EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

Europaudvalget 2020-21
EUU Alm.del Bilag 190
Offentligt

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE Virtual COSAC

Berlin, 30 November-1 December 2020

(held via videoconference)

IN THE CHAIR: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs,

German

Bundestag;

Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat

AGENDA:

1. Opening of the meeting of the Virtual COSAC

Welcome address by Dr Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE, President of the German

Bundestag

Introductory remarks by Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European

Union Affairs of the German

Bundestag

Adoption of the agenda of the meeting of the virtual COSAC

2. Procedural issues and miscellaneous matters

Briefing on the results of the meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

Presentation of the 34

Bi-annual Report of COSAC

Letters received by the Presidency

AOB

3. Session I

– ‘“Aktuelle Stunde”

“Restart for the transatlantic relations?”’

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the

German

Bundestag

4. Session II

– ‘Lessons

learnt from the corona crisis - Cooperation in the EU in the event of

pandemics and in health care’

Keynote Speakers: Dr Thomas GEBHART, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health;

Dr Andrea AMMON, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the

German

Bundestag

5. Session III

– ‘Review

of the German EU Council Presidency’

Keynote Speaker: Dr Angela MERKEL, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Moderator: Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat

6. Session IV

– ‘The Future of the European Union’

Keynote Speaker: Dr Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission

Moderator: Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat

8. Session V

– ‘Europe’s role

in the world - A responsible partnership with Africa’

Keynote Speaker: Professor Dr Horst KÖHLER, President of the Federal Republic of Germany (2004-

2010)

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the

German

Bundestag

9. Closing remarks

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

PROCEEDINGS

1. Opening of the meeting of the Virtual COSAC

Welcome address by Dr Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE, President of the German

Bundestag

and

introductory remarks by Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union

Affairs of the German

Bundestag

Dr Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE, President of the German

Bundestag,

began his welcome address by showing a

short film about the Parliamentary Dimension of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU.

In view of the budget blockade, Dr SCHÄUBLE warned participants that exchange and understanding were

urgently needed. He stressed that the corona crisis and the unsolved questions of migration required more

Europe, not less. The protection of the climate and biodiversity required joint action, as did combating the

economic consequences of the pandemic. Particularly with regard to China and the USA, Dr SCHÄUBLE

pointed out that systems were competing with each other at a global level, and called on the delegates not

to jeopardize the European model, which stood for freedom, security and prosperity, adding that stability

and solidarity would characterize a democratic Europe.

Dr SCHÄUBLE said that intensive communication between the Member States, reliable agreements and

mutual assistance in the border regions were needed. He stressed the importance of adopting a solid

financial framework to strengthen a resilient Europe for the future.

In his closing remarks, Dr SCHÄUBLE emphasised that Europe had to take responsibility, especially for

stability in its neighbourhood. Cooperation had to be intensified, especially with the African States, with

whom a responsible partnership had to be established.

Adoption of the agenda

The Chair presented the draft agenda of the Virtual COSAC, which was adopted without amendment.

2. Procedural issues and miscellaneous matters

Mr Gunter KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs, German

Bundestag,

and Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat,

welcomed the participants, especially new Chairs participating at the COSAC plenary for the first time,

namely Mr Gaëtan van GOIDSENHOVEN, Belgian

Sénat;

Mr Jean-François RAPIN French

Sénat;

Radvilė MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ,

Lithuanian

Seimas;

Mr Pyry NIEMI, Swedish

Riksdag;

Mikuláš

BEK, Czech

Senát,

as well as Ms Roberta METSOLA, newly elected first Vice-President of

the European Parliament.

Mr KRICHBAUM referred to new formats, which the German Presidency would have liked to introduce

within COSAC, such as open debates, for example in fishbowl format, and panel debates. New formats and

more break-out sessions were intended to enable a freer and livelier debate among delegates.

He was pleased that in session I of the Virtual COSAC, the format "Aktuelle Stunde" made it possible to

have an exchange on a topic to be named at short notice and of current particular interest.

Mr KRICHBAUM further referred to the practice governing invitation to the meetings. He stressed that

COSAC was primarily be a conference for EU Member States and guests were welcome to attend if a

topical issue directly affecting them was on the agenda. In this context, Mr KRICHBAUM briefly referred

to the letters received by the Presidency from the delegations of Switzerland, Norway and Iceland,

explaining the Presidency…s decision to invite all three delegations as they

were participating in and closely

cooperating with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which was going to be

represented during session II of the Virtual COSAC.

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

Briefing on the results of the meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

In briefing his colleagues on the results of the meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC, which took

place on 27 November 2020, Mr KRICHBAUM explained that the Troika had endorsed the new format of

the “Aktuelle Stunde” and the Portuguese Presidency had signalled to take it up at the LXV COSAC. The

Troika had decided on the topic “Restart for the transatlantic relations?” which was going to be discussed

in the context of session I of the Virtual COSAC.

Presentation of a letter by the Presidency, to be put forward for co-signing

He went on to explain that due to the technical limitations of the virtual format, neither conclusions nor a

contribution could be adopted. Instead, the Presidency had prepared a letter, already approved by the

Troika, which highlighted significant findings of the 34

Bi-annual Report on the topic of the Conference

on the Future of Europe, and invited the COSAC Chairs to co-sign it.

Presentation of the 34

Bi-annual Report of COSAC

Mr KRICHBAUM thanked the staff of the German

Bundestag

and the German

Bundesrat

for the

organization of the Virtual COSAC as well as the COSAC Secretariat and its Permanent Member, Mr

Kenneth CURMI, for its excellent work on the 34

Bi-annual Report. The main findings of the report were

presented in a video, which was played during the meeting.

Letters received by the Presidency

The Chair referred to the following letters received by the Presidency:



Letter from Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Chairman, Committee on EU Policies,

Italian Camera dei

deputati;

about the language regime to be used during the meeting of the Virtual COSAC and

proposing a parliamentary session to be held in order to specifically tackle topics related to rule of

law.

Letter from Ms Susana SUMELZO JORDÁN, Chairperson of the Joint Committee for the European

Union, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

about the language regime to be used during the meeting of the

Virtual COSAC.



He briefly referred to the issue of the language regime highlighted in the two letters above. He regretted

that due to the technical limitations of the virtual format the Presidency could only offer translations in the

three chosen languages (i.e. English, French and German) during the Virtual COSAC.

Mr KRICHBAUM welcomed the Italian proposal to continue to hold a session on the rule of law. He went

on to say that meeting twice in six months was not seizing the full potential of COSAC and suggested to

continue to meet more often. In this context, he mentioned the format of the informal exchanges via

videoconference, which the German Presidency had organized during the past six months with Chief

Negotiator Michel BARNIER, Vice-President of the Commission

Věra

JOUROVÁ, Commissioner Didier

REYNDERS and Executive Vice-President of the Commission

Margrethe VESTAGER. This “COSAC

Agora”

had received

very positive feedback both by the representatives of the European institutions, who

had been invited as keynote speakers, as well as by the participating COSAC Chairs. Mr KRICHBAUM

concluded by saying that it would be an achievement of COSAC to initiate its own dialogue on the rule of

law in connection with the publication of the European Commission…s report.

