EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

Europaudvalget 2021-22
EUU Alm.del Bilag 670
Offentligt

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF COSAC

RAGUE

, C

ZECH

EPUBLIC

, 10 - 11 J

ULY

2022

AGENDA

PROCEEDINGS

1. Opening of the meeting

Welcome speech by Mr Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Czech Senát

Opening remarks by Mr David Smoljak, Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs - Senate

Opening remarks by Mr Ondřej Benešík, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the

Chamber of Deputies

2. Procedural and other general matters

Adoption of the Agenda of the Meeting

Presentation of the results of the COSAC Presidential Troika Meeting

Provisional agenda for the LXVIII COSAC

Outline of the 38th COSAC Bi-Annual Report

Letters received by the Presidency

Presentation of the outcomes of the COSAC Working Groups by representatives of the European

Affairs Committees of the French Parliament

3. First session - Presentation of the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council

Keynote speaker: Mr Jan Lipavsk�½, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Czech

Republic

4. Second Session - Media and Democracy: current challenges

Video message: Ms Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and

Transparency

Keynote Speaker: Mr Othmar Karas, First Vice-President of the European Parliament

Speaker: Mr Michal Klíma, Commissioner for Media and Counter-Disinformation of the Czech

Government

6. Closing remarks of the Chairpersons

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

PROCEEDINGS

IN THE CHAIR: Mr David SMOLJAK, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the

Czech

Senát;

Mr Ondřej BENEŠÍK, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the

Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna.

1. O

PENING OF THE MEETING

Welcome speech by Mr Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Czech

Senát

Mr Miloš VYSTRČIL, President of the Czech

Senát,

welcomed the delegations to the

Sénat

of the Czech Republic and mentioned that this Chamber has been one of the most

active in scrutinising legislation at the European Union (EU) level. He recalled the context

of the gas crisis that occurred during the former Czech Presidency in 2009, and regretted

that the EU did not learn from that experience. In fact, he said that although the right path

to follow had been clear then, particularly with regard to the concerns about not deepening

the energy dependence on totalitarian regimes, the same energy crisis was currently being

faced again. He considered that the main problem of Europe was not about knowing what

the right solutions were, but about not being able to implement them. He reminded

delegates of the motto of the Czech Presidency: “Europe as a task“ inspired by the speech

of the former Czech President Václav HAVEL, which should be interpreted in the sense

that it was also Europe’s task to set an example for others to follow. He therefore urged

the Parliaments/Chambers to help Europe by all possible means to start fulfilling this task.

Opening remarks by Mr David Smoljak, Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs

- Senate

Mr David SMOLJAK, Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Czech

Senát,

began by appreciating the Czech Presidency motto and clarified that, in his view, the

“task“ Václav HAVEL referred to also meant common responsibility for Europe's future

and for maintaining our European values. He compared the COSAC delegations,

including himself, to relay racers and expressed his hope that this common race would be

successful because there were only two possible results: either winning together or losing

together.

Opening remarks by Mr Ondřej Benešík, Chairman of the Committee on European

Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies

Mr Ondřej BENEŠÍK, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna,

thanked the French Presidency for the excellent work and for the

flexibility shown in very challenging times. He expressed his optimism regarding the

cooperation within the Troika, and stated that the situation in Europe had dramatically

changed, and that the meaning of security had taken on a whole new dimension. He also

mentioned the issue of food security which a year ago was about its quality, whereas these

days it concerned ensuring the sufficiency and affordable prices. Mr BENEŠÍK added

that the very existence of energy sources was now being addressed, while a year ago the

discussion was about which one was preferable to choose. He emphasised the need to

give solutions to citizens who justly expected it. He urged delegates to think of Europe in

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

a much broader way than just the EU, referring not only to the countries cooperating with

the EU economically, but also to the the new candidate countries, in particular Ukraine

and Moldova, and to the Western Balkan countries, that needed a European perspective

He further noted that Georgia should not be forgotten since, in recent times, Georgia was

the first country attacked by the Russian Federation. In a broader context he also

mentioned the Strategic Compass initiative that put together like-minded democratic

countries, and underlined the need for Europe´s active role in a global world. He urged

Europe to bear in mind the transatlantic and transpacific links, but also the potential for

cooperation with South American or South African partners. Mr BENEŠÍK also

expressed his belief that the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC could contribute to

help Europe overcome the current crisis.

2. P

ROCEDURAL AND OTHER GENERAL MATTERS

Adoption of the Agenda of the Meeting

Mr SMOLJAK presented the draft agenda of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC

that was adopted without amendment. Afterwards the Chair welcomed delegates

attending the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC for the first time: Mr Franc

BREZNIK, Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Slovenian

Državni zbor,

Marija GOLUBEVA, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Latvian

Saeima,

Mr Raoul BOUCKE, Deputy Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of

the Dutch

Tweede Kamer,

Mr Pieyre-Alexandre ANGLADE, Chairman of the Committee

on the Affairs of the European Union of the French

Assemblée nationale,

and Mr Kacper

PŁAŻYŃSKI, Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee Polish

Sejm.

