EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

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MINUTES OF THE LXVII COSAC MEETING

ARIS

, F

RANCE

, 3-5 M

ARCH

2022

AGENDA

PROCEEDINGS

Opening of the LXVII COSAC

Welcome speech by Ms Laetitia SAINT-PAUL, Vice-President of the French

Assemblée nationale

Adoption of the agenda

Session I – First assessment of France’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Procedural issues and any other business

Presentation of the results of the meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

Presentation of the 37th Bi-Annual Report of COSAC

Any other business

Letters received by the Presidency

Session II – Recovery plan for Europe and end of crisis

Session III – Climate change and energy transition

Session IV – Conference on the Future of Europe

Session V – Progress reports from the working groups

Session VI – Debate on Ukraine

Closing session

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

PROCEEDINGS

IN THE CHAIR: Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of

the French

Assemblée nationale,

Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the European

Affairs Committee of the French

Sénat.

PENING OF THE

LXVII COSAC

Welcome speech by Ms Laetitia SAINT-PAUL, Vice-President of the French

Assemblée nationale

Ms Laetitia SAINT-PAUL, Vice-President of the French

Assemblée nationale,

welcomed the participants, on behalf of President Richard FERRAND. She forcefully

expressed the solidarity of the French

Assemblée nationale

with the Ukrainian people

and praised the sanctions imposed on Russia. She noted that the Bureau of the

Assemblée nationale

had entrusted her with drafting a report on the priorities of the

French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), in which she advocated

for a strategic Europe at the service of its citizens. Ms SAINT-PAUL pointed out that

the EU had to take a stand on several important issues in order to prepare its future,

including when they concerned sovereign domains, such as the economic policy, the

defence policy or the spatial development. She added that those policies should be

compatible with the Paris agreement for the climate transition.

Then, Ms SAINT-PAUL emphasised that the European Union should keep up with the

global economic and strategic race, while maintaining a close link with citizens. She

pointed out that national parliamentarians had a special role in bringing together the

European lands and public policies. She stated that territorial development should be

taken into account in several policies, such as the agricultural policy and the sustainable

tourism policy.

Finally, Ms SAINT-PAUL stated that the COSAC meetings were a very adequate forum

for exchanging views on how the European Union priorities were perceived, expressing

her expectations concerning the two working groups established within this Conference

in January. She concluded by saying that the exchange with the French Prime Minister

would enable national parliamentarians to be involved in monitoring the priorities of the

French Presidency of the EU Council.

Adoption of the agenda

Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French

Assemblée nationale,

presented the draft agenda of the LXVII COSAC, which was

adopted without amendment.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

ESSION

I – F

IRST ASSESSMENT OF

RANCE

’

RESIDENCY

OUNCIL OF THE

UROPEAN

NION

Keynote speaker: Mr Jean CASTEX, Prime Minister of France

OF THE

Mr CASTEX started his intervention by recalling that the first COSAC was held in

Paris in November 1989 and that, thirty years later, nobody questioned its importance,

since this Conference was at the centre of the democratic functioning of the EU, which

was currently facing a historic moment with the war in Ukraine.

The French Prime Minister acknowledged that COSAC meetings were usually an

opportunity to present and debate the main achievements of the current Presidency of

the EU Council with the European Parliament and with all national Parliaments.

However, he indicated that the present moment was not for the Presidency to make such

an early assessment, but instead to take action so that the EU would be able to meet this

historic moment.

He indicated that the EU had acted with firmness, unity and determination, and

expressed his admiration for the courage and dignity of the Ukrainian people and their

President Volodymyr ZELENSKY. He reiterated that the EU was at their side by

delivering equipment, sending humanitarian convoys, and organising a solidarity

mechanism to support the bordering Member States hosting the refugees who were

fleeing from the conflict.

Mr CASTEX said that the EU had risen to the crisis by adopting unprecedented

sanctions against the Russian Federation, particularly in the economic and financial

fields. He recalled that the EU's action had a knock-on effect on third countries such as

Switzerland, who decided on the same financial sanctions as the EU, and the United

Kingdom, who also applied heavy sanctions against Russia. According to the French

Prime Minister, the speed and firmness of the European Union's response may have

surprised a number of observers, but it was the response of an international actor who

stood up for freedom and against war and oppression.

He said, however, that the jointly agreed sanctions would not be painless for the

European economy, since sectors such as agriculture, industry and others could suffer

because of their dependence on Russian resources or their exposure to the Russian

market. Mr CASTEX said that a European response would be needed to protect the

most exposed companies, jobs and the sectors.

Notwithstanding, the French Prime Minister considered that one of the effects of this

crisis could be to strengthen the cohesion and unity of the EU. He emphasised that the

French Presidency of the EU Council had always sought to preserve the unity of the

Union, indicating that the President of the French Republic, Mr Emmanuel MACRON,

was committed to ensuring that France acted with its partners in the EU and in NATO.

Mr CASTEX said that this cohesion and unity were based on the common values of

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

democracy, freedom and the right of peoples to self-determination. He recalled that

these values were defended by the former President of the European Parliament, David

Maria SASSOLI, who would be proud of the EU's unity in this war.

According to the Prime Minister, this crisis would strengthen the ties that unite nations,

but was also a reminder of how crucial it was to enhance Europe's sovereignty. He

recalled that, already last year, President MACRON had indicated that the construction

of a true European sovereignty would be the priority of the French Presidency.

Although this statement may have been criticised at the time, Mr CASTEX pointed out

that the current situation had proven that this priority was right and adequate. He

highlighted that four years ago France had promoted the ambition of a European

defence and the creation of the European Defence Fund, by launching the idea of the

Strategic Compass project. The crisis in Ukraine had confirmed this need and the

pertinence of this approach. The Prime Minister said that the EU had to realise its

strength, assume its status as a global player and give itself the means to do so, as peace

and stability in the world depended on it.

Mr CASTEX said that the French Presidency was committed to help building this

powerful Europe, which could go beyond a vast common market, as it was often

referred to. Therefore, he added that the strengthening of the sovereignty of the

European Union also meant building a more independent Europe in terms of energy and

economy, as the health crisis had also shown. He recalled that the European recovery

plan had laid the foundations for a stronger and more independent economic model, but

that the EU would have to go further in energy and in the industrial and research fields

(environment, health and digital in particular). He indicated that all these subjects would

be on the agenda of the European Council summit on 10 and 11 March in Versailles.

The Prime Minister concluded his speech by indicating that the European Union must

remain mobilised and act, through diplomacy, sanctions and solidarity with the

Ukrainian people and their leaders. He stressed that dialogue must be maintained and

that President MACRON was in permanent contact with the Ukrainian President and

that he had exchanged views with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir

PUTIN, the day before the present meeting to ask for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Mr CASTEX said that this dialogue was hard, difficult and demanding, but that the

European Union had to pursue it, whatever the cost, until a ceasefire was achieved. He

recalled that France had assumed the responsibility of the EU Council Presidency, but

that this was a collective endeavor. He noted that this would also be the purpose of this

COSAC meeting: keeping these exchanges showed the cohesion and durability of the

European institutions, which were based on parliamentary democracy, of which the

national Parliaments and the European Parliament were the main pillars. The Prime

Minister recalled that all the participants to this COSAC were the custodians of

universal suffrage and of the sovereignty of the peoples, beyond their diversity, which is

the wealth of the European Union. He expressed his deep respect and appreciation for

them at this serious time, in which the EU must show its unity.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

During the ensuing debate, 17 speakers took the floor, expressing support and solidarity

with Ukraine and the sanctions against the Russian Federation. They also expressed

general support to the French Presidency concerning its role in this crisis and its priority

relating to the strategic autonomy of the EU.