3. Session I:

“Aktuelle Stunde”

“Restart for

the transatlantic relations?”

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs, German

Bundestag

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

Mr Guido WOLF, German

Bundesrat,

stressed that it was important that COSAC reacted to current political

developments. Therefore, the “Aktuelle Stunde” (current affairs) session could be a new format bringing

new life to the COSAC discussions. Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

briefly introduced

the topic by noting that transatlantic relations had never been easy but had always been indispensable in

order to provide for more stability in the world. He expressed his belief that the greater part of Europe

welcomed the result of the elections held in the USA.

During the debate that followed, 17 speakers took the floor. In their interventions, parliamentarians

expressed their satisfaction with the US elections result.

Ms Dita CHARANZOVÁ, European Parliament, who was first to intervene, noted that the new US

Administration would enable the revival of cooperation between the EU and the USA. She stressed that

today, more than ever before, the world needed the two of the biggest economic and security powers to

work together in many areas: to fight the COVID-19 virus; to promote digital transformation; to strengthen

common security and the rules-based multilateral system, including the World Trade Organization (WTO)

framework; to tackle the climate change; to fight any decline in democracy and human rights. Ms

CHARANZOVÁ reassured participants that the European Parliament would also play its role in building

this alliance and that European Parliament President David Maria SASSOLI had already invited US

President-elect Joe BIDEN to address the European Parliament.

Many parliamentarians, including Mr KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

Mr Stefan SCHENNACH,

Austrian

Bundesrat,

Ms Satu HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

Ms Radvilė MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ,

Lithuanian

Seimas,

referred to several of US President-elect BIDEN…s public commitments and welcomed

in particular the intention of the USA to re-join the Paris Agreement and to strive for carbon neutrality by

2050.

Ms HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

noted that it was important to be able to expect predictability from the side

of the USA, following the elections result, while Mr Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Nationalrat,

stressed

the significance of going back to normality so that the focus would be laid on the most important issues,

including the role of China, rule of law and human rights, climate change, the fight against terrorism and

extremism and the restarting of negotiations relating to the economy.

Lord KINNOULL, UK

House of Lords,

highlighted the fact that US President-elect

BIDEN was an internationalist, with a strong record as US Senator and Vice-President. He also referred to

the President-elect…s

strong Irish roots, while noting that this would not be a game changer as he had respect

for the Institutions and would not want to interfere. Mr Neale RICHMOND, Irish

Houses of Oireachtas,

also stressed the fact that US President-elect supported multilateralism, referring to his statements, echoed

by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, that there would be no US-UK trade deal if the UK

would not respect the commitments of the Withdrawal Agreement, bringing focus on the Internal Market

Bill.

Mr Dimitrios KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

also noted his optimism for renewed transatlantic

relations and his belief in a US-EU partnership. However, he emphasised that it would be a mistake not to

be realistic and to just fall back into the pre-2016 period as if nothing happened in between and stressed the

importance for the EU to keep emancipating itself in security and foreign policy terms. Mr Pere Joan PONS

SAMPIETRO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

also stressed the importance of putting the Union…s strategic

autonomy high on the agenda and noted, amongst others, that current technological and geopolitical

changes would require from the EU to gain geopolitical power in the coming years. Similarly, Mr Mark

DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Sénat,

noted that the elections result meant the return to multilateralism but

also reminded colleagues that domestic forces in US -

that led to the “America first” approach

- were still

influential; reaching out to US Congress and the new Administration for establishing good working

relationships with the EU was crucial. He stressed that the EU should not accept a situation where it simply

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

followed the US, but rather to use this historic opportunity to pursue strategic autonomy and to restart the

transatlantic relations as mutual reinforcing dynamics. In addition, Ms Sabine THILLAYE, French

Assemblée nationale,

warned that, although the US Presidential election result was a positive signal, there

should be cautiousness and reminded colleagues that Europe had stopped being a priority for the USA a

while ago, with the country focussing instead on Asia. Mr SCHENNACH, Austrian

Bundesrat,

also

observed that there was a big chance for multilateral policy now, including going back to WHO and

reactivating the Iran deal, but stressed the need to maintain realistic expectations.

With respect to trade policy, Mr Alessandro GIGLIO VIGNA, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

emphasised

that the US and the EU should pursue the same strategy within WTO in order to counter unfair competition.

Mr Andrej ČERNIGOJ, Slovenian

Državni zbor,

referred to the EU-Japan and EU-Canada agreements as

good steps in this area and called for re-establishing contacts with respect to TTIP, especially when China

had signed

the world…s largest regional trade agreement. He highlighted health, environment and the rule

of law as important elements in the framework of such agreements. Mr Domagoj Ivan MILOŠEVIĆ,

Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

observed that the last years showed that the US needed the EU just as much as the

latter needed the former, and he focused on the economic part of this partnership and on how to create a

level playing field with China. He stressed that the EU had common goals with the USA in this area,

especially in protecting SMEs from unfair competition from China due to the circumstances applying there.

Mr Bogdan KLICH, Polish

Senat,

concentrated in his intervention on the defence area and noted that while

there were tensions between the allies within the Euro-Atlantic community at the political level, this was

not the case with respect to the military level. Mr KLICH expressed hope that Mr Biden's election would

mean reduction in tensions and more cooperation in the area of defence spending, trade, climate change

and the Iran nuclear deal. He also reminded colleagues that work should continue within the EU within the

framework of the European Defence Fund and PESCO. Ms

MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ,

Lithuanian

Seimas,

acknowledged that the US were a strategic partner and drew attention to Russia and its threatening

attitude including nuclear threats, while emphasising that this is an example uniting us with the US.

Mr Joe McHUGH, Irish

Houses of Oireachtas,

welcomed an enhanced cooperation in the area of climate,

trade, and international relations, but also brought up the question of how national Parliaments could help

to promote interconnections with the US and how to enable a proper public discourse. Finally, Mr Claude

KERN, French

Sénat,

focused on the energy sector and welcomed the opportunity to correct cases of

extraterritoriality of US. He referred to the North Stream pipeline in the Baltics and to interferences of the

Americans in activities carried out from European legally operating companies.

Mr Alessandro GIGLIO VIGNA, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

also made suggestions to consider meeting

more often within COSAC via videoconference and to organise a debate between COSAC and the US

Congress, a suggestion that was positively received by Mr KRICHBAUM, Mr LOPATKA and Ms

THILLAYE. Mr KRICHBAUM said that the suggestion would be discussed within the COSAC Troika

and that it would be in particular up to the forthcoming Presidency to follow up on this.

4. Session II: Lessons learnt from the corona crisis - Cooperation in the EU in the event of pandemics

and in health care

Keynote Speakers: Dr Thomas GEBHART, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health;

Dr Andrea AMMON, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the

German

Bundestag

Mr Guido WOLF, German

Bundesrat,

opened his address by stating that the second wave of the pandemic

showed in a very dramatic way how vulnerable our societies and our health systems were when faced with

such an aggressive virus. On 18 November 2020, both the German

Bundestag

and

Bundesrat

voted to

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

approve a law in this regard ('Third law to protect the population in the event of an epidemic situation of

national importance'), with which freedom-limiting measures in the fight against corona pandemic had been

placed on a solid legal basis. He underlined that the urgency of measures should not result in national

Parliaments being left out from the decision-making. He explained that in Germany, the federal states

(Länder) and the federal government coordinated their actions in the fight against the coronavirus. Better

coordination on European level was also necessary because the spread of the virus did not stop at national

borders.