Mr SMOLJAK added

that in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of COSAC the Czech Presidency had

invited the new candidate countries Ukraine and Moldova. He welcomed and

congratulated delegates of Ukraine and Moldova, namely Ms Ivanna KLYMPUSH-

TSINTSADZE,Chairperson of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European

Union of the

Verkhovna Rada,

and Mr Adrian BĂLUTEL, Member of the Standing

Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration of the Moldovan

Parlamentul

Republicii.

Both were given the floor for a short introduction.

Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE said she was feeling privileged to be able to represent,

for the first time at the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC, a nation that has bravely

stepped up against the Russian aggression and proved that values matter. She thanked

everyone who helped Ukraine and supported its application to become a member of the

EU. She noted that Ukraine was very thankful for the decision of the European Council

held in June 2022 to grant Ukraine and Moldova status as candidate countries, as

recommended by the European Commission. She underlined that the decision was taken

on the basis of merit because, since the historic Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine had

proven to be able to make significant changes and delivered the results requested. She

stated that the decision of the European Council in June 2022 was also taken against the

backdrop of the tragedy that took place in the heart of Europe and that it was a tribute to

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

the Ukrainian army which was defending the whole of Europe, not just Ukraine. She said

the candidate status gave Ukraine a historical chance to transform itself and to be able to

live in accordance with European values for which Ukraine fights, being that now there

was a legal obligation from both sides (Ukraine and the EU) to ensure that the country

would become part of the Union. She said Ukraine was happy to be able to enrich the

European project with its additional beliefs, knowledge and courage, once it would win

the war. She stated, for that to happen, Ukraine needed Europe to be united and to have a

clear position as it was the case during past months. She pledged to preserve Europe's

unity in maintaining the rules-based international order, its procedures, honour, dignity

and respect. Finally, she expressed her hopes that, with the help of Europe, Ukraine would

be able to win the war and restore itself as a sovereign, independent, self-sufficient

country, totally recovered in its borders.

Mr Adrian BĂLUTEL, Moldovan

Parlamentul Republicii

thanked for the invitation and

welcomed the candidate status granted to the Republic of Moldova as a historical decision

for the country and for the aspiration of its citizens to live in a better place, with better

perspectives. He noted that European integration was, above all, a matter of

transformation of the country and that, against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of

Ukraine, this decision gave hope to its people on becoming part of a free world. He stated

that the Republic of Moldova knew very well what it meant to have Russian troops on its

territory, and to deal with Russian interference in its media, democracy and good

governance. He noted that the candidate status was the foremost occasion to work on the

transformation process of Moldova, on strengthening the economy and, last but not least,

could be seen as a possibility to continue helping Ukraine by welcoming tens of thousands

of Ukrainian refugees. He added that the economic downfall of Moldova caused by the

Russian aggression was very harsh and that it had consequences for every single person

in the country. He said that the assistance coming from the EU was therefore crucial in

these tragic times. He concluded by thanking the EU for advocating for Moldova to

become a candidate country and added that Moldova was looking forward to contributing

to the work of COSAC and defending European values.

Presentation of the results of the COSAC Presidential Troika Meeting

Mr SMOLJAK informed the delegations about the results of the COSAC Presidential

Troika Meeting, noting the approval of the agenda of the COSAC Chairpersons´ meeting,

the approval of the outline of the 38th Bi-annual Report of COSAC and of the draft agenda

of the LXVIII COSAC.

Provisional agenda for the LXVIII COSAC

Mr SMOLJAK presented the adopted draft agenda of the LXVIII COSAC, which was

endorsed by the Troika and that would take place in Prague from 13-15 November 2022.

He then introduced the five thematic sessions which would be covered during the meeting:

the first session would be dedicated to an overview of the Czech Presidency of the Council

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

of the EU; the second session would discuss the Future of the EU; the third session would

address the issues of the Strategic autonomy of the EU; the fourth session would be

dedicated to a state of play on Ukraine, namely on reconstruction and migration; and the

fifth and final session would focus on the European Perspective of the Western Balkans

and Eastern Partnership countries.

Outline of the 38th COSAC Bi-Annual Report

Mr SMOLJAK presented the outline of the 38th COSAC Bi-annual Report, stating that

the first chapter of the Report would focus on the Conference of the Future of Europe

(CoFE), in particular the participation of the Parliaments/Chambers in the works of the

Conference and their internal procedures related to it. It would also gather positions taken

by Parliaments/Chambers on the conclusions of the CoFE related to institutional matters

and democratic procedures, including citizens´ participation. In its second chapter, the Bi-

annual Report would look at the proposals arising from the two COSAC Working Groups

(WGs)

set up during the French Presidency. He specified that the Czech Presidency

would like to get the views of the Parliaments/Chambers on the individual proposals

contained in the conclusions of these WGs and their implementation. The last chapter of

the Bi-annual Report would be devoted to the relationship between the EU, Ukraine,

Moldova and Georgia in the context of the Conclusions of the June 2022 European

Council. It would look at whether and how Parliaments/Chambers have debated the

Russian aggression against Ukraine or their involvement in the accession process.

