerning the future of parliamentaryscrutiny of CFSP and CSDP and notes the progress achieved during theBrussels Speakers' Conference. COSAC considers that the conclusionsadopted at this meeting constitute a good starting point for future debatesand final decisions concerning the parliamentary scrutiny of CFSP and CSDP.We look forward to a new meeting to continue this scrutiny work beingconvened at the earliest opportunity.2.2. COSAC notes that following the termination of the WEU Assembly aframework for the parliamentary scrutiny of CFSP and CSDP should be foundin conformity with the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty.2.3. Given the special nature of this policy area, COSAC underlines the crucial roleof national Parliaments in the parliamentary scrutiny of the common foreignand security policy as well as the common security and defence policy.2.4. Hence COSAC requests all concerned institutions, with special regard to theHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, tocooperate closely with Parliaments and properly inform them ondevelopments in the policy fields of CFSP and CSDP in order to fulfil theprovisions of the Treaty of Lisbon.

3. The State of the Union3.1.In accordance with the Preamble of the Treaty on the European Union COSACunderlines that the Treaty of Lisbon marks a new stage in the process ofEuropean integration. It reaffirms the need to implement the provisions of theTreaty on effective cooperation between national Parliaments and theEuropean Parliament.COSAC welcomes its first debate on the State of the Union in its framework. Itinvites the European Commission to take the views of parliaments into

consideration when elaborating its own evaluation of the State of the Unionand also when preparing the Commission Work Programme3.3.With respect to the further developments within the European Union, COSACunderlines the importance of better communication with the citizens of theEU, not exclusively, but also by means of communicating the European Unionthrough the Parliaments.

4. Cooperation with the institutions of the European Union4.1.COSAC welcomes the new quality of cooperation between nationalParliaments and the European Commission as well as the EuropeanParliament respectively established in the framework of the Treaty of Lisbon.COSAC welcomes the active work of national Parliaments in scrutinizing thesubsidiarity principle according to Protocol 2 of the Treaty of Lisbon. NationalParliaments have adopted different procedures concerning the practicalimplementation of the subsidiarity checks. COSAC considers that the existingpractices and the experiences on the application of the Protocol 2 should beshared by Parliaments and EU institutions and the application of Protocol 2should be clarified further on by means of continuous dialogue between allconcerned stakeholders.In order for national Parliaments to be able to carry out subsidiarity checks inaccordance with the aim of the Treaty of Lisbon, it is a prerequisite that theEuropean Commission's proposals are thoroughly explained. COSACrecognizes the ongoing efforts of the European Commission to meet thisdemand, but underlines the importance for the Commission to continue andextend this work further.