Dr Andrea AMMON, Director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), started

her intervention with a brief overview of the current epidemiological situation of COVID-19 in the EU.

As of 27 November 2020, 12 million cases had been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK, including more

than 300.000 deaths. A slight decrease of some parameters monitored by ECDC could be observed. One

was the 14-day case notification rate for the EU and EEA countries and the UK, and the second parameter

that appeared to have started to decline was overall positive cases from all the tests for COVID-19 for the

EU/EEA and the UK, meaning a lower percentage of tests that had been taken yielded a positive result. She

underlined, however, that overall and, in most countries, the positive rate was still very high.

Dr AMMON named two parameters that were increasing: death notification and intensive care unit

occupancy. While the recent trends gave hope that the measures had an effect and some countries could

have already gone past the second wave, many countries had probably not. She stressed that, from the

epidemiological point of view, the situation in Europe did not indicate public health measures could be

relaxed.

She gave an overview of the instruments available to the ECDC, EU institutions and the EU Member States.

One of its central instruments was the European Surveillance System (TESSy), which collected all data

reported by Member States. Another instrument was the EU Early Warning and Response System (EWRS),

in which Member States reported and exchanged available information and data. A third instrument was

the Center's Epidemic Intelligence and Surveillance Teams, which collected daily data on COVID-19 cases

and deaths based on reports from health authorities, and published regular updates on the ECDC website.

Dr AMMON said the ECDC worked closely with the European Commission, the European Parliament and

the Council. She stated that its most intensive cooperation was with the Member States themselves, adding

that the ECDC had COVID-19 contact points in the Member States with whom meetings were held on a

weekly basis.

Dr AMMON said that throughout the duration of the pandemic, the ECDC had supported the Member

States by providing risk assessments and a scientific background. The ECDC regularly updated their risk

assessments and guidance documents. In addition, Dr AMMON stated that the ECDC had intensified its

cooperation with other centers for disease prevention and control at the global level, such as the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the USA, China, Canada and Africa.

Dr AMMON underlined that it was too early to draw clear conclusions from the pandemic, however, the

current situation would offer a unique and important opportunity to draw lessons on how international

organizations and countries could better prepare for future pandemics.

She outlined the major challenges for cross-border cooperation that lay ahead:

1. Unpreparedness: The preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Member States

showed that significant investment was needed.

2. Surveillance: Member States still faced challenges in setting up robust population based surveillance

systems to deliver reliable, timely and comparable data.

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

3. Testing and contact tracing: Another challenge for countries was to increase and maintain a high testing

and tracing capacity. She underlined that rapid tracing of contacts and subsequent reduction of contacts

remained critical to contain transmission at all stages of the epidemic. She said contact tracing apps could

only serve as a complementary system.

In conclusion, Dr AMMON said communication remained a key challenge, since an appropriate

understanding of the situation among the population was crucial for managing the pandemic. She said

pandemic fatigue, misinformation and disinformation were ongoing challenges faced by many Member

States.

Dr Thomas GEBHART, German Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Health, said the

German Presidency had tackled a number of different issues with the aim to develop a common approach

to combat the pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic had shown some deficiencies. Acting effectively

together was in the interest of all Member States of the EU. Despite the progress being reached on the

development of vaccines, the pandemic would drag on into next year. He also assumed that it might not be

the last infectious disease of this magnitude. This gave the EU and its Member States cause for drawing

lessons from the current crisis.

The German Presidency focused on three main areas for a common approach and wanted to endorse Council

Conclusions in the EPSCO on 2 December 2020. Firstly, the Presidency has been engaged in the

strengthening of the ECDC. Important in this context was a comparable data basis between the Member

States, the expansion of the Early Warning System and an increase in the financial and human resources of

the ECDC.

On the supply of pharmaceuticals, he secondly underlined that the EU should ensure more transparency,

diverse supply chains and expanding the active ingredient production in the EU to reduce dependencies.

Thirdly, on data policy Dr GEBHART said Europe needed to adopt its own approach, based on its values,

thus departing from the American approach, which emphasized the role of the private sector, as well as the

Chinese approach, which relied on a state managed model. This included reliable and trustworthy rules on

data sharing and interoperable infrastructures to enhance cooperation in health care and research.

Finally, he stressed that part of reaching a greater strategic autonomy of the EU was to engage globally. He

mentioned the recent Council Conclusions on the reform of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the

COVAX Facility aiming at fair access for every country to the vaccines.

Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

reminded the participants that the outbreak of COVID-19

dated back nearly exactly one year, referred to the progress made during this time and opened the debate,

in which 17 speakers took the floor.

A number of speakers stated that the pandemic had shown weaknesses in the European project (Mr Stefan

SCHENNACH, Austrian

Bundesrat,

Ms Ria OOMEN RUIJTEN, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

Liliana TANGUY,

French

Assemblée nationale,

Ms Saskia LUDWIG, German

Bundestag,

Mr Ioannis BOURNOUS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

Mr Nik PREBIL, Slovenian

Državni

zbor),

with some mentioning lack of solidarity

(Ms Liliana TANGUY, French

Assemblée nationale,

Mr Joao DIAS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República)

and lack of cooperation (Mr Mark DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Chambre des représentants,

Ms Skevi

KOUTRA-KOUKOUMA, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

Mr Joao DIAS, Portuguese

Assembleia da

República).

In this context, the need to continue and deepen cooperation and coordination between the Member States

was referred to by many speakers.

Ms KOUTRA-KOUKOUMA, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

called for a Union that prioritized health

and was better prepared for crisis response and better equipped to protect its citizens. Mr Mark

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Chambre des représentants,

expressed the view that the EU needed to reduce

its dependency on third countries with regard to protective and medical equipment.

Ms Marina BERLINGHIERI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

called for a structured, coordinated and timely

response at EU level, while Mr Nik PREBIL, Slovenian

Državni

zbor,

observed that Europe needed a

uniform approach as well as deeper cooperation and solidarity, yet the response of the EU had been slow.

Both emphasized the importance of science and knowledge.

In their interventions, some parliamentarians expressed their support for strengthening the ECDC (Mr Mark

DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Chambre des représentants,

Mr Ruben MORENO, Spanish

Cortes

Generales).

Mr MORENO suggested establishing a European agency on alarm and critical situation, which

could be formed within the ECDC if its mandate were to be changed. Ms Ria OOMEN RUIJTEN, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

and Mr Ruairi Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

House of Oireachtas,

underlined the need for harmonizing

rules for traveling in Europe in times of a pandemic. Referring to the limited competence of the EU in

health policy, Ms OOMEN RUIJTEN, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

asked what could be done to allow for a better

coordination with and between the Member States without changing the Treaty. In a similar vein,

Ms Liliana TANGUY, French

Assemblée nationale,

asked how coordination between the Member States

could be enhanced especially with regard to vaccines. Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austrian

Bundesrat,

suggested that the question of transferring competences to the EU warranted a serious discussion.