Mr SMOLJAK stressed that, on the basis of the approved outline for the 38th Bi-annual

Report, a questionnaire would be sent to the delegations on 20 July at the latest, with

replies expected by 19 September 2022. That would allow for the 38th Bi-annual Report

to be drawn up on time for the LXVIII COSAC in November. Mr SMOLJAK drew the

attention of delegations to the fact that the replies to the questionnaire and the findings of

the Report would form the basis for the political deliberations regarding the Contribution

and Conclusions to be adopted by the LXVIII COSAC. Therefore, he encouraged

Parliaments/Chambers to pay appropriate attention to the questionnaire in order to

facilitate that future work.

Letters received by the Presidency

Mr SMOLJAK referred to the following letters received by the Presidency requesting

invitation to attend the COSAC meetings:

Mr Benedikt WÜRTH, President of the Swiss delegation for relations with the

European Parliament, Swiss

Assemblée fédérale;

Mr Masud GHARAHKHANI, President of the Norwegian

Stortinget;

Working group on the role of national Parliaments in the EU; Working group on the place of values at the

heart of the sense of belonging to the European Union.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

Lord Charles KINNOULL, Chair of the European Union Committee, UK

House

of Lords;

Bjarni JÓNSSON, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the

Icelandic

Althingi;

Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI, Chair of the Committee on European Integration

of the Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I

;

Mr Pere LÓPEZ AGRÀS, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Legislative Committee of

Andorra, only for the COSAC Plenary, for which a positive answer is being

prepared;

Ms Rrezarta KRASNIQI, Chairwoman of the Committee on European

Integration, Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës.

Mr SMOLJAK said that, following consultation with the Presidential Troika, invitations

would be sent to all the above-mentioned Parliaments. Finally, the Presidency received a

letter of confirmation from Ukraine to attend the COSAC Chairpersons meeting.

Presentation of the outcomes of the COSAC Working Groups by representatives of

the European Affairs Committees of the French Parliament

Mr SMOLJAK gave the floor to the representatives of the European Affairs Committees

of the French Parliament to present the outcomes of the COSAC WGs.

Mr RAPIN first thanked the Czech Presidency for the opportunity to present the outcomes

of the WGs that were established within the COSAC during the French Presidency in the

first half of 2022. He noted that the French Presidency wanted to strengthen COSAC and

to give it a new dynamism. He thanked delegates for the approval of the establishment of

two WGs groups in January 2022 in Paris, each one composed of about 40 members of

Parliaments/Chambers of the EU and the European Parliament to discuss these matters.

He stressed that, during approximately four months, these WGs met more than 10 times

and that, on 14 June 2022, its Conclusions were adopted. He recalled the creation of a

COSAC WG in 2015, under the Luxembourgish Presidency, which had met only once

and did not adopt any conclusions. In this regard he perceived the French Presidency´s

WGs as a major innovation that enabled close cooperation between the members of

national Parliaments and to draft proposals together. He referred to the honour of having

chaired the WG on the role of national Parliaments in the EU, while adding that, in the

context of the crisis Europe was facing, the French Presidency considered that this issue

was crucial in the institutional framework of the EU. In fact, he mentioned that national

Parliaments, as representatives of citizens, could not be omitted in this new political

situation. Mr RAPIN then alluded to the fact that, after four months of work, the WG

adopted conclusions by consensus of its members, remarking that the European

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 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

Parliament unfortunately had not joined the consensus. Finally, he noted that it was a

demanding job to balance the different positions, traditions and legal systems, but

acknowledged that the conclusions showed that, despite the differences, it was possible

to have common proposals.

Mr RAPIN identified the two proposals that he considered as the most important. Firstly,

he mentioned the initiative of the so-called “green card”, stating that it was not a new idea

but the WG had come up with a concrete and directly applicable proposal in case the

European Commission accepted it, for instance, via a declaration with that regard. He

underlined the practical meaning of the proposal that would give national Parliaments an

active role in building Europe. Secondly, he referred to the right of the Chairpersons of

the European Affairs Committees of Parliaments/Chambers to ask written questions

addressed to the European institutions, meaning that the members would have the right to

address them directly. He reminded that this proved to be very useful for obtaining

information on vaccines purchases during the health crisis.

Mr RAPIN also alluded to other proposals from the WG, namely the organisation of

hoc

interparliamentary conferences or inclusion of a brief summary of the contributions

of national Parliaments in the introductory provisions of legislative proposals, the

envisaged change in the threshold or prolongation of the subsidiarity check deadline, the

access to documents from trilogues granted to the national Parliaments or the proposal to

appoint the shadow rapporteurs to the most important legislative dossiers. Other proposals

aimed at strengthening the cooperation between national Parliaments and the European

institutions and more effective cooperation between national Parliaments themselves. He

noted that all these proposals could be implemented quickly, reminding that national

Parliaments had a very strong legitimacy and could contribute to improvement of

democratic functioning of the EU and the involvement of EU citizens. He concluded by

asking for political support for implementation of the conclusions, thanking those

members who participated in the work of WGs or within the CoFE. He stated that new

links and new contacts were established and that all this would contribute to the future

common work. Finally, he wished success to the Parliamentary Dimension of the Czech

Presidency.