Most of the speakers welcomed the unity of the European Union in this crisis and

recalled the need for EU autonomy in energy, economic and defence matters.

Mr Markus TÖNS, German

Bundestag,

appreciated that the EU had shown cohesion in

this crisis. He said that European sovereignty was necessary, and that it was on the right

track with the Strategic Compass project. He pointed out that the European Union

needed a well organised defence and diplomacy. Mr Norbert KLEINWÄCHTER,

German

Bundestag,

highlighted the fact that the European Union had been divided on

many issues such as migration and COVID but had shown unity in the Ukrainian crisis,

as the fundamental values of the European Union were at stake.

Mr Gaëtan VAN GOIDSENHOVEN, Belgian

Sénat,

said that the lessons learned from

the health crisis should now be applied in terms of resilience and solidarity. The

Ukrainian crisis reminded us of the importance of the values of the European Union and

of strategic autonomy. Similarly, Mr Dario STEFANO, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

said that the EU had shown its solidarity during the COVID crisis and was now showing

that it knew how to react. Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Italian

Camera dei deputati,

mentioned that the pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine had highlighted the importance of

EU unity. In his view, strategic autonomy should be strengthened to meet these

challenges, in particular through the Strategic Compass.

Mr Georgios KOUMOUTSAKOS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

emphasized that the

European Union should send a strong signal to Ukraine, and play an important role in

the political arena and the defence of its values. Similarly, Ms Isabel MEIRELLES,

Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

welcomed the EU's decisive and swift reaction,

and indicated the need to reflect on strategies to make the EU sovereign, especially in

terms of defence.

Ms Satu HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

stated that she was pleased that the French Prime

Minister had recalled that the European Union must free itself from its energy

dependence on Russia.

Mr Evangelos-Vasileios MEIMARAKIS, European Parliament, mentioned the support

of the EP to France in this crisis in Ukraine, and in standing up for EU values. He

considered it necessary for the EU to be stronger, especially in defence and foreign

affairs, as this was a factor for peace. Mr Brendan HOWLIN, Irish

Houses of the

Oireachtas,

mentioned the need for diplomatic efforts to resolve this crisis.

Mr Aurelijus VERYGA, Lithuanian

Seimas,

stressed the need for the EU to be united in

this crisis and spoke in favour of Ukraine's application to enter the European Union. Ms

Etilda GJONAJ, Albanian

Kuvendi,

also said that the EU needed to be stronger and

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

more united to strengthen its strategic autonomy, recalling that Albania had joined all

the measures taken against Russia.

Several speakers stressed the need to address the economic and social consequences of

the war in Ukraine.

Ms Susana SUMELZO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

called on the European Union to be

more humane and to provide an economic and social response to this crisis. Mr

Evangelos-Vasileios MEIMARAKIS, European Parliament, said that it was necessary to

think about the most vulnerable in the face of the consequences of this crisis on the

European economy.

Some speakers mentioned the importance of European initiatives and instruments. Mr

Dario STEFANO, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

said that the Conference on the

Future of Europe was an opportunity to implement reforms of the Union and possibly

revise the Treaties. He also referred to the Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument, as a

novel device to put an end to the taboo of common borrowing. Mr Sergio BATTELLI,

Italian

Camera dei deputati,

mentioned the New Pact on Migration and Asylum to

indicate the importance of common instruments to manage the influx of migrants even

in non-crisis situations.

Some speakers took advantage of the debate to mention their country's wish to join the

Schengen area, namely Mr Ștefan MUȘOIU, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor,

and Mr

Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski Sabor.

Ms Etilda GJONAJ, Albanian

Kuvendi,

and Mr Arber ADEMI, North Macedonia

Kuvendi,

asked for the EU to make

progress on the applications of their respective countries.

Mr Pyry NIEMI, Swedish

Riksdag,

spoke about the preparations for the Swedish

Presidency of the EU Council, indicating that more than 300 meetings were planned

across the country, half of which will take place in Stockholm, on topics such as forestry

and energy.

Mr CASTEX took the floor again and thanked the speakers for their support of the

French Presidency and of the unity of the EU. He recalled that the EU had the virtue of

speeding up history, as shown by the example of the COVID vaccination. He mentioned

the European recovery and resilience plans to address the economic and social

consequences of the crisis, while stressing that these plans had enabled the EU to have

some of the lowest unemployment rate in the world. The Prime Minister said that the

issue of European defence was at stake. Governments should face crises as one.

Despite this crisis, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the other priorities

of the French Presidency of the EU Council, namely energy transition, with the

European carbon border adjustment mechanism, the social issues, in particular the

directive on minimum wages, the digital market regulations, with in particular the fight

against disinformation, and the topic of migration.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

He noted that this crisis had revealed an ideological struggle: the EU's greatest strength

was its values relating to the rule of law, multilateralism and democracy. The EU must

be sovereign, uncompromising on these values in order to live free and in peace. He

concluded by saying that the Union must be at the rendez-vous of history and that we

must be together.

ROCEDURAL ISSUES AND ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs of the French

Assemblée nationale,

opened the session by welcoming the delegations. She stressed

that, more than remote meetings, face-to-face gatherings create a stronger bond between

the national Parliaments. Ms THILLAYE has nevertheless deeply regretted that this

collective emotion was darkened by the war in Ukraine.

She stated that COSAC was an irreplaceable forum for dialogue and cooperation

between parliamentarians, who were the link between the territories and the European

Union. She also pointed out that COSAC meetings allowed for its members to follow

the most relevant EU issues at present: the agenda of the present meeting included

sessions about the recovery and resilience plans, climate change and energetic

transition, the Conference of the Future of Europe (CoFE) and the situation in Ukraine.

Finally, Ms THILLAYE welcomed Mr Anton HOFREITER, Chairman of the

Committee on European Union Questions of the German

Bundestag,

Mr David

SMOLJAK, Chairman of the European Affairs committee of the Czech

Sénat,

Ms Laura

BROMET, Chair of the European affairs committee of the Dutch

Eerste Kaamer,

Denitsa SIMEONOVA, Vice-Chair of the European affairs committee of the Bulgarian

Narodno sabranie,

and Mr Pyry NIEMI, Chairman of the European affairs committee of

the Swedish

Riksdag,

who were attending the COSAC plenary meeting for the first

time.

Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the

French

Sénat,

pointed out that the COSAC plenary meeting was organised only one

month and a half after the Chairpersons meeting, which has been held in the the French

Sénat.

He stated that the presence of delegations in Paris showed their commitment to

European democracy, to the expression of the will of the people and to dialogue, at a

time when these values were being trampled on in Ukraine. He emphasized that the

COSAC plenary meeting allowed all parliamentarians to face this war together. Mr

RAPIN recalled that the French Presidency’s slogan “Recovery, Strength and a Sense of

Belonging” was still relevant, even in this context. According to him, the painful

circumstances confirm the need to guarantee the strategic autonomy of the European

Union, in the broadest sense, and reinforce the sense of belonging. Mr RAPIN

concluded his speech by saying that it was necessary to prepare for the future, and

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

welcomed the discussions with all the speakers on all the important subjects on the

COSAC plenary meeting agenda.