Mr Ioannis BOURNOUS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon

and Ms OOMEN RUIJTEN, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

expressed their concern that the set budget was too small. Mr BOURNOUS added that EU institutions could

consider a health care cohesion strategy in Europe. In this context, he emphasized the importance of

accurate access to health care for everyone.

Mr Bogdan KLICH, Polish

Senat,

emphasized that, in his view, all Member States should support the

recovery fund, and the fund should be excluded from the ongoing political debate.

Some delegates referred to the availability of a vaccine. Mr Pere Joan PONS SAMPIETRO, Spanish

Cortes

Generales,

expressed the view that vaccine had to be made available to all and warned against

disinformation on COVID-19 and stressed it was important to address this in the future. Mr KRICHBAUM,

German

Bundestag,

said that it was important to convince people to get vaccinated to protect others.

Some parliamentarians referred to digitalization in their interventions. Ms Marina BERLINGHIERI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

underlined the need for more digitalization. While agreeing that digitalization could

provide solutions in the short term, Ms Saskia LUDWIG, German

Bundestag,

expressed her concern that

digitalization could in the medium term affect freedom, democracy and fundamental rights. She said a

European data space was needed, but appropriate attention should be paid to what kind of data was being

collected. Finally, she enquired to what extent the EU recovery fund was used for digitalization.

Mr Lukas SAVICKAS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

was of the opinion that the EU had successfully passed the test

of solidarity, unity and cooperation, but underlined that more efforts were needed, for example in

coordinating COVID-19 testing and improving the functioning of the Single Market and the Schengen

Area, with particular focus on strengthening resilience of the EU.

Mr Joao DIAS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

said that the response to the pandemic had in some

cases amounted to an attack on people…s

rights and freedoms.

He further underlined the need to revitalize

the economy.

Ms Sigridur ANDERSEN, Icelandic

Albingi,

expressed her concern regarding the state of democracy in

Europe and deplored the lack of parliamentary scrutiny when it came to COVID-19 measures, stating that

many far-reaching measures had been adopted via government decrees, without appropriate parliamentary

involvement. In response, Mr KRICHBAUM noted that the German

Bundestag

had held over 70 debates

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

on measures condemning the coronavirus both at executive and legislative level. He underlined that

although measures taken had a considerable effect on citizens, the aim was to protect those who were most

vulnerable.

In his response, Dr Thomas GEBHART underlined that it was important to take note of the lessons learnt,

improve rapid reaction, and work up on digitalization and data management. He reminded delegates that

the European approach to data policy was different to the one employed by China, for example, because

the patient would remain the sole authority over the right to his or her data. Dr GEBHART expressed

support to the idea of enhancing cross-border exchange of data, while noting that the competence would

remain with the Member States.

In her closing remarks, Dr Andrea AMMON noted that the Member States were vested with the

responsibility to decide on the specific measures, further noting that the ECDC had received requests during

the crisis that did not match with the competences conferred to the agency. She noted that not all power

could or should be transferred to the EU level since the pandemic was also local and knowledge on

combatting diseases relied on local experiences. She assured the delegates that the ECDC fully complied

with the data protection regulation of the Union (GDPR) in its processing of the data and only stored

information related to age, gender and disease parameters from which it was impossible to identify

individuals. She added that the ECDC only used public data, which would further dispel any concerns about

data protection issues.

Referring to digitalization, Dr AMMON noted that the challenges related particularly to technical issues

and that therefore cross-border coordination was indispensable. She noted, however, that these technical

solutions could be easily found through constant and proper dialogue. Dr AMMON referred to the

cooperation in developing mobile infection notification applications and noted that this was the first time

in history such an endeavor had been undertaken to this extent. Finally, Dr AMMON took up the issue of

vaccinations and underlined the need to coordinate prioritization and exchange of information in this regard.

5. Session III: Review of the German EU Council Presidency

Keynote Speaker: Dr Angela MERKEL, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Moderator: Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat

Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

opened the session by stressing that the German EU

Council Presidency had been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and coping with its consequences.

Nevertheless, the Presidency had to deal with various other topics. He mentioned particularly the

withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU and thanked Mr BARNIER for his negotiation

management as well as the close contact he maintained with the members of COSAC. Addressing the

negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), he regretted that they were currently blocked

by Poland and Hungary. This was to be overcome, in order to provide the needed financial aid from the

recovery programme Next Generation EU soon. Referring to the Conference on the Future of Europe

(CoFE) Mr KRICHBAUM stated that Treaty changes should not be excluded from the outset as a possible

result. Therefore, national Parliaments should be involved in the Conference on an equal footing with the

European Parliament.

In her keynote speech, Dr Angela MERKEL, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

acknowledged that the coronavirus had shaped Germany…s EU Council Presidency and challenged the

Union to learn how to find shared approaches to overcome the crisis. This was echoed in the motto of the

German Presidency

“Together for Europe…s Recovery” and a lot had been achieved in this regard during

the past months. Lessons had already been learnt compared to the first wave of the pandemic but it was

foreseeable that the EU would have to deal with the economic consequences of the crisis for years to come.

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Dr MERKEL emphasized the need to retain convergence and cohesiveness of the Union despite these

challenges and expressed her hope that negotiations in the Council would eventually lead to the abandoning

of current vetoes against the approval of the comprehensive recovery fund.

In view of the upcoming summit on 10 and 11 December 2020, Dr MERKEL touched upon several topics

that were going to be discussed. She reiterated the Union…s determination to reach a deal

with the United

Kingdom before the end of the year yet stressed that this was not going to happen at all costs. Dr MERKEL

praised the work of the Task Force for the Relations with the United Kingdom (UKTF) and underlined the

Presidency…s full support of

Chief Negotiator Michel BARNIER.

Regarding climate neutrality,

she emphasized Germany…s support for the European Commission…s

emissions reduction target of at least 55 percent by 2030 and said the Presidency aimed to announce an

ambitious European reduction target at the Climate Summit on 12 December 2020. She conceded that

consultations on the European Commission…s legislative proposals,

expected by June 2021, were going to

be difficult. Every Member State brought its expectations to the table, part of the German position being,

for example, that it wanted to commence CO₂

emissions trade for transport and buildings.

Dr MERKEL

highlighted the good cooperation between the Trio partners in this and other areas like digitization, referring

to the development of a European digital single market as an important objective, in this regard.

Dr MERKEL expressed her hope for a kick-start of the CoFE during the German Presidency, and said that

the main focus should not be on treaty changes. The aim of the Conference should rather be to listen to and

meet citizens… expectations,

and if this implied changes to the Treaties, then that option should not be

excluded either. Dr MERKEL voiced

support for the European Commission…s New Pact on Migration and

Asylum and said that it addressed the right tasks, namely well-managed external borders, cooperation with

home countries and a fair treatment of migrants and refugees who were coming to Europe.