Mr ANGLADE started by thanking his predecessor Ms Sabine THILLAYE, former

Chairwoman of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union of the French

Assemblée nationale,

for her work, and then presented the conclusions of the WG on the

place of values at the heart of the sense of belonging to the EU. He recalled that the work

consisted mainly of discussions between members of the group, experts and law

professors on important concepts of European identity such as values, democracy, and

fundamental rights. He said these concepts might seem obvious but can be very difficult

to define. He added that this was the reason why one of the recommendations of the WG

was to have a more comprehensive definition of the rule of law, also based on criteria

such as freedom of the media or the fight against corruption. He underlined the importance

of defence of European values, noting that the war in Ukraine reminded us that freedom,

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

democracy or the international order based on rules, peace and security could be called

into question at any time.

Mr ANGLADE said that one of the final recommendations of the CoFE was to hold an

annual European conference on the rule of law after the European Commission had

published its report on that matter. The conference would bring together representatives

of national Parliaments, European institutions, governments, local authorities, social

partners and citizens. It would also be a forum for a debate with legal experts on the

content of the European values concepts. Mr ANGLADE noted that the next conference

on the rule of law organised by the European Parliament in Brussels would take place in

December and that it could be a prelude to the European conference mentioned in the

conclusions of the working group. He reminded that the WG proposed to future COSAC

Presidencies to have the rule of law as a permanent topic, either at the meeting of the

Chairpersons of COSAC or at the Plenary Meeting. According to him such debates could

be prepared by including questions on values and the rule of law in the questionnaires for

the Bi-annual Reports. He further clarified that the report of the WG did not state that

each Presidency should evaluate the theme of rule of law in a broad comprehensive way,

but that the focus would be on one of these concrete aspects. Mr ANGLADE stated that,

by including the topic of Current Challenges to Media and Democracy on the agenda of

the Meeting of Chairpersons of COSAC, the Czech Presidency was already implementing

one recommendation of the WG.

Mr ANGLADE considered that the most important proposal made by the WG was the

creation of a permanent working group on the rule of law within COSAC. Such a group

would consist of rapporteurs appointed by each European Affairs Committee and would

be dedicated to following the rule of law issues throughout the year. He specified that the

group could meet once a year within the framework of each Presidency, to discuss - for

example - the European Commission's annual report on this subject, and could adopt

recommendations by consensus to COSAC. Mr ANGLADE expressed his belief that such

change would bring significant progress.

Mr SMOLJAK thanked the French delegates for their contributions but also for their work

on the organisation of both WGs and for the whole French Presidency. He said he

appreciated and respected the work of both WGs.

The Chair then moved to the point of any other business and gave floor to Ms Eva KJER

HANSEN, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Danish

Folketinget.

Ms KJER HANSEN thanked the French Presidency for the organisation of the WGs

which, according to her, showed a new way of working together. She asked the Czech

Presidency for a follow up, stressing the need to get closer to the decision process and the

citizens as well, pointing out the fact that the members of national Parliaments are the

closest to them. She expressed her will to discuss these matters together and proposed to

get back to that during the LXVIII COSAC and try to inform each other about the different

models of national Parliaments practices. She mentioned that the Danish Parliament was

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

very active concerning the monitoring of the legislative process and, for example, had

very often used its right to ask the European Commission questions. She underlined the

need for communication and exchange of best practices between the delegates.

Mr SMOLJAK thanked Ms KJER HANSEN and assured her that the Czech Presidency

was definitely ready for the follow up on the results of the individual WGs as well as for

the follow up in the Contribution and Conclusions of the LXVIII COSAC. He noted that

many of the WGs' proposals required acceptance at the level of the EU. For that, the

Contribution to be adopted at the LXVIII COSAC would first need to be addressed to the

European institutions, inviting them to respond and only then could further consideration

be given to the implementation of the proposals. He remarked that other proposals could

be implemented by the Presidency, and those ones would for sure be addressed by the

questionnaire.

Also following the prior request, Ms Marija GOLUBEVA, Latvian

Saeima,

presented a

joint statement of Chairpersons of the European Affairs Committee of the Parliaments of

Latvia and Lithuania regarding the need to counter foreign interference in democratic

processes in the EU. She noted that many of the delegates had already signed the joint

statement. She mentioned the

resolution of the European Parliament of 9 March 2022

regarding the co-financing of political parties, including co-financing by third parties such

as China or Russia. She stressed that the joint statement called on the European

Commission to accelerate the implementation of the European Democracy Action Plan.

The statement, besides others, urged the European Commission to follow up on the

recommendations expressed in the above-mentioned European Parliament's resolution

and to draw up a legal framework to prevent the foreign interference in electoral

processes.