Presentation of the results of the meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

Ms THILLAYE presented the results of the Troika meeting, held on 4 March, including

the decision of sending a letter from the COSAC Presidency to the EU institutions

summarising the main issues of the debates held during the LXVII COSAC.

Furthermore, she underlined that the Troika had adopted a draft declaration on the

situation in Ukraine that firmly condemned the Russian military aggression, called on

Russia to allow humanitarian corridors, and also called for a ceasefire and an end to

cyberattacks. This declaration invited the European Union to organise itself to receive

Ukrainian refugees and to associate national Parliaments to the management of the

crisis. The declaration affirmed the need to have a European defence and common

security policy and to strengthen the European strategic autonomy. In connection with

this declaration, Ms THILLAYE welcomed the presence of the Georgian delegation as

an observer to the COSAC plenary meeting. Ms THILLAYE then informed that the

declaration would be open for co-signature by the Presidents of all the delegations.

Presentation of the 37th Bi-Annual Report of COSAC

Ms THILLAYE presented the 37th COSAC report drawn up by the COSAC Secretariat,

and thanked all the national Parliaments and the European Parliament who contributed.

The report was divided in three parts: the role of national Parliaments, the rule of law

and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The Chair then gave the floor to the Permanent Member of the COSAC Secretariat, Mr

Bruno DIAS PINHEIRO, to present the report, who underlined that it was the first time,

since 2019, that the COSAC plenary meeting was held in person. He thanked all of the

delegations who responded on such short notice and emphasised that the COSAC

Secretariat had analysed the results and drafted the report in ten days. Mr DIAS

PINHEIRO expressed his hope that the findings of the report would contribute to the

discussions during the COSAC plenary and shed light on the future debates, including

within the remit of the two existing COSAC working groups

A video presenting the highlights of the report was broadcasted.

Any other business

Ms THILLAYE informed that the Troika had decided to continue the informal

exchanges with European personalities (e.g. Commissioners) via videoconference

initiated by previous Presidencies, and would also organise a visit to the Court of Justice

of the European Union. She underlined that this visit would be an opportunity to discuss

with judges the ways in which the national constitutional identities were taken into

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

account in the work of the Court. She announced that further information about this visit

would be given soon by the Presidency.

Letters received by the Presidency

Ms THILLAYE also referred to the letters with requests to attend COSAC meetings

from the Andorran

Conseil général,

the Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'i,

the Icelandic

Althingi,

the Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës,

the Monaco

Conseil national,

the Norwegian

Stortinget,

the United Kingdom

House of Lords,

the United Kingdom

House of

Commons

and the Swiss

Assemblée fédérale,

and to the agreement the Presidency gave

in response.

ESSION

II – R

ECOVERY PLAN FOR

UROPE AND END OF CRISIS

Keynote speakers: Mr Othmar KARAS, First Vice-President of the European

Parliament, Mr Ivan STEFANEC, President of SME Europe (Small and medium sized

enterprises Europe), Mr Daniel GROS, Distinguished Fellow and Member of the Board

of CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies)

Chair: Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French

Assemblée nationale

Introduction: Mr. Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the Committee for European Affairs

of the French

Sénat

Mr RAPIN introduced the topic by saying that the recovery instrument, Next Generation

EU (NGEU), completed the framework of financial instruments to combat the COVID-

19 crisis and was a turning point in Europe's history. He then raised three points for

discussion: 1) the conditions for the implementation of the Resilience and Recovery

Facility (RRF), 2) the risk of bureaucracy and excessive control by the European

Commission, 3) the reimbursement of the joint debt needing the new own resources. Mr

RAPIN elaborated on the fact that the EU needed to move forward on this issue. Two of

the new own resources, proposed in the initiative of the Commission from December

2021, were directly linked to the ongoing negotiations on the "Fit for 55" package. He

highlighted that certain subjects, such as the extension of the emissions trading system,

gave rise to debates and reservations, but he underlined the fact that the EU had to act in

order to avoid a significant increase in the contributions of the Member States, and that

the Commission had to produce the expected proposals, in accordance with the roadmap

annexed to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020.

This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244(1999) and the ICJ

Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

Mr RAPIN continued by stressing that the war in Ukraine would have economic

consequences. In this context he emphasised that it was crucial to move beyond the

NGEU to meet the challenges of this new crisis and to enable the whole EU to

undertake the necessary investments.

Mr Othmar KARAS held the first key-note speech, stressing that the recovery and

resilience plans had not lost their importance and should be implemented fully.

Therefore, they should not be weakened by the current crisis, as they would strengthen

the position of the EU in the world. Mr KARAS emphasised that the European Semester

had a role to play, but it was necessary to consider other crises than just the economic

one. All these crises had economic, social and environmental impacts, and the EU

Member States needed to work together to find solutions at the EU level, not just

nationally. More steps would need to be taken jointly such as working on foreign

security policy, common defence, social support for refugees etc.. He declared that the

war was being used as a political instrument by Russia, adding that this unprovoked

aggression brought the EU together to defend freedom, sovereignty, human rights and

parliamentary democracy. He considered that these values needed to be implemented

fully in order to meet the challenges, while adding that the EU's response to the situation

in Ukraine was an example of Member States being able to take joint decisions and to

stand united, mentioning for example the decision to impose the largest ever package of

sanctions against Russia. However, he welcomed the prospect of further actions,

alluding to the fact that the EU spent 60 billion EUR on Russian gas and oil in 2021

which was 10 percent more than Russian military spending. Thus the EU was, according

to Mr KARAS, indirectly financing the current attack on Ukraine and making itself

vulnerable to blackmail and an attack. In order to change this, long-term consequences

need to be drawn. The NGEU marked a turning point in response to climate change and

the pandemic, but the development of more and more ambitious projects would be

necessary. In this respect, Mr KARAS expressed his hope that the Conference on the

Future of Europe would ensure and set the bases for further integration. Furthermore, he

emphasized that the EU needed new own resources, flawless implementation of the rule

of law and democratic legitimacy for decisions.

Mr Ivan STEFANEC referred to the context of the worst economic downfall since

World War II, noting that years 2020-2021 were very challenging for the SMEs, with up

to 90% of SMEs experiencing difficulties. He mentioned that SMEs needed better

access to financing, removal of bureaucratic burden and improved education, especially

regarding digital technologies. Mr STEFANEC mainly highlighted the digital and

environmental transition. Regarding digitalisation, he mentioned that the world was in

the middle of a digital revolution - the digital sector would represent 25% of global

economic activity in 2023. Living in an increasingly digital world, one would need to

acquire digital skills. He also mentioned the need to complete the Digital Single Market,

and underlined the 2030 targets - namely to improve the digital capabilities of SMEs

and businesses, to improve digital infrastructure, and for 90% of businesses to acquire

basic digital skills. He also stated that the environmental transition presented

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

opportunities for innovation and should also lead to less dependence on Russian gas and

oil, given the war in Ukraine.

Mr Daniel GROS mentioned, in the context of the war in Ukraine, that the negative

aspects of economic sanctions on Russia would fortunately have a limited impact on the

EU, as exports to Russia represented only 5% of the EU´s total export and a very small

share of the GDP. On top of that, this drop would be counterbalanced by the increase of

the military budget of the biggest economy – Germany. Like the preceding speaker, Mr

GROS identified the need for less dependence on energy from Russia, adding that,

given the situation, it was necessary to make difficult decisions in this respect. The EU´s

choice should be to use less energy. The two main priorities – green and digital

transitions – were becoming more and more important. If the digital sector would be

strengthened, it would not only be good for the EU’s economy but also for security.

