CONCLUSIONS OF THE XLIII COSAC

1. Evaluation of the subsidiarity checks

1.1. COSAC welcomes the result of the coordinated subsidiarity check on theEuropean Commission Proposal for a Regulation of the EuropeanParliament and of the Council on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognitionand enforcement of decisions and authentic instruments in matters ofsuccession and the creation of a European Certificate of Succession.1.2. COSAC notes that an overwhelming majority of participating Parliamentswere satisfied with the European Commission's justification of the Proposalwith regard to its compliance with the principle of subsidiarity or had noparticular comments on the justification.1.3. COSAC recognises the importance of the eight subsidiarity checksconducted up to the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December2009, as they have served as an invaluable source of know-how regardingthe application of the principle of subsidiarity.1.4. After the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, COSAC believes that thecoordinated subsidiarity checks should no longer be a priority for theConference, although these checks may be conducted on anad hocbasis onthe proposal of each Presidency. Nevertheless, COSAC should still focus onissues related to the enhancement of the efficiency of parliamentaryscrutiny of EU matters.1.5. In this regard, COSAC urges national Parliaments to intensify their use ofIPEX and other forms of cooperation in order to provide mutual informationconcerning their respective activities and standpoints.

2. Bi-annual Report

2.1. COSAC welcomes the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report as a valuable source ofinformation regarding the new powers of the national Parliaments after theentry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and on suggestions regarding thefuture of COSAC.2.2. COSAC believes that future reports should not be conducted on a regularbasis but rather on the active proposal of the Presidency and only regardingCOSAC-related issues. The report should aim to identify the issues ofimportance and/or controversy that will be debated during the ordinarymeeting of COSAC.

3. The future of COSAC

3.1. COSAC recognises that its meetings offer a unique opportunity to sharebest practice and information with other Parliaments on monitoring thenational Governments’ European policies; and to hear and question theviews of other Parliaments on a range of EU issues. Furthermore, COSACwishes to underline that in future, discussions on procedures should beavoided, in order to focus on political debates on Europe–wide subjects ofcommon interest to the Committees on EU Affairs. COSAC should invite thePresident of the European Council, the rotating Presidency of the Council ofthe European Union and the President of the European Commission, as well

as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs andSecurity policy and relevant Commissioners, as appropriate, to participate inCOSAC debates.3.2. As established in the Rules of Procedure, the Agenda for each meeting isdrafted by the Chair of the Host Parliament’s Committee after consultingwith the Troika and the Chairpersons’ meeting. However, whenever itshould be of interest, a presentation by the President of the EuropeanCommission on the Annual Policy Strategy or similar document, could beincluded on the Agenda.3.3. A debate on specific EU draft legislative acts may be included on the COSACagenda insofar as these drafts deal with particularly contentious issues thatmay give rise to a political debate regarding specifically European affairs. Atthese debates, relevant Members of the European Commission and theEuropean Parliament and the relevant Presidency Minister may be invited toexpress their opinions.3.4. Taking into account the on-going discussions in the framework of the EUSpeakers’ Conference, COSAC should reflect on the way new technologies,such as videoconferencing and fora such as IPEX, could be employed andoptimised to give effect to Article 10 of Protocol (No 1) on the Role ofNational Parliaments in the European Union.3.5. The current format of COSAC meetings, including meetings of Europeanpolitical families, is considered adequate and should not be modified. At theproposal of the Presidency, discussion in smaller groups or panel discussionsmay be considered.3.6. Speaking time should be limited in the Rules of Procedure to no more than 3minutes, unless the Presidency determines otherwise, in view of specificcircumstances. There should be no limitation in the Rules of Procedure as tothe number of times each delegation may take the floor, although thePresidency may decide to introduce some limitation in view of thecircumstances of each meeting.3.7. Informal exchange of information in advance of meetings, particularly onthe views of each parliament on the issues to be debated, is encouraged.The network of Brussels-based staff is an effective way to conduct thisexchange. Formal preparation, in the form of questionnaires and summariescirculated by the Secretariat, is also possible at the request of thePresidency.3.8. The Conclusions and Contribution are prepared by each Presidency andagreed at the ordinary meeting in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.However, by way of general guidance, they should be short and deal onlywith issues discussed in the meeting. COSAC may also ask the Presidency toinvite a response to the Contribution from the Commission, Council orEuropean Parliament.