3. F

IRST SESSION

- P

RESENTATION

RESIDENCY OF THE

EU C

OUNCIL

OF THE PRIORITIES OF THE

ZECH

Keynote speaker: Mr Jan Lipavsk�½, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government

of the Czech Republic

Mr Jan LIPAVSKÝ, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Czech

Republic, first addressed the plenary by thanking the participants for their interest in the

Czech Presidency. He mentioned that its priorities were prepared in cooperation with the

Presidency Trio, i.e.. France and Sweden, and that they had to reflect the current situation

of the war in Ukraine and its impact on Europe. Mr LIPAVSKÝ emphasised that the task

in the near future would be to find a single and clear consensus on measures that would

mitigate the negative impact of the current crisis on the citizens as far as possible. He then

introduced the Presidency´s main motto: “Europe as a task”, which was inspired by the

legacy of the former Czech President Václav HAVEL. The motto was extended to three

key slogans: rethink, rebuild, repower. The Minister explained that these slogans should

European Parliament resolution of 9 March 2022 on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European

Union, including disinformation (2020/2268(INI)).

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

reflect tasks such as rethinking current policies, especially in the area of defence and

energy transformation, reconstruction of infrastructure as well as institutional changes,

and strengthening of Europe's defence capability.

Mr LIPAVSKÝ then introduced the five pillars of the Czech Presidency which were in

line with the above mentioned objectives. The first priority was

Managing the refugee

crisis and Ukraine’s post-war recovery,

which required unified cooperation of all

Member States, EU institutions, other organisations and the civic sector. He proposed that

EU funds should be mobilised and a focus on a successful incorporation of refugees

should be ensured. He also stated that Ukraine being granted candidate status was a huge

success, however it was only a first step on a long and difficult journey and the EU should

assist Ukraine in its path to get closer to the Union.

Mr LIPAVSKÝ then presented the second priority –

Energy security,

by stating that the

current crisis revealed the importance of independence from countries that threaten the

EU´s security and that the focus should be on finding short-term alternatives before the

decarbonisation could be put into practice. He also emphasised that each Member State

must be able to choose its own energy mix that suits its needs.

On the third priority -

Strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities and cyberspace

security,

the Minister elaborated that significant investment in critical technologies and

cooperation with NATO would be crucial as well as the Strategic Compass. He then stated

that the Czech Presidency would work on cyber security and improvement of the digital

resilience of the EU institutions, as well as on development of a so-called hybrid toolbox

to combat digital threats.

Mr LIPAVSKÝ then raised another major priority -

Strategic resilience of the European

economy

and elaborated on the steps that needed to be taken. According to him, the EU

must stabilise the supply chains through competitive production within its borders and

deepen transatlantic cooperation through the EU-US Trade and Technology Council.

The final priority -

Resilience of democratic institutions,

was introduced by Mr

LIPAVSKÝ as equally important as the previous ones. The very foundation of what the

EU institutions and our society were built on should be, in the Minister's view, protected

from any hostile foreign interference.

During the ensuing debate, 33 speakers took the floor, expressing general support for the

priorities of the Czech Presidency and its attempt to handle several crises at once. Mr

Pieyre-Alexandre ANGLADE, French

Assemblée nationale,

emphasised the importance

of unity regarding the top priorities of the EU in the near future - strategic autonomy,

European defence and energy security. Mr Pyry NIEMI, Swedish

Riksdagen,

addressed

three topics from the priorities that were important to Sweden. Firstly, women's

representation in the labour market, secondly removing dependence on fossil fuels from

the Russian Federation and moving towards a greener transition via the Fit for 55

legislative package, and lastly, free trade, an area in which new solutions with other

democratic countries must be found. Mr Jean-Francois RAPIN, French

Sénat,

drew

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

attention to food security, preservation of the EU food production, the future of the

Eurozone, exchange rate differences and preservation of democracy in the EU.

The majority of speakers elaborated on the current war in Ukraine in general, namely Raul

BOUCKE, Dutch

Tweede Kamer

or Ms Emanuela Rossini, Italian

Camera dei Deputati.

Furthermore, there were also calls for the provision of more weapons for Ukraine (Mr

�½ygimantas PAVILIONIS, Lithuanian

Seimas;

Mr Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag).

Ms Ivana KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Ukrainian

Verkhovna Rada,

called

for more weapon deliveries and said this was the best kind of humanitarian aid that could

be given to Ukraine right now as it would help save lives. She also called for new

sanctions against the Russian Federation.

The need for plans for the post-war period and mainly the reconstruction of Ukraine also

resonated among speakers and was addressed by Ms Marija GOLUBEVA, Latvian

Saeima;

Mr Kacper PŁAŻYŃSKI, Polish

Sejm.

Mr Bogdan KLICH, Polish

Senat,

stated

that the International Criminal Tribunal under international law should examine the war

crimes and the crimes against humanity in Ukraine. He also emphasised that the process

of integrating Ukraine into NATO should be encouraged. Lastly, he stated that it was the

EU´s duty to formulate plans for the reconstruction and rebuilding of a completely

destroyed country and that some 750 billion EUR would have to be allocated for this

purpose in this new “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine. Mr Ștefan Mușoiu, Romanian

Camera

Deputatilor,

raised the topic of the refugee crisis. The other important issue in this context

- mental health impaired by the war, was mentioned by Mr Malcolm Paul AGIUS

GALEA, Maltese

Kamra tad-Deputati.