Regarding the recovery and resilience plans, he emphasised that structural reforms could

strengthen our economy.

Following the key-note speeches, 27 speakers took the floor to discuss the topic.

During the debate, support for Ukraine and condemnation of the Russian aggression

were voiced in the light of developments in Eastern Europe. In the course of the debate,

words of support for Ukraine and its refugees were very significant. There were

mentions of the extraordinary solidarity and unity from the EU by helping Ukraine and

its people and also about being united and decisively applying the sanctions (Ms Margit

SUTROP, Estonian

Riigikogu,

Ms Isabel ONETO, Portuguese

Assembleia da

República,

Ms Konstantina GIANNAKOPOULOU, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon).

Mr Joris

BECKER, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

invited all the delegates to support the Declaration on

Ukraine prepared by the COSAC Presidential Troika.

Mr Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

stated that Europe was in a dark hour

facing tyranny and aggression. The EU needed to invest in its defence and to make hard

choices. He used the German Government as an example for raising the defence

funding. This had to be done, according to Mr KAIRIDIS, and in a coordinated way at

the EU level to avoid duplication and to make it last.

Many speakers mentioned the need to modernize the EU countries´ economies and to

assure solid public finances which were the only basis for resilience in the times of

crises. The economies of the EU Member States should return to healthy public

financing (Ms Pia KAUMA, Finnish

Eduskunta,

Mr Matas MALDEIKIS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

Mr Igors PIMENOVS, Latvian

Saeima).

A recurrent aspect addressed was

strategic autonomy of the EU and the need for independence in resources (Mr Gunther

KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

Ms Dolors MONTSERRAT, European Parliament,

Mr Pere Joan PONS, Spanish

Congreso de los Diputados,

Mr Gaëtan VAN

GOIDSENHOVEN, Belgian

Sénat,

Alessandro GIGLIO VIGNA, Italian

Camera dei

Deputati).

Mr José María SANCHEZ, Spanish

Congreso de los Diputados,

noted that

the EU had to think about its energy mix because of its dependency on gas from Russia.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

Thus a realistic and fair energy mix should be found and that could be done by focusing

more on green resources. On top of that, Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

raised another topic - food production and the security of the food

supply chains. He pointed out that Europe was dependent on imports of agricultural

products even from Ukraine.

The NGEU and RRF were among the topics covered by the speakers, with emphasis on

the importance of investments needed for the recovery (Ms Denitsa SIMEONOVA,

Bulgarian

Narodno Sabranie,

Ms Amel GACQUERRE, French

Sénat,

Mr Bruno DIAS,

Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

Ms Lisa CHAMBERS, Irish

Houses of the

Oireachtas).

Mr Rubén MORENO PALANQUES, Spanish

Senado,

declared that

national Parliaments had a duty to oversee the implementation and planning of the

mentioned funds. It should be assured that the implementation of the plans and

allocation of the funds would effectively take into account the local and regional

investment needs in the Member States. Mr Dario STEFANO, Italian

Senato,

drew

attention to the fact that the recovery plan would end in 2027 and that the EU needed to

start thinking about how to turn it into a long-term resilience and growth instrument. Ms

Anca Dana DRAGU, Romanian

Senat,

noted that the RRF should now be updated in

several directions – green energy, clear measures in order to secure the supply chain,

and security.

The green and digital transitions were mentioned by a number of speakers, who

emphasised their importance and also the fact that a significant amount of investments

would be needed in order to accelerate them (Ms Christine THELLMANN, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor,

Mr Pyry NIEMI, Swedish

Riksdagen,

Mr Pere Joan PONS,

Spanish

Congreso de los Diputados,

Ms Amel GACQUERRE, French

Sénat).

Mr Ruairí Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

endorsed the idea of solidarity

in which the state had a role to play. He emphasized the key importance of cyber

security. He also asked for support regarding Irish unity.

From the side of non-EU countries, Ms Erzu ERDEM, Turkish

Büyük Millet Meclisi,

condemned the Russian aggression and expressed support for Ukraine and its unity. She

also mentioned that the EU had to face many crises (economic, pandemic, refugee) and

that its long-term target should be to increase the crisis resilience capacity of the EU,

but that could not be achieved without Turkey. Thus there should be deeper cooperation.

Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI, Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I,

said that Ukrainian

people were also fighting for Europe. She mentioned that Russia invaded Georgia in

2008 and it was regrettable another invasion by Russia could not be prevented.

Furthermore, she emphasised the fact that Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova were applying

for EU membership and appealed to not to keep Europe incomplete.

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ESSION

III – C

LIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY TRANSITION

Keynote speakers: Mr Werner HOYER, President of the European Investment Bank, Mr

Pierre GATTAZ, President of Business Europe, and Mr Christian GOLLIER, Director

General of Toulouse School of Economics and visiting Professor at the Collège de

France

Chair: Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the Committee for European Affairs of the

French

Sénat

Introduction: Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the

French

Assemblée nationale

Ms THILLAYE introduced the topic by saying that the war in Ukraine would inevitably

have an impact on the discussions on climate and energy. She reminded the EU's goal to

become climate neutral by 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 55 percent

by 2030, which would require the economy to be reinvented and consumers to change

their habits. She specifically referred to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and

its importance for the European businesses to remain competitive and to the necessity

for high public and private investments in climate neutrality.

Mr HOYER held the first key-note speech, starting with condemning the act of war

against Ukraine and with confirming that the European Investment Bank (EIB) was

working with its partners to unlock a support package of 2 billion euros to Ukraine,

including immediate liquidity support of 700 million euros; he confirmed that the first

funds would arrive within a couple of days in the bank accounts of the Ukrainian

authorities. Mr HOYER also highlighted the support to be provided to neighbouring EU

and non-EU countries for the welcoming of refugees and impacts on their economies.

He also informed parliamentarians that he called an emergency meeting of the group of

multilateral development banks in order to coordinate efforts across institutions.

In the long-term, Mr HOYER stressed that efforts would focus on accelerating

investments in strategic autonomy, green energy and European technological leadership.

He referred to the most far-reaching economic sanctions ever deployed by the EU,

which proved that democracies could act quickly, forcefully and with resolve, but

stressed that it was very important that the EU was also united and showed resolve in

tackling all other challenges from economic stagnation, to climate change and the

pandemic. He noted that the EU was falling behind and losing competitiveness in many

fields and that investments were necessary in critical fields, such as the energy sector.

He highlighted that the green transition should be seen as a solution and not a problem,

for example the way renewable energy would increase the EU's independence. Mr

HOYER stressed that EIB could help coordinate investments and incentivise the private

sector to direct money to what would have the most impact within the framework of the

EU priorities. He referred to examples such as the European battery alliance, the

floating wind farms, or green hydrogen. The EIB President also reminded that 5.5

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billion euros were invested in health and cutting-edge life science companies and EIB

was proud to have played a role in supporting BioNTech, one of the companies capable

of developing a COVID-19 vaccine. He finally stressed that climate, innovation and

development should always go together and that the EU would fall short on its climate

goals if it would only rely on existing technologies, if it would not bring on board other

countries, and if it would not invest huge amounts of money (of around 350 billion

euros until 2050) especially when knowing what was being spent by China and the

USA. Mr HOYER targeted several sectors, such as semiconductors, where investment

has been increased to €48 billion by 2050, and artificial intelligence, where investment

needed to be increased fourfold to make Europe a leader in this field.