Among the topics on the foreign policy agenda, Dr MERKEL named relations between the European Union

and Turkey and future relations with the administration of the US president-elect Joe BIDEN. She said she

was grateful for the unified stance of the Union regarding the sanctions against Belarus as well as with

regard to the Novichok poisoning of Alexei NAVALNY. Dr MERKEL acknowledged the progress

achieved by Albania and North Macedonia but said that the Bulgarian position had made the beginning of

accession talks with North Macedonia at an intergovernmental conference during the German Presidency

unlikely. She announced a meeting of members of the European Council with African Union high-level

representatives that was going to take place on the eve of the Summit on 9 December and expressed her

hope that a physical Africa Summit could be held under the Portuguese Presidency. Regarding the

agreement on the protection of investment with China, the Presidency was going to undertake a new attempt

to negotiate at the beginning of December.

During the ensuing debate, 25 speakers took the floor. There was an expression of general support for a

speedy adoption of the comprehensive recovery fund and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) as

well as for the need

to couple the Union…s economic recovery with Europe…s green and digital ambitions.

Several Members referred to the conditionality mechanism and encouraged the German Presidency to stay

firm in its position to tie payment of the funds to rule of law principles. Some Members made reference to

CoFE, stressing that the process was yet to start in December (Ms Sabine THILLAYE, French

Assemblée

nationale),

that national Parliaments needed to obtain a more important role in the process (Mr Domagoj

HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor)

and that the European youth should not be forgotten in its context

(Mr Christian BUCHMAN, Austrian

Bundesrat).

A number of Members pointed out the need to revamp

transatlantic relations and the global multilateral order.

Ms Gabriella GIAMMARCO, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

stressed the need to review the EU…s

relationship with China in order to ensure fair competition and avoid compromises on European

fundamental values. Mr José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

shared this view,

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

emphasizing that the agreement on the protection of investment with China needed to be approached with

caution. Mr Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

called for a unified European stance vis-

à-vis

Turkey…s destabilizing influence, a view backed by Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus

Vouli

ton Antiprosopon.

Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

welcomed the introduction of

the “Aktuelle Stunde” to the COSAC and thanked the German Presidency for the good cooperation.

Mr Andrej CERNIGOJ, Slovenian

Državni zbor

, raised the question of a German vision to the question of

external border controls in the context of the European Commission…s New Pact

on Migration and Asylum.

He said that the incoming Slovenian Presidency was looking forward to continuing the work of the German

Presidency in the second half of 2021.

Lord Charles KINNOULL, UK

House of Lords,

expressed his hope that the EU and UK would succeed in

concluding a broad agreement. The new relationship had to mutually benefit the more than 500 million

citizens involved. Mr Domas GRIŠKEVIČIUS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

thanked the German Presidency for its

continued support regarding Lithuania…s environmental

and nuclear safety vis-à-vis

Belarus… nuclear power

plants. He stressed the need to debunk misinformation and counter hybrid and cyber threats within the EU.

Mr Christian BUCHMAN, Austrian

Bundesrat,

thanked his colleagues for their solidarity in view of the

recent terrorist attacks in Vienna. Mr Richard HÖRCSIK, Hungarian

Országgyű lés

, explained Hungary…s

position with regard to the conditionality mechanism, stating that this was not conform to the agreement

reached at the July European Summit and that any link between the rule of law and the financial interest of

the Union required Treaty

changes. Gabriela CREŢU, Romanian

Senat,

referred to the unfinished reform

of the European Monetary Union, pointing out that the debts of each Member State were going to be even

higher after the crisis.

Vice-President Dita CHARANZOVÁ, European Parliament, addressed the need to ensure a cost-free

vaccine for all European citizens and said the Union needed to help Member States to deploy funds of the

recovery package quickly. Ms Susana SUMELZO JORDÁN, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

addressed the

need to revamp the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Ms Sabine THILLAYE, French

Assemblée nationale,

underlined the need for a clear strategic doctrine with regard to European defence. Mr Mark

DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Sénat,

referred to

the issue of Catalonia…s quest for independence.

First Vice-

President Roberta METSOLA, European Parliament, stressed the need to move from emergency solutions

to a long-lasting framework with regard to migration, which also took into account the toxic narrative of

populism surrounding this topic.

Ms Roxana MȊNZATU, Romanian

Camera Deputaților,

welcomed the adoption of conclusions with regard

to the situation of mobile seasonal workers as they were illustrative of the need to protect workers… rights

especially

in times of crisis. Ms Dušica STOJKOVIĆ, Serbian

Narodna skupština

, said Serbia had accepted

to continue negotiations under the new methodology and hoped for a speedy start to the intergovernmental

conference. Ms Rudina HAJDARI, Albanian

Kuvendi i Shqipërisë,

explained that Albania was currently

undertaking its judiciary reform.

In her response, Dr MERKEL said there was no explicit need to review EU-China relations as European

values had always been a part of this relationship, yet acknowledged that China had become an important

global player with multifaceted strategic interests. Dr MERKEL argued that the challenge was to find the

right balance for EU-China relations also in view of European interests as there was not going to be any

relevant global

agreement, for example on climate neutrality, without China…s support. In a similar vein, a

balance needed to be found for Europe…s relationship with Turkey. Despite legitimate criticism of Turkey…s

foreign policy, it had to be acknowledged that Turkey had taken in more than 3 million refugees from Syria

alone. Dr MERKEL said there was not going to be a quick solution to the issue of migration as compromises

needed to be found between countries at the European borders and countries with high numbers in

secondary movement. Europe needed safe and orderly migration and she thus supported the European

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

Commission…s proposals. She stressed the need for more legal formats of exchange, for example by means

of education and training, and a deepened cooperation with countries of origin.

With regard to CoFE Dr MERKEL said the pandemic had shown the importance of good coordination on

a European level. The question was whether the problems could be solved on the intergovernmental level

or whether it was advisable to transfer competences to the European Union, with the latter making Treaty

changes necessary. Dr MERKEL said she would not approach this issue merely from a legal point of view

but would rather seek answers as to how the European project could be improved. The Member States were

masters of the Treaties and it was important to safeguard the sovereignty of the Member States. At the same

time there were areas, for example the development and production of a vaccine, where it would be

constructive to have the European Commission negotiate on behalf of the European citizens.

On the issue of Brexit, Dr MERKEL said she too hoped an agreement could be reached and that contingency

measures were the very last resort. With regard to nuclear power plants in Belarus, she said the Presidency

was well aware of the difficult situation for the neighbouring countries. On the subject of the dissemination

of online content promoting terrorism, Dr MERKEL said she also hoped to finish trilogue talks soon, but

noted that the issue was controversial. She went on to say that if the recovery fund and the MFF were not

adopted by the end of the year, the Union would have to cope with the twelfth part of its budget each month

and with no recovery fund from January onwards. She called for willingness to compromise on the part of

all involved, but made it clear that rule of law was the basic principle of the European project.

With regard to the Western Balkan countries, Dr

MERKEL pointed out that Serbia…s relations to the

Kosovo

remained a prerequisite for the next steps in the accession negotiations.