Some speakers have taken the subject of the current war to the next level by drawing the

attention to the importance to preserve peace and liberal democracy as well as the rule of

law throughout Europe (Mr Harris GEORGIADES, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon;

Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon).

They both warned about the threats posed

by Turkey.

Energy security, self-sufficiency and adequate prices for energy commodities were

among other important topics mentioned during some interventions. The need to find

secure and reliable sources outside of Russian influence was emphasised (Ms Marija

GOLUBEVA, Latvian

Saeima;

Ms Bojan KEKEC, Slovenian

Državni svet).

Mr Jani

MÄKELÄ, Finish

Eduskunta,

added that different circumstances of each EU Member

State should be considered, thus the EU should not interfere in the national energy policies

of individual countries.

Ms Samuel COGOLATI, Belgian

Chambre des représentants,

expressed his hope that

the EU would reiterate its commitment around renewable energy sources. Mr Anton

HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

added that it would be very important for the EU to

get rid of its dependency on fossil resources and accelerate the implementation of the Fit

for 55 legislative package.

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

Several interventions concerned candidate and potential candidate countries. The general

opinion expressed was that the EU should facilitate those who are seeking accession (Mr

Ruairí Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas;

Mr Davor Ivo STIER, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor).

On top of that, Mr Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Nationalrat,

reminded

that the EU should not forget Georgia and countries of the Western Balkans and, in this

respect, Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIČ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

and Mr Christian

BUCHMANN, Austrian

Bundesrat,

supported him. As a follow up to this, Ms Maka

BOTCHORISHVILI, Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I,

called for the chance to join the

EU. Similarly, the representatives of the Albanian

Kuvendi,

Mr Kreshnik ÇOLLAKU and

Mr Bardhyl KOLLÇAKU, emphasised that the integration of Albania should be

accelerated. Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbian

Narodna skupština,

stated that the enlargement

policy should not be neglected, but evaluated on the basis of the individual progress of

each candidate country. Ms Daliborka PEJOVIC, Montenegrin

Skupština,

called for an

accurate, acceptable and credible roadmap to the EU. Ms Rrezarta KRASNIKQ,

Kosovan

Kuvendi,

also expressed her country’s desire to join the EU.

A number of contributions focused on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFE).

Mr Othmar KARAS, European Parliament, stated that the next six months would be

crucial in many ways. Among other things, it would be decided whether the

implementation of the CoFE could be successful. He expressed his worries about the

Conclusions of the European Council from 24 June 2022 and stated that the EU should

be more ambitious. According to him, the credibility of the CoFE depended on the

implementation of its results and that it should be in the interest of all national Parliaments

to do so. Mr Reinhold LOPATKA, Austrian

Nationalrat,

added that it was important to

discuss the outcomes of the CoFE as well as the COSAC WGs.

Kim VALENTIN, Danish

Folketinget,

elaborated on the issue of high inflation. In his

view, in order to decrease it, public spending should be reduced and fiscal policy

reevaluated. The EU as a whole should look for ways to stop inflation without stopping

the growth.

After the end of debate, Mr LIPAVSKÝ took the floor again stating that some of the

topics that were not included in the presented priorities were, nevertheless, important. For

example, the potential migration crisis and food security. He was of the opinion that the

EU should find solutions in order to prevent further migratory pressure on the

Mediterranean countries. Regarding the weapons for Ukraine, he mentioned that the EU

had been able to agree on a package worth two billion EUR for military supplies, and

should continue its support as well as the Member States. The Minister also elaborated on

the topic of enlargement of the EU. He expressed his delight about the new candidate

countries and stated that the EU should pay the same level of attention to the Western

Balkan countries. Mr LIPAVSKÝ concluded his speech by reminding that the EU should

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 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

not forget the threat of COVID-19, as there had recently been an increase in the number

of cases across Europe.

4. S

ECOND

ESSION

- M

EDIA AND

EMOCRACY

CURRENT CHALLENGES

Video message: Ms Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission for

Values and Transparency

Keynote Speaker: Mr Othmar Karas, First Vice-President of the European

Parliament

Speaker: Mr Michal Klíma, Commissioner for Media and Counter-Disinformation

of the Czech Government

In a video message that was played to the meeting, Vice-President of the European

Commission, Ms Věra JOUROVÁ, introduced the topic. Ms JOUROVÁ began by saying

that the Commission together with the Czech Presidency aimed to support the resilience

of free and independent media. She continued, by saying that the Russian invasion of

Ukraine made this action even more relevant and urgent, and praised the difficult task of

journalists to report under the threat of Russian bombs. She reminded that, safety being

the first priority, the EU had already dedicated around eight million euros for emergency

support for journalists in Ukraine, including protective equipment, safety training, and

relocation. An additional package of 15 million euros was foreseen to support the

Ukrainian media.