Mr GATTAZ also started his intervention by condemning the Russian invasion in

Ukraine on behalf of Business Europe, expressing support for the Ukrainian people and

for the sanctions taken by the EU and its partners even if these would lead to economic

repercussions. He stressed that the debate in the times ahead would focus on the energy

challenges, e.g. energy independence, security of gas, acceleration of renewable energy,

strengthening of the European energy market. He spoke of an opportunity to combine

climate ambition and energy transition, in particular the opportunity for the industry to

produce the energies of tomorrow such as hydrogen, electric batteries, biofuels.

According to a study, the international green market could hit between 1000 and 2000

billion euros by 2030. Mr GATTAZ noted that Business Europe shared the ambitions of

the European Green Deal and insisted that its success depended on many factors,

including the prosperity of businesses. He underlined three priorities towards achieving

the European climate goals: to combine green transition and industrial competitiveness

without curtailing innovation; to take measures in the global energy context, including

national measures, in medium term to invest massively in renewable energy and in

transition activities such as gas and nuclear, and in long-term to invest in breakthrough

technologies, e.g. storage; finally to strengthen the European industrial basis, to have

innovative and competitive businesses. Mr GATTAZ gave the example of France

planning massive investments in order to become a leader in green hydrogen by 2030.

Mr GOLLIER underlined that the EU had fully understood the context and the dangers

linked to the climate but although people in the society understood the challenge, some

of them refused to make the required sacrifices. He stressed that it was an illusion to

think that energy transition would create thousands of jobs and reduce electricity bills.

With respect to the increase of gas prices he noted that these would probably only keep

increasing in the coming months. He also noted that not everything green was socially

desirable as some green actions would affect the purchasing power. He stressed that it

was essential to have a price on carbon and that the Carbon Border Adjustment

Mechanism should be carefully implemented. Mr GOLLIER also spoke about taxes as a

tool and how fiscal revenue could be distributed, especially to the poorest households as

compensation for losing purchasing power. He concluded by reminding of the crash in

the markets and the significant drop of carbon prices in the EU’s Emissions Trading

System.

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Following the key-note speeches, 28 speakers took the floor to discuss the topic.

A recurrent aspect addressed was how to achieve the EU’s energy autonomy. Mr Nik

PREBIL, Slovenian

Državni zbor,

noted that the crisis in Ukraine showed that the EU’s

economic autonomy was crucial and wished that the unity shown in the case of Ukraine

should be also affirmed in the fight against climate change. Mr Antonio GÓMEZ-

REINO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

highlighted the need to ensure energy sovereignty

and called for involving big companies and cooperating with business when working

towards transition. Mr Domas GRIŠKEVIČIUS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

emphasised the

need for the EU’s energy independence while acknowledging that this would come with

a high price which was worth paying, and he applauded private investors who refused to

buy Russian oil although cheaper than from other providers. Ms Ana-Maria

CĂTĂUŢĂ, Romanian

Camera Deputaților,

also warned that attention should be paid

to energy security by making sure that EU populations do not suffer from any type of

shortages. Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

called for

the immediate development of healthy energy sources in the EU such as the liquid gas

deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean and for the EU to give Cyprus the means to

exploit those reserves, fostering independence from sources in third countries. Mr

Tarmo KRUUSIMÄE and Mr Timo SUSLOV, Estonian

Riigikogu,

and Mr Ioan Sorin

BUMB, Romanian

Senat,

urged for the need to become independent from Russian gas.

Mr SUSLOV particularly welcomed the use of hydrogen technologies to this end, while

calling for cooperation with the scientists and businesses in order to carry out this work.

Mr BUMB called for finding viable solutions in green energy including nuclear energy.

Mr Pedro CEGONHO, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

supported energy

independence of the EU by diversifying the sources of supply and fostering greater

cooperation among the EU countries. Mr Bojan KEKEC, Slovenian

Državni svet,

called

parliamentarians to see climate change in light of the war in Ukraine and raised

concerns about for example nuclear plants that could become strategic targets. He

elaborated on the rich natural resources of Ukraine e.g. grains, natural gas, titan, and its

high nuclear energy production.

A large number of speakers noted the rising energy prices and the impact on citizens

and businesses. Ms Dolors MONTSERRAT, European Parliament, focused on the

impact for employment and households and welcomed cooperation between Member

States combining work on renewable, gas and nuclear energies and finding ways to

compensate households so that the transition would leave nobody behind. Similarly, Mr

Didier MARIE, French

Sénat,

stressed that the transition should be inclusive and pay

attention to the citizens who should be involved as key stakeholders in the transition. Mr

Gaëtan VAN GOIDSENHOVEN, Belgian

Sénat

also expressed concerns about the

purchasing power of part of the community impacted by the rising energy prices and

called the EU level and governments to address this. Both Mr �½udovít GOGA, Slovak

Národná rada,

and Ms Barbara MASINI, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

shared

concerns about how to deal with the rise of energy prices and noted that natural gas and

nuclear energy had to be part of the process towards transition. Ms Lucrezia Maria

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

Benedetta MANTOVANI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

amongst other things, called for

safeguarding work in sectors that are affected by the green policies.

Mr Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

argued for importing liquid gas in

Germany and building liquid gas terminals, while stressing that one could be more

optimistic about using modern technological opportunities and renewable energy

becoming a cheap basis for re-industrialization. Mr Domagoi HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

focused on how to adapt the common agricultural policy to green

transition and spoke in favour of investments in renewable energy. Ms CĂTĂUŢĂ

reminded that Romania had a high share of renewable energy in the energy mix, namely

40 percent of electricity produced in Romania coming from renewable sources. Ms Satu

HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

noted that the EU was a global frontrunner in developing

renewable energy technologies and that this enabled many countries to have the

cheapest energy through wind and solar power. Ms HASSI also referred to the latest

report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on impacts,

adaptation and vulnerabilities associated with the climate crisis. Mr Ruairí Ó

MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses of the Oirechtas,

while supporting the development of

hydrogen and renewable energy strategies, called for the Member States to step in and

offer mitigations.

Ms Liliana TANGUY, French

Assemblée nationale,

focused on the Carbon Border

Adjustment Mechanism as a priority for France, as a crucial tool for ensuring the

competitiveness of the European businesses and also for encouraging third countries to

be ambitious in this field. Mr Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

agreed that

action should be taken with respect to third countries and imports of products done in

disregard of pollution and climate damage, underlining that no matter what Europe

would do, the problem would not be solved if the rest of the world continued polluting.

Mr Nik PREBIL

Državni zbor

slovène, also stressed the need for other actors in the

world to follow.

Mr Martin KINNUNEN, Swedish

Riksdag,

applauded the unity of Member States to

fight climate change, but also expressed concerns about some of the Commission’s

proposals such as the Social Climate Fund and the land use and forestry proposals.

Mr Paulo MONIZ, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

concentrated in his

intervention on the difficult situation for islands, especially in outermost EU regions, to

achieve energy independence especially given the crisis in Ukraine.