Finally, Dr MERKEL called for realism with regard to climate neutrality as the carbon emissions reduction

target of 55 percent already required a considerable effort on the part of all Member States. Discussions on

how to achieve this target could be expected to last throughout 2021. Dr MERKEL said she hoped for less

regulatory and more market-based instruments in the matter and that the Union should aim for a

transformation that was feasible, avoiding to confront its industries with an unsolvable problem.

With regard to the big global players like China or USA she saw the urgent need for the EU to act unified

and coherently. She appealed to everybody to show tolerance, respect for the different cultures and the will

to find compromises.

6. Session IV: The Future of the European Union

Keynote Speaker: Dr Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission

Moderator: Mr Guido WOLF, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Questions, German

Bundesrat

Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag,

initially congratulated the President of the European

Commission for being in office for exactly one year wishing her luck for the challenges ahead. An important

forum to take up these challenges was the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFE). National Parliaments

in their important function as linkage between citizens and civil society on the one hand, and the European

level on the other hand, expected to be adequately involved in this Conference. Mr KRICHBAUM further

mentioned several ambitious projects of the Commission, inter alia regarding dealing with the consequences

of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an early initiative in this context, he emphasized the SURE programme

(Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency). A number of Member States now hoped for

a timely approval of the EU…s long term budget that was interlinked with the recovery fund.

This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with Resolution 1244 of the United Nations

Security Council and to the opinion of the ICJ on the declaration of independence of Kosovo.

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In her speech, Dr von der LEYEN, focused on the corona crisis and the tools already available to the EU

to combat the crisis, as well as the role of the European Commission in securing the vaccine, the contracts

with pharmaceuticals and its production in Europe, leaving to the Member States the national vaccination

plans.

References were also made to the Recovery Plan Next Generation EU, to create a more sustainable, a more

digital and a more resilient Europe with EUR 750 billion worth, and to the new European budget, which

needed a solution to overcome the differences that made the two Member States to block this package.

Dr von der LEYEN reiterated that a conditionality mechanism was appropriate, proportionate and necessary

and, if legal doubts subsisted, they needed to be brought to the European Court of Justice, avoiding the

delay in assisting Member States to mitigate the impact of the crisis.

Dr von der LEYEN recalled that the impact of the crisis that could have led to a fragmentation of the Single

Market, and pointed out that Europe was putting forward a plan not only to repair the economy, but also to

prepare for the future, with a focus on solidarity and with joint investments.

On the national recovery plans, she underlined the importance of aligning these plans with the European

Green Deal and the climate-neutral objective, with the use of clean technologies, modernisation of

buildings, digitalisation, the resilience of the economy and the Paris Agreement goals, and expressed the

hope that the US would re-join the Paris Agreement.

Other issues were raised by Dr von der LEYEN, such as the multilateral rules-based system and the work

with partners such as the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the World Health

Organization (WHO), during the crisis, the cooperation with the Western Balkans and African countries on

medical equipment and with doctors for the Syrian refugees. The COVAX Facility, as a way to guarantee

that the middle-income countries have access to equitable and affordable vaccines, was also mentioned.

Referring to the national Parliaments, Dr von der LEYEN welcomed the continuous debate and activities

during the pandemic, ensuring that the epidemiological crisis did not turn into a crisis of democracy, and

reiterated that this decisive role of

Europe…s democracies

was why Parliaments would also play a key role

at the Conference on the future of Europe, which should start before the end of the year.

During the debate that followed, 26 speakers took the floor. Several speakers focused on the importance of

the national Parliaments… role in the CoFE, as well as of the citizens participation (Mr Thomas HACKER,

German

Bundestag,

Mr Neal RICHMOND, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

Susana SUMELZO JORDÁN,

Spanish

Cortes Generales),

with Roberta METSOLA, European Parliament, highlighting the need of

bringing the EU closer to citizens and for a deepened dialogue with the national Parliaments and developing

a true parliamentary dimension of the CoFE, while Mr Marko POGAČNIK, Slovenian

Državni zbor

, stated

that Slovenia would be focused on this discussion also during the Slovenian EU Council Presidency. Mr

Daniel FREUND, European Parliament, pointed out that there is an urgent need for EU reforms and that

the CoFE should be rapidly launched, while Mr Sergio BATTELLI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

and Mr

Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Bundesrat,

mentioned the importance of the Conference. Mr BATTELLI

added that this would be the opportunity to promote common values. On the topics that should be covered

by the Conference, Mr Dario STEFÀNO, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

underlined that it should be

centred on policies and Mr Rubén MORENO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

said they would be conditioned

by the pandemic crisis.

Mr Audronius A�½UBALIS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

also mentioned the need for better decision-making process

in the EU. The cooperation among the Member States during the crisis was also stressed by several

participants, namely Mr Jean-François RAPIN, French

Sénat,

Mr Neal RICHMOND, Irish

Houses of the

Oireachtas,

and Mr Nik PREBIL, Slovenian

Državni zbor

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On the rule of law conditionality mechanism, Mr Tibor BANA, Hungarian

Országgyű lés

, said that the

institutions could not apply this rule to the allocation of EU funds without clear definition of conditions,

while Ms Roberta METSOLA, European Parliament, underlined the need to ensure protection of the EU

budget under the rule of law conditionality mechanism. Mr Neal RICHMOND considered it at the heart of

future Europe and Ms Isabel ONETO, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

said that, even without

interference in the national Parliaments… autonomy, this question affected the whole EU and a solution

should be sought in order not to compromise its future. Ms Satu HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

considered

that the legality of the process should be decided by the European Court of Justice. Mr Bogdan KLICH,

Polish

Senat,

also alluded to the existing connection between the European values, such as the rule of law,

and the European funds and the solidarity principle.

Referring to the corona crisis, Mr Jean-François RAPIN, French

Sénat,

considered the urgency of providing

the support to European industry, especially in pharmaceutical area and the data protection and called for

strict rules for big-tech, while Mr Marko POGAČNIK, Slovenian

Državni zbor

, referred to the problems

the European economy was facing. Mr Domagoj MILOŠEVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski Sabor,

highlighted the

importance of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Single Market. Mr. Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Bundesrat,

thanked the European Commission for its effective work in the procurement of vaccines.

The relations with the Western Balkans and the accession process were pointed out by Mr Thomas

HACKER, German

Bundestag,

Mr Domagoj MILOŠEVIĆ,

Liliana TANGUY, French

Assemblée

nationale,

and Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbian

National Assembly,

who also considered important the

participation of the Western Balkans in the CoFE as a way to promote reforms and ease the enlargement

process.

Lord KINNOULL, UK

House of Lords,

alluded to the shared values, joint recovery and the joint climate

objectives of the UK and the EU.

Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

expressed concerns about the international law

violations and the protection of the external borders of the EU, bearing in mind Turkey…s actions on Cyprus

and Greece. Migration and the need for solidarity was a key point for Mr Nikitas KAKLAMANIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon.

Climate issues were also addressed by some speakers. Mr Marko PAVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski Sabor,

welcomed a commitment by China to become carbon neutral by 2060, and the promise made by the new

US President-elect. Ms Satu HASSI, Finnish

Eduskunta,

supported investments in climate protection and

informed participants of Finland…s commitment to use half of the recovery funds for climate and green

recovery. She also underlined the importance of improving resilience through biodiversity.