With respect to protecting journalists in the EU, Ms JOUROVÁ noted that the European

Commission had sent recommendations to Member States in September 2021 on

improving the safety of journalists and that recently the General Affairs Council agreed

to do more with that regard, on the basis of these recommendations. In addition, in April

2022, the Commission proposed legislation to protect journalists from spurious legal

proceedings, the so-called SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). Ms

JOUROVÁ also spoke about the preparations of the forthcoming European Media

Freedom Act, which should aim at enshrining, for the first time in EU law, common

safeguards to protect media pluralism and the editorial independence of the media, against

increasingly negative trends, for instance regarding concentration of ownership and lack

of transparency in the media market.

Another aspect addressed by Ms JOUROVÁ were the changes driven by digitalisation,

where traditional forms were losing ground to online media, a trend which had increased

since the start of the pandemic. In fact, she noted that the media companies thriving were

those driven by innovation and new business models, and that trust in the media remained

comparatively low. She also acknowledged that young people consumed most of their

news via social media. Ms JOUROVÁ expressed her concerns about disinformation

groups, on issues ranging from antivax disinformation to a pro-Kremlin agenda. In this

respect, she mentioned the importance of the new Code of Practice against disinformation,

presented in June 2022, which envisaged a collaborative approach without limiting the

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

freedom of speech. This, together with the Digital Services Act, would increase the

accountability of platforms. However, she also highlighted the importance of digital

literacy to ensure societal resilience to disinformation. As part of the Digital Education

Action Plan, Ms JOUROVÁ informed about the preparation of common guidelines on

tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training. She

finally stated that she was confident that the Czech Presidency would be key to concluding

all the pending legislative proposals and to implementing all non-legislative actions, as

well as confirming that the European Commission took the opinions of the national

Parliaments extremely seriously in both, the field of media policy as well as in all the

others.

Mr Michal KLÍMA started his intervention by noting that solutions could be found to

many pressing problems like the pandemic or energy crises after they had materialised,

but independent media was of a different nature because democracy directly depended on

it. If we would lose independent media, it would mean the end of democracy, he argued,

and then it would be already too late to do something about it. As someone who had lived

almost half of his life in a Communist regime where free media did not exist, he recalled

the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, a situation similar to current

circumstances in Ukraine where journalists were among the most persecuted. Mr KLÍMA

mentioned that the Communists had imposed rigid censorship in former Czechoslovakia

and blocked foreign radio broadcasts from the free world. For 41 years the country had

no free media and no democracy, he added.

Turning to today, Mr KLÍMA expressed the view that the media in the EU countries was

not threatened by foreign dictators, but primarily by economic problems. This situation

has been misused by some politicians who would support media that were loyal to them

and even prevent companies dependent on state contracts from advertising in media that

criticised those politicians. To illustrate this problem, he used the recent example of a

former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, who had bought the biggest media outlets

in the country and - in Mr KLIMA’s view - turned them into instruments of his political

influence. According to Mr KLÍMA the media in former Communist countries was the

most endangered, as free media had a relatively short time to establish itself there, while

in countries with uninterrupted democratic development the media was able to establish

a relatively strong position. He added that in the former Communist countries, weak

media was unable to play its role and to contribute to strengthening democracy, and it had

often become a tool of oligarchs on whom they had to depend for funding. Therefore Mr

KLÍMA insisted on the need to have a system in the EU to support the media, in particular

the actual functioning of the media, its development, strength and plurality.

Mr Othmar KARAS stressed that Parliaments were facing the “challenge of their lifetime”

as democracy was under threat. He welcomed the priorities of the Czech EU Council

Presidency and noted that the next six months would be crucial for the implementation of

the proposals and recommendations of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Mr

KARAS underlined that it was in the very interest of all the Parliaments to ensure a

credible implementation and that the European Parliament was fighting for a European

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

Convention in order to update the common framework and the EU Treaties. He stressed

that democracy lived from freedom, rule of law and values, separation of powers, and free

and independent media. He recalled that the EU had a solid foundation to safeguard

democracy and the media, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the

Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU Treaties, and the EU Court of Justice. He also

mentioned the EU’s toolbox, including infringement procedures for protecting EU law,

the conditionality mechanism for protecting the EU budget, the Article 7 procedure for

protecting EU values, the Fundamental Rights Agency, or the Annual Rule of Law Report

issued by the European Commission

He elaborated on five areas of action with respect to media and democracy. Firstly, he

mentioned safeguarding media freedom and pluralism, as no Member State was immune

from risks to media freedom. He welcomed the forthcoming “Media Freedom Act”

announced by the European Commission to be published in autumn 2022, and the fact

that it had implemented the European Parliament’s demand to report on both positive and

negative developments, across the Member States. He added that political and financial

independence from the private market was crucial and that EU resources should not be

spent on media that was state-controlled or distributing propaganda.