From the side of non-EU countries, Mr Mehmet Sait KIRAZOĞLU, Turkish

Büyük

Millet Meclisi,

and Mr Bjarni JÓNSSON, Icelandic

Althingi,

confirmed their countries

commitment to the Paris Agreement goals. Mr David SONGULASHVILI, Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I,

noted the possibility for the EU to use Georgia as a hub in the

Black Sea and connecting lines in order to reduce dependence from Russian energy

resources. Mr Charles KINNOULL, UK

House of Lords,

underlined the need to

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accelerate the green transition and reduce dependency on Russian gas as a matter of

urgency. He also welcomed the Glasgow Climate Pact.

In his concluding remarks, Mr GOLLIER applauded the unanimity of the COSAC

plenary in favour of the European ambition for green transition. He elaborated, in

particular, on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as a type of strategy to reduce

costs for citizens and businesses able to deal with the environmental dumping being

committed by certain countries who have no climate ambitions. He highlighted the

importance of EU’s energy security and noted that economists have defended free

markets for far too long, but independence, taking into account risk management,

needed to have value, as well as energy security, as means to fight climate change and to

protect the purchasing power of households.

ESSION

IV – C

ONFERENCE ON THE

UTURE OF

UROPE

(CoFE)

Keynote speakers: Mr Guy VERHOFSTADT, Member of the European Parliament, Co-

Chair of the Executive Board of the CoFE, Ms Dubravka ŠUICA, Vice-President of the

European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Co-Chair of the Executive

Board of the CoFE

Chair: Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French

Assemblée nationale

Introduction: Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the Committee for European Affairs of

the French

Sénat

In his introductory remarks, Mr RAPIN reminded that the purpose of the Conference on

the Future of Europe was to make the voice of European citizens heard. At the same

time, he emphasised that also the national Parliaments represented their citizens and it

was their duty to find out what were their expectations from the EU as well as their

concerns and doubts. Therefore, it was very important that the national Parliaments have

been involved in the discussions within the working groups and the Conference plenary

since the very beginning. He also hoped that COSAC could contribute to this debate and

that the work of the Parliaments/Chambers in this regard would go beyond.

Ms Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission, greeted

delegations via a prerecorded video message in which she referred to the current

developments in Ukraine stating that the EU’s response to this crisis could rewrite the

future of Europe. Therefore, it was even more important than ever to listen to European

citizens which was also the substance of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

According to Ms VON DER LEYEN, this Conference proved to be an efficient way to

connect with people who had never engaged with Europe, people of all ages from all

spheres of life. It was an unprecedented experiment in European democracy. She

summarized that the citizens had already expressed their views on many diverse topics

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

through the European citizens’ panels. These recommendations would be now discussed

by the Conference plenary, where national Parliaments also have a say. Ms VON DER

LEYEN also reassured COSAC that the European institutions were ready to follow up

on the Conference proposals but also to learn from them, because “we have to keep in

mind that Europe is us”.

Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the

Conference on the Future of Europe, Mr Guy VERHOFSTADT, addressed the plenary

with a strong appeal for more European unity and more support for Ukrainian people,

including stronger measures against Russian autocratic regime, referring to the recent

events in Ukraine and their historical connotations. He added that even the Conference

on the Future of Europe should react to this and come up with concrete and ambitious

conclusions, not with a vague declaration adopted on 9 May lacking further steps and

actions. The result should be a strong political act, namely a Convention or a Congress

to discuss the refounding of the European project, based on the recommendations of the

Conference. In this context, Mr VERHOFSTADT emphasised that up to date, the

citizens had come up with 178 recommendations in four discussion panels, including for

example the establishment of joint armed forces of the EU, cancelling of unanimity in

certain policy areas, creating a union of energy and a health union, a better

understanding of the role of the EU institutions, e.g., that the European Commission

could be called the Executive Commission of the European Union, a stronger role for

national Parliaments, introduction of transnational voting lists, an improved migration

policy or a permanent mechanism for citizens’ participation in the European decision-

making process. He stressed that all of them should be taken very seriously in order to

solve the current weaknesses of Europe as soon as possible, so that the EU can become

a real global player. The European Parliament and the national Parliaments should act as

a driving force of this process.

In her opening speech, Ms Dubravka ŠUICA, Vice-President of the European

Commission for Democracy and Demography and Co-Chair of the Executive Board of

the Conference on the Future of Europe, fully supported the words of previous speakers

on Ukraine and confirmed that the Conference on the Future of Europe was here right

on time as the events in Ukraine also speak to our collective future. She stressed that the

Conference was a celebration of European values based on lively exchange across

borders, languages, different cultures and histories, so that no one was left behind. The

intention was to bring Europe closer to the citizens, who are at the heart of this project,

and to better reflect their thoughts and needs wherever they choose to live or work.

Therefore, the Commission would make sure that their voice would be heard and that

they would feel included in the final deliberations. At the same time Ms ŠUICA

emphasized that the Conference did not aim at replacing representative democracy, but

the opposite – it should reinforce it. Its conclusions have to be taken very seriously by

all the parties involved and include swift follow-up actions. To underline their

importance, Ms ŠUICA highlighted the idea of subsequent validation of plenary

deliberations by the citizens’ ambassadors.

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During the ensuing debate, 34 speakers took the floor. A large majority of them

expressed their support to Ukraine and strongly condemned Russian activities on its

territory. A significant number of them, including Ms Constance LE GRIP, French

Assemblée Nationale,

Ms Margit SUTROP, Estonian

Riigikogu,

or Mr Constantinos

EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

also agreed on the need of more severe

approach towards Russia as the sanctions adopted until now proved not to be efficient

enough. Furthermore, Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

pleaded for the

confiscation of foreign monetary reserves and assets emphasizing that Russia should

pay for the damages caused to Ukrainian people. Some of the delegates, such as Mr

Peter KMEC, Slovak

Národná rada,

or Mr Jouni OVASKA, Finish

Eduskunta,

appreciated the efforts of the French Presidency in this regard.

In this context, several speakers referred to the recent Ukrainian request for EU

membership. A number of them, including Mr Peter KMEC, Slovak

Národná rada,

Kristian VIGENIN, Bulgarian

Narodno sabranie,

Mr Seán HAUGHEY, Irish

Houses of

the Oireachtas,

or Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

agreed that

Ukraine should be granted the status of candidate country as soon as possible, but the

same conditions should apply also to Georgia and Moldova. The representatives of

Croatian

Hrvatski sabor

(Mr Davor Ivo STIER, Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ and Mr

Bojan GLAVASEVIĆ) recalled many years of efforts of the Western Balkan countries

that seem to be forgotten now. They asked to be very cautious in this regard and if

possible to revise and accelerate the EU enlargement policy in general and not just

towards certain third countries. This idea was explicitly supported also by Mr Peter

KMEC, Slovak

Národná rada,

or by Mr Seán HAUGHEY, Irish

Houses of the

Oireachtas.

Mr Kreshnik ÇOLLAKU, Albanian

Kuvendi,

warned that the anti-European

moods were increasing in the region and therefore the EU should not hesitate anymore

with opening the EU accession negotiations. Mr Ettore Anton LICHERI, Italian

Senato

della Repubblica,

called for a larger support of all the countries neighbouring the EU

and Russia which was demanded also by Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI, Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I.

As for the project of the Conference on the Future of Europe itself, a number of

speakers pointed out that the challenges to address had fundamentally changed.