Mr Gatis EGLITIS, Latvian

Saeima,

raised the question of the appointment of new Head of the Commission

Representation in the country.

Dr von der LEYEN replied to the questions and comments regarding the importance of creating solid

structures to deal with crises, pointing out the development of the European Health Union, the enlarged

competences of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European

Medicines Agency (EMA), along with the setting-up of a new agency the Health Emergency preparedness

and Response Authority (HERA). She stated that the EU needed more innovation, technology, continuity

in the renewable energy, the development of a growth strategy based on circular economy, the digitalization

as crucial for the Green Deal objectives, a human centric way to deal with data, the maintenance of the

level playing field in what concerns Brexit. Importance was also given to the enlargement policies, the new

accession methodology and the progress in the Western Balkans. On the CoFE, Dr von der LEYEN

underlined that it was an important process, welcomed the participation of national Parliaments, as well as

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

in the executive board, and expressed support for maintaining gender balance and inclusion of young

people.

8. Session V

– ‘Europe’s role in the world

- A responsible partnership with Africa’

Keynote Speaker: Professor Dr Horst KÖHLER, President of the Federal Republic of Germany (2004-

2010)

Moderator: Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs, German

Bundestag

Mr WOLF underlined that partnership with Africa was essential for the future of the EU, reminding

colleagues that deepening relations with Africa was one of the German EU Council Presidency priorities

and in this regard, the Presidency had planned to organise a summit with the African Union to define a

common strategy for the coming years. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit had to

be postponed. Mr WOLF stressed Africa…s enormous

potential for economic growth from which the EU

could also benefit, since both needed to address the same challenges, for example with respect to climate

change and digitalisation. He stressed that the times of the donor-beneficiary relationship between Europe

and Africa were over, and the EU had to build new relations with Africa on an equal footing. In conclusion,

Mr WOLF highlighted the importance of better communication between the EU and Africa in the future,

and underlined that the prompt implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

could open up new opportunities for cooperation.

Professor Dr KÖHLER welcomed the attention COSAC would give to Africa, especially during the

challenging times marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition happening in the United States, the

post-Brexit negotiations and the concerns about the future of the EU. He acknowledged the significant role

Africa could play for the future of the EU and focused his intervention on the importance of forging a new

economic and strategic partnership between the two continents, on an equal footing and with due respect

to reciprocal responsibility.

Professor Dr KÖHLER began by quoting positive demographic trends in Africa, compared to the

demographic downturn being faced by Europe.

He underlined that it would partly depend on the EU…s

actions whether a young generation in Africa could become a transformative force for economic growth,

peace and stability. He continued by noting that many African countries were undergoing socioeconomic

and democratic transition. However, far too few jobs were being created in Africa, and the continent was

still primarily a supplier of raw materials, whereas value creation itself, which generated jobs and income,

was taking place elsewhere. Professor Dr KÖHLER went on to emphasize the economic and strategic

importance of Africa for Europe, since both continents had common interests in a rule-based international

order and especially since Europe needed new allies, markets and trading partners to maintain its prosperity,

amid global economic upheaval and to continue promoting its values and interests worldwide.

As a prerequisite for establishing a new partnership between Europe and Africa, Professor Dr KÖHLER

underlined a question of the attitude towards each other and added that Europe should reshape its

established perception and acknowledge Africa as an independent political actor, with its own visions and

its own options for action. He also warned that Europe had ceased to be the only possible partner to Africa

and, as an example, pointed out China. Against this backdrop, Professor Dr KÖHLER concluded that it

was in Europe's own interest to offer a better partnership to Africa.

He welcomed Africa…s response to

the COVID-19 outbreak, and noted that under the leadership of the

African Union (AU), Africa had reacted early and decisively and formed coordinated cross-country

strategies to fight the pandemic, whilst the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had shown

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foresight and leadership. He also acknowledged the AU…s commitment

to democracy, human rights and

good governance and its Agenda 2063, the vision of the future of Africa, and contemplated whether Europe

was engaging enough in discussion with African intellectuals and think tanks. He also recalled the fact that

the first international visit of Dr Ursula von der LEYEN, after she became President of the European

Commission, was to the AU Commission in Addis Ababa, a visit which was well received by African

partners and marked a new era in the EU-Africa relations. He continued by welcoming the draft

Comprehensive Strategy with Africa, which the Commission had published in March the same year, as a

reference point for the discussion, including in the national Parliaments of Africa and Europe, while also

noting that both sides must come to a clear understanding of their respective "top priorities" for cooperation.

As a second essential element of a substantive new partnership between Europe and Africa, Professor Dr

KÖHLER underlined the need for reciprocal responsibility. He recalled positive developments in Africa

with regard to the issue of good governance, namely in areas such as the rule of law, democratic

participation, education and health although there was a setback in the last year. He emphasized that Europe

must consider whether the Economic Partnership Agreements had provided African countries with

sufficient support for the development of agriculture and industry, and whether and how they had

contributed to the implementation of the large-scale African domestic market. Referring to agricultural

policy, a particularly sensitive issue for Europe, Professor Dr KÖHLER suggested a mutual agricultural

transition that would bring benefits to both continents. Europe should convert from industrial to ecological

agriculture and use public funds to reward ecological value creation rather than land ownership, and, in

turn, Africa would thus have more space for its own productive agricultural business, generating jobs and

income for millions of people.

Since certain structural reforms in Africa and Europe were mutually dependent, Professor Dr KÖHLER

underlined the need for new ways of thinking highlighting the programme

La Verticale Afrique-

Méditerranée-Europe.

He stressed that European business associations should develop ideas and strategies,

preferably with African partners, on how they could contribute to making Africa a new growth hub within

the global economy.

In conclusion, Professor Dr KÖHLER underlined that a vaccine against COVID-19 must be made available

to Africans as a “global public good”. He also underlined that

Europe should advocate for debt relief for

African countries. He continued by highlighting the United Nations… Agenda 2030 for Sustainable

Development and the Paris Climate Agreement as a political framework for cooperation between the two

continents and noted the strength of the EU and the AU in multilateral fora as they together represented

around 40 percent of the international community. In this regard,

he welcomed the EU…s support to the

candidacy of Ms Ngozi OKONJO-IWEALA as the new head of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Prior to the opening of the discussion, Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, Chairman of the Committee on

European Union Affairs, German

Bundestag,

stressed that parliamentarians needed to accept the criticism

that they far too often regarded Africa as a problem in public discourse and not enough as an opportunity.

He introduced distinguished invitees and speakers from African countries, which was a novelty to COSAC,

and welcomed the fact that Africa was high up on the agenda of the upcoming Portuguese EU Council

Presidency.

In the subsequent debate, 15 speakers took the floor, including three speakers from Africa. In their

interventions, all parliamentarians welcomed the new impetus planned to be given to EU-Africa relations,

which would be sought on an equal footing. The vast majority of speakers acknowledged the importance

of Africa for the future of the EU and called for greater EU investment and assistance to Africa with the

aim to eradicate poverty, promote education, strengthen health systems, stimulate socioeconomic progress

and support the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking.