Furthermore, Mr David SMOLJAK, Czech

Senát,

stressed that the future of Europe did

not happen anymore in the scope of this Conference, but on Ukrainian soil. Therefore,

the EU should now focus on really important questions, such as resilience, energy,

industrial and food supply independence, strategic autonomy, internal security,

functional and just migration and asylum system and coherence and stability in the area

of Common Foreign and Security Policy. This idea was strongly supported, among

others, by Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Italian

Camera dei deputati,

Mr Georgios

KOUMOUTSAKOS and Mr Ioannis BOURNOUS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

Kristian VIGENIN, Bulgarian

Narodno sabranie,

or Ms Marina NIKOLAOU, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

about migration. Regarding the EU Common Foreign and

Security Policy, Mr Peter KMEC, Slovak

Národná rada,

proposed a move towards

qualified majority voting in order for it to become more efficient. Mr Seán HAUGHEY,

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Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

called for progress in the area of defence, namely the

adoption of the Strategic Compass and the European Peace Facility. Moreover, Mr

Ettore Anton LICHERI, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

supported the idea of creating

the European Army. In this context, Mr Helmut BRANDSTÄTTER, Austrian

Nationalrat,

warned against the rise of nationalist sentiments.

Beyond the reflection of the situation in Ukraine, many speakers, including for example

Mr Luís CAPOULAS SANTOS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

Mr Othmar

KARAS, European Parliament, or Mr Thomas HACKER, German

Bundestag,

expressed their agreement with the words of Mr VERHOFSTADT and Ms ŠUICA that

the Conference should come up with balanced and ambitious conclusions, with the

guarantee of careful and regular evaluation of the actions taken by the EU institutions.

Ms Roelien KAMMINGA, Dutch

Tweede Kamer,

highlighted the importance of

transparency of the whole process. Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Italian

Camera dei deputati,

stressed that the result of the Conference must be complete reconsideration of the

European project in order to correspond more to the current challenges. Mr Angel

TÎLVĂR, Romanian

Senat,

recommended that the approach should be more pragmatic

and focused on the progress to be made in the various policy areas, rather than on the

institutional aspects. Mr Anti POOLAMETS, Estonian

Riigikogu,

opposed any possible

change of the Treaties and asked for a greater respect to the subsidiarity principle and to

the sovereignty of each Member State.

The question of subsidiarity was also addressed by Mr Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR,

European Parliament, who stated that the early warning mechanism did not work. He

believed that the EU should abandon this concept and focus on activities that have a real

impact, political dialogue included.

Mr Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Nationalrat,

noted that the dialogue with citizens,

and especially with young people, must not end. He highlighted the idea of introducing

a permanent mechanism for participation of citizens in the European decision-making

process, as was suggested by one of the European citizens’ panels, as well as a greater

role for national Parliaments, including the green card mechanism. In this context, he

also welcomed the creation of a COSAC working group devoted to this topic.

Mr Kim VALENTIN, Danish

Folketing,

noted that the involvement of national

Parliaments should not be limited to scrutinising the European Commission’s proposals.

He suggested that the Parliaments/Chambers could be actively involved already in the

preparatory phase, in the form of preliminary consultations and that their positions could

be then summarised in the explanatory memorandum of the relevant proposal.

In addition to that, Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Italian

Camera dei deputati,

appreciated the

common understanding between the national Parliaments and the European Parliament

regarding the scope of the Conference. Also, Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

thanked Ms ŠUICA for always being on the side of national Parliaments. On

the other hand, Ms Mariona ILLAMOLA, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

expressed certain

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

doubts about the whole concept of the Conference, especially the fact that the regional

parliaments had not been involved. Similar criticism came from Ms Sibel OZOEMIR,

Turkish

Büyük Millet Meclisi,

who was not happy with excluding the candidate

countries from this exercise, or Ms Simonida KOROIC, Montenegro

Skupština,

on the

Western Balkan countries.

Finally, some delegates, including Mr Igors PIMENOVS, Latvian

Saeima,

Ms Jessika

ROSWALL, Swedish

Riksdag,

or Ms Roelien KAMMINGA, Dutch

Tweede Kamer,

raised concerns about the heavy ongoing process of producing the final report of the

Conference as well as a very short time frame for delivering the results that correspond

to the promises made. Mr PIMENOVS added that the Conference should continue even

after the closing event on 9 May 2022.

In his replies, Mr VERHOFSTADT thanked for the vast support expressed by the

participants and repeated his strong commitment to deliver. He stressed that the citizens

could not leave this project with the impression that it was for nothing. They would

need to see concrete actions. To achieve this, he highlighted the need for good

cooperation between the national Parliaments and the European Parliament. Therefore,

he informed about the preparation of a joint position document to be confirmed by both

components on 24 March 2022, which would be then transmitted to all the Members of

the Conference plenary. Regarding the Western Balkan countries, Mr VERHOFSTADT

assured that the Co-Chairs strived for their involvement since the very beginning and

that they would continue in these efforts within the discussions on their accession to the

EU.

In her concluding remarks, Ms ŠUICA thanked for all the contributions and stressed

that the work of the EU institutions would not stop on 9 May 2022, since they will then

have more than two years, until the end of the Commission’s mandate, to implement the

deliberations of the Conference. She also confirmed that the war in Ukraine made the

institutions think a bit different and faster, which is something the Union needed. Now

the most important thing is not to disappoint the citizens.

ESSION

V – P

ROGRESS REPORTS FROM THE WORKING GROUPS

Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs of the French

Assemblée nationale,

began the session by informing that the work of working groups

(WG) was progressing well and thanked all of those who dedicated their time to this

endeavour. She stated that there were 42 members participating in the WG on the role of

national Parliaments and 44 members participating in the WG on European values. So

far, two meetings had been held per WG — a first one for a general debate between

members and a second dedicated to hearing from experts. Ms THILLAYE announced

that each WG would have six to eight meetings in total with the final one, on 14 June

2022, being held in person in Paris. She further presented the activities of the WG on

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the sense of belonging and underlined its focus on the identification of European values,

including societal values. In relation to that, Ms THILLAYE emphasised two aspects:

the importance of a common understanding of values like democracy and/or rule of law

and their respect within the European Union.

Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs of the French

Sénat,

stated that COSAC had an important role to play within the European Union and

that the WGs additionally strengthened relations between parliamentarians. He

discussed the issue of the legitimacy and of the democratic deficit of the European

Union and underlined that the WG on the role of national Parliaments had focused so

far on creating a more democratic Europe and on promoting the legitimacy of national

Parliaments.

Mr RAPIN furthermore outlined some priorities based on the initial discussions in the

WG: the first one is the need for the improvement of European policy monitoring by

national Parliaments. He also said that obstacles at the European level, like a lack of

transparency in the work of the Council, namely with regard to trilogues, impede this

monitoring work and should be tackled. Mr RAPIN also mentioned a second topic,

namely interparliamentary cooperation, which must be made more effective. Finally, he

highlighted a third priority: the role that national Parliaments can play directly at the

European level. Mr RAPIN indicated that there should be a richer debate and closer

work with the European Commission, in order to influence the European Commissions’

proposals. Furthermore, he pointed out the fact that the monitoring of compliance with

the principle of subsidiarity should also evolve. This mechanism was clearly not

working: only three yellow cards had been adopted in almost 15 years, with very limited

consequences. Mr RAPIN also welcomed the idea of implementing a right of initiative

for national Parliaments and stated that the Conference on the Future of Europe was a

great opportunity to highlight this issue. He also said that he had sent a contribution to

the members of the WG on this subject, for the principle not to be only discussed, but

the work on this mechanism actually triggered. According to Mr RAPIN, this

mechanism should be based on the model of the right of indirect initiative of the

European Parliament. To ensure that this right does not remain a dead letter, he said that

the triggering threshold should be reasonable: for example, 25% of the votes of the

national Parliaments or 25% of the population of the Union, the latter condition being

associated with a minimum number of Member States. He mentioned that some people

would worry that this could make the European institutional system more complex, but

said that we should not be afraid of democracy.