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

Ms Lilia BELLIL MANAI,

Assembly of the Representatives of the People

of Tunisia, opened the debate

and recalled the crucial importance of political, economic and cultural ties between Europe and Africa. She

emphasised good relations and cooperation between Tunisia and the EU, especially in terms of trade,

tourism and transport, and continued by underlining the strategic geographic importance of the Maghreb

for the EU.

Ms Anna BONFRISCO, European Parliament, stressed the need for the EU to assist Africa in

accomplishing greater regional integration, as well as in achieving a prosperous and peaceful Africa

governed by its citizens. Mr Brendan HOWLIN, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

underlined that the EU

must strive to achieve a true partnership with Africa, while Ms Lucia PUTTRICH, German

Bundesrat,

called for a wise implementation of a joint EU-Africa strategy with a focus on addressing common

challenges and achieving prosperity. Ms Marina BERLINGHIERI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

noted a

positive outlook for democratic and economic growth in Africa. Mr Elias MYRIANTHOUS, Cyprus

Vouli

ton Antiprosopon,

stressed that tackling the irregular migration largely depended on the consensus within

the EU on a new asylum policy, while Mr Audronius

A�½UBALIS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

underlined that the

migration crisis had shown

the EU…s dependence on Africa. He

therefore called for a better management of

migration flows, notably by establishing better cooperation with countries of origin to address the root

causes of migration and suggested setting up migrant camps in third countries. Mr Pere Joan PONS

SAMPIETRO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

welcomed the so-called

•Marshall

plan… for Africa and called

that due attention was given to demographic challenges, migrant and refugee issues and human rights. He

concluded that a dialogue on these issues could be a win-win scenario for both continents. Ms Gabriella

GIAMMANCO, Italian

Senato della Repubblica,

also spoke about the need to provide assistance to Africa

to decrease migration flows, as well as to support the stabilisation of Libya with a view to saving lives in

Mediterranean and tackling human trafficking. Mr Elias MYRIANTHOUS and Mr Pere Joan PONS

SAMPIETRO called for providing African countries with an access to affordable vaccine against COVID-

19 as soon as it was made available. Mr Mark DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Sénat,

welcomed the

reorientation of the

EU…s attitude towards Africa.

Ms PUTTRICH noted that the EU should rethink its

expectations of Africa, while Ms Sabine THILLAYE, French

Assemblée nationale,

emphasised that the

renewed EU partnership with Africa should be linked to development, security and rule of law. She

welcomed the participation of African speakers in the panel, and emphasised the importance of cooperation

with Africa, especially with regard to rethinking a future partnership and in terms of the situation in the

Sahel region. Mr Duarte MARQUES, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

confirmed the upcoming

Portuguese EU Council Presidency…s commitment to Africa. He emphasised the importance of education

for achieving gender balance or environment sustainability, and called for greater investment in education,

thus creating favourable conditions for future generations in terms of food, schooling and technology. Mr

MARQUES concluded that a successful partnership with Africa would also largely depend on Europe…s

ability to listen to African partners. Mr

Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

recalled

Africa…s geopolitical and economic importance for the EU and

argued that the EUshould not ignore Africa

while becoming a global player. He underlined the Partnership for Peace, Security and Governance and the

Partnership on Migration and Mobility, which he deemed vital for both sides. Mr HAJDUKOVIĆ

concluded his intervention by welcoming the participation of African speakers and expressed his hope that

this practice would continue. Mr Mark DEMESMAEKER, Ms Sabine THILLAYE, Ms Gabriella

GIAMMANCO and Mr Audronius

A�½UBALIS noted that Africa

had other options for potential partners,

such as the US, China and Russia, and therefore the EU needed to demonstrate that it was the best partner

for Africa in the future. Mr Pere Joan

PONS SAMPIETRO also referred to China…s influence and interest

in Africa.

Ms Emilia MONJOWA LIFAKA,

National Assembly

of Cameroon, supported strengthening of mutual

relations between Africa and the EU. She focused her intervention on the need for enhancing the

EUU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 190: Referat af Trojka-møde 27/11-20 og COSAC-møde 30/11-1/12 i Berlin

cooperation and trade relations, energy issues, transfer of technology to African countries and supporting

democracy and promoting peace and stability in Africa.

Ms Jeanine MABUNDA,

National Assembly

of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, welcomed the

inclusion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in this new format of dialogue between the EU and

African countries. She referred to the Compact with Africa (CwA) initiative, proposed by German

Chancellor Dr MERKEL, to promote innovation and investment, and welcomed the direct dialogue.

Bearing in mind relations with some EU Member States in the past, Ms MABUNDA expressed the will

and readiness to go beyond past visions and build future relations on an equal footing. She underlined the

need for greater responsibility and accountability towards the future EU-Africa partnership, from both

sides. Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms MABUNDA stressed that in terms of the crisis, Africa

had been less exposed than Europe or Asia, but the economic shock would be greater in Africa, and called

for finding ways to address this issue within the ongoing dialogue on the new partnership between the EU

and Africa. She listed a few topics that she thought EU and African countries should focus on in the

discussions, namely migration, green transition of African countries and sharing EU…s experience in the

field of participative democracy. With regard to the migration issue, Ms MABUNDA suggested the opening

of more resident opportunities for young people. She concluded by underlining the need for better

promotion of economic democracy in Africa, alongside participative democracy.

In his closing remarks, Professor Dr KÖHLER expressed his satisfaction with the large support expressed

during the debate to a new partnership between the EU and Africa, which could contribute to an increased

awareness of shared interests and challenges. He underlined that Europe could and should have done more

in terms of supporting and promoting education in Africa, particularly in rural areas and recalled that

relations between Europe and Africa needed to be seen in the geopolitical context of political and climate

changes. He especially welcomed the participation and dialogue with African parliamentarians, underlined

the importance of interparliamentary cooperation and expressed hope that COSAC would continue to

discuss with Africa, while in a reciprocal way the African parliamentarians should discuss with Europe.

9. Closing remarks

Mr WOLF thanked colleagues for the constructive dialogue, both during this session and during the

previous sessions, and thanked them for their participation in the conference.

Mr KRICHBAUM echoed these sentiments, and highlighted the value behind the new concept introduced

to COSAC of dedicating a session to current affairs. He then gave the floor to Mr Luís CAPOULAS

SANTOS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

to introduce the incoming Portuguese Presidency.

Mr Luís CAPOULAS SANTOS, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

congratulated the German

Presidency for their outstanding work during difficult times, especially their efforts to ensure the

coordination among the Troika despite circumstances that did not make communication easy. He also

thanked the previous Croatian Presidency and welcomed the Slovenian colleagues who were joining the

Troika. He assured colleagues that the Portuguese Presidency would continue on the good work of its

predecessor, and announced the dates of various interparliamentary meetings to be held, pointing out in

particular the date of the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC, to be held on 11 January 2021, as well

as the LXV COSAC to be held on 30 May - 1 June 2021.

Mr KRICHBAUM thanked Mr CAPOULAS SANTOS and briefly referred to the letter presented for

co-signing before closing the conference.