Mr RAPIN emphasised that the work on national Parliaments’ role should focus on the

control of the EU institutions to ensure better cooperation at the European level. He

underlined that some national parliamentarians - and COSAC collectively - should have

the possibility to address written questions to the European Commission. With that

regard, he alluded to the contribution sent by the French

Sénat

in the framework of the

WG on the role of national Parliaments.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

ESSION

VI – D

EBATE ON

KRAINE

Chair: Mr Jean-François RAPIN, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the

French

Sénat

Introduction: Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs of

the French

Assemblée nationale

Ms THILLAYE initially welcomed the fact that the war in Ukraine was unanimously

condemned by all the EU member states. She underlined how fragile peace in Europe

was once again and called for continued support of Ukraine to defend its sovereignty

and territorial integrity. She noted the rapid EU institutional response to the crisis, in

coordination with its allies and partners and outlined the implementation of sanctions

and the protection of refugees as the two main challenges lying ahead. In this regard,

she also stressed the need to prolong the already existing measures that had been in

place since the annexation of Crimea. She furthermore stated that the Russian

aggression would require a new European strategy and referred to the role of the

Strategic Compass, which the European Council will discuss on 24 March 2022. In the

end, she stated that this crisis would deeply affect EU citizens and therefore also

national Parliaments, which was why their direct involvement in decision-making to

manage this crisis was of crucial importance. She also thanked all the delegations for

signing the Statement in support of the Ukraine attacked by the Russian Federation at

the invitation of the Troika.

Following these introductory remarks, 29 speakers took the floor, unanimously

expressing condemnation for the Russian invasion in Ukraine and support for the united

EU response and imposition of tough sanctions on the Russian Federation and Belarus.

The vast majority underlined that Ukraine was not only fighting for its freedom and

sovereignty but also for Europe’s values and security.

Mr Ruairí Ó MURCHU, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

commended the bravery of

Ukrainians and emphasized the need to offer help and protection to everyone affected

by the war. Similarly, Ms Vladimíra MARCINKOVÁ, Slovak

Národná rada,

and Mr

Angel TÎLVĂR, Romanian

Senat,

expressed concerns about the current situation at their

borders with Ukraine and assured their respective countries were doing everything

possible to help Ukrainian refugees. Together with Sergio BATELLI, Italian

Camera

dei deputati,

they called for a common EU solution to deliver humanitarian help faster

and more efficiently. Ms MARCINKOVÁ further mentioned the recently passed

legislation on temporary protection of Ukrainians, that enables them to work, study and

receive health insurance in Slovakia. Also, in relation to that, Othmar KARAS,

European Parliament, thanked the civil societies for all their work in helping the

Ukrainian refugees.

The majority of speakers also expressed support for further sanctions against the

Russian Federation and Belarus, with Mr Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

calling for an imposition of sanctions on fossil fuels from Russia. Related to this, Mr

Luís CAPOULAS SANTOS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

expressed the need

for more coordinated work on this with allies and partners, with Mr BATELLI, Mr

Ondřej BENEŠÍK, Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna,

and Mr Davor STIER, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

specifically mentioning more cooperation was needed with the US and

the UK. Mr Dario STEFANO, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

and Mr Johannes

KOSKINEN, Finnish

Eduskunta,

also emphasized the need for continued diplomatic

efforts to achieve a peaceful solution, with Mr KOSKINEN calling for the EU to

enhance it global diplomatic outreach for a wider condemnation of the Russian

aggression at the UN level.

Several members touched upon the Ukrainian European perspective. Mr Domagoj

HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

welcomed the prospects of a future Ukrainian

membership, with Mr Igors PIMENOVS, Latvian

Saeima,

Ms Riina SIKKUT, Estonian

Riigikogu,

and Ms Denitsa SIMEONOVA, Bulgarian

Narodno sabranie,

clearly

emphasizing the need for the EU to grant Ukraine candidate status. In relation to this,

Mr TÎLVĂR called for an increased cooperation on EU enlargement with Eastern

Partnership countries, while Mr BENEŠÍK noted the EU should not forget about the

European perspective of the Western Balkans. In reference to this, Mr Fridon LALA,

Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës,

noted the overall deterioration of the situation in the

Western Balkans and expressed concern about the Russian influence in the region,

especially in Serbia.

Proposals were also made for greater strategic autonomy and strengthened cooperation

on security and defense. To this end, Mr STEFANO and Mr TÎLVĂR welcomed the

establishment of the European Peace Facility and called for its continued use and

development. Mr Seán HAUGHEY, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

expressed the need

to finalize the Strategic Compass for the EU to jointly achieve its objectives and Mr

Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR, European Parliament, pointed out the need for more joint

EU intelligence capabilities for external crises. Mr KOSKINEN also stated that Finland

had started to look closely into prospects of a future membership in NATO. In addition,

Mr HOFREITER stressed that challenges of strategic autonomy were even more acute

in the energy sector, with Ms SIKKUT agreeing that energy independence should be at

the top of EU’s priorities.

Both Mr Reinhold LOPATKA, the Austrian

Nationalrat,

and Mr Seán HAUGHEY,

Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

reassured that, despite Austria and Ireland being military

neutral, they firmly support all the EU measures against Russia. Mr Benedikt WÜRTH,

Swiss

Assemblée fédérale,

added that Switzerland had also strongly condemned the

Russian aggression and adopted restrictive measures in coordination with the EU.

Similarly, Mr Charles KINNOUL, UK

House of Lords,

welcomed the attendance of the

This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244(1999) and the ICJ

Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 404: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-møde 3-5/3-22 i Paris

UK Foreign Secretary at the EU extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting held on

5 March and expressed hope such cooperation would continue.

Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

also referred to the

Cyprus question and stated that if the EU would not respond to the Russian aggression

decisively, this trend of aggressions would continue. Mr Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

also posed a question regarding the perceived vague position of

Turkey concerning the Russian invasion in Ukraine, to which Mr Arzu ERDEM,

Turkish

Büyük Millet Meclisi,

responded that Turkey remains firmly on the side of

international peace and security.

LOSING SESSION

Ms THILLAYE alluded to the relevance of the debates held and referred to some

concrete initiatives that could be implemented to gather information and best practice on

the ways Parliaments are dealing with the current international crisis. She mentioned a

few figures in the field of defence, namely the fact that the EU currently had 2,5 million

soldiers whereas the United States of America had only 2,1 million but a strike force

seven times superior to the European one. She supported the idea that parliamentarians

should advocate for the interoperability of armed forces across the EU, with common

intelligence and threat analysis. With regard to the support to refugees from Ukraine,

Ms THILLAYE proposed that each Parliament/Chamber would identify the national

needs in terms of support to this challenge, with special emphasis for those that have

borders with Ukraine, suggesting that the COSAC Secretariat could gather this

information and make it available.

Finally, both Mr RAPIN and Ms THILLAYE have thanked all the participants for the

debates, and the COSAC Secretariat and all the staff for its support in the organisation

of this meeting.