As a second area, Mr KARAS mentioned the protection of journalists and the urgent

adoption of the new anti-SLAPP legislation. Thirdly, he spoke of combating hate speech,

including the evaluation, together with journalists, of the Code of Conduct on Countering

illegal hate speech for platforms. Fourth, he highlighted the fight against disinformation

and foreign interference. Mr KARAS stressed, in this respect, that it was necessary to

invest much more in high quality journalism, media literacy and measures against foreign

interference, and observed that the European Parliament had set up a dedicated Special

Committee on this topic, which adopted key recommendations to pursue this work. On

the fifth subject - ensuring a fair environment for platforms and online media - Mr

KARAS referred to the recent adoption of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets

Act as milestones in the right direction. The First Vice-President of the European

Parliament concluded his speech by underlining the need to strengthen interparliamentary

cooperation, together with the European Commission and the national Governments, and

to engage in a regular exchange on media freedom.

Following the speeches, 23 speakers took the floor to discuss the topic. The majority of

the interventions underlined that freedom of speech was a fundamental element of

democracy and that free media and information was a pillar to democracies.

A recurrent theme of the debate was the balance between freedom of speech on the one

hand and propaganda and disinformation on the other. Mr Rubén MORENO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

noted that even if freedom of speech could entail dangers, it was

preferable to despotism, while media was the most effective and active instrument

towards progress and civilisation. Mr Domagoj HAJDUKOVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

stressed that there was a thin line between free media and deliberate misinformation and

propaganda, something that Croatia and other countries had experienced with respect to

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

the war in Ukraine. Ms Marija GOLUBEVA, Latvian

Saeima,

noted that with some delay

the EU had closed propaganda channels after the outbreak of war, but only after damage

had been done, and she also noted that foreign interference found its way through social

media platforms, for example from Russia and China, supporting anti-vaccine rhetoric.

Mr Raimond KALJULAID, Estonian

Riigikogu,

agreed that protecting both freedom of

speech and citizens from foreign interference was a sensitive matter but that it was

important that national Parliaments and governments, as accountable to voters, should

decide on these matters instead of corporations. Mr

Jani MÄKELÄ,

Finish

Eduskunta,

supported the view that freedom of speech should be limited only if absolutely necessary

and that it should also cover controversial opinions, while social media should not be

forced to decide on this.

In what concerned specifically foreign interference, many speakers referred to dangers

from Russia or China, such as Mr Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

who gave the

example of propaganda from

Russia Today.

Mr Pieyre-Alexandre ANGLADE, French

Assemblée nationale,

referred to the need to protect our democracies and fight

disinformation, from such sources as

Sputnik,

while he praised the important work done

by journalists in Ukraine and against Russian disinformation. Mr �½ygimantas

PAVILIONIS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

stressed that the Baltic countries were constantly

attacked from Russia, with the latest example of disinformation regarding the transit ban

of goods through Lithuania’s territory from Russia to Kaliningrad. Ms Karin

BROUWERS, Belgian

Sénat,

informed participants that the Chamber had approved a

report in 2021 on the fight against disinformation containing more than 50

recommendations. She highlighted those relating to fact-checking on a wider scale at the

EU level and to extend those mechanisms to cover information coming from Russia and

from all countries undermining democracy. However, Mr Davor STIER, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

stressed that one should be careful and not nationalistic, so that also the

media sector would remain open to foreign investments as long as these are conducive to

a free society. Both Mr Dimitris KAIRIDIS, Greek

Vouli ton Ellinon,

and Mr

KALJULAID stressed the importance of preserving citizens’ trust in the institutions and

the rule of law in this respect, noting that foreign influence could only be successfully

spread where there was a low level of trust in a countries’ own institutions, while Mr

KAIRIDIS made clear that the worst thing to fear was the degradation of our own

democracy.

In addition, many interventions focused on the independence of the media. Mr

HOFREITER noted that free media needed enough independent money, which meant that

the media’s economic basis needed to be strengthened. Mr Bogdan KLICH, Polish

Senat,

noted that independent journalism was crucial and that, therefore, in some countries it

was absolutely necessary to provide direct financial support from the EU to the

institutions of the civil society that ensured independent information and monitored

media freedom. Mr Kacper PŁAŻYŃSKI, Polish

Sejm,

spoke about fighting media

oligarchs and the monopolisation of the media, giving some examples, and he praised

pluralism that meant media could support or criticise governments without being

punished. Mr Vlad Mircea PUFU, Romanian

Senat,

stressed that the economic

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

independence of the press was vital for free media and that the digital revolution required

that the press would be supported by special funding in order for the media to be able to

adapt to it.

Mr Rasmus NORDQVIST, Danish

Folketinget,

and Mr Ruairí Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses

of the Oirechtas,

noted their concerns about minorities being attacked by media or

governments using media against the opposition. Ms GOLUBEVA highlighted the

example of small groups of people who created huge harassment practices on social media

against Finish female politicians a couple of years ago.

A number or speakers referred to the necessity for an adequate legislative framework: the

importance of the Digital Services Act and the responsibility of platforms (Mr Ó

MURCHÚ, Ms GOLUBEVA), the online copyright rules (Mr Jean-François RAPIN,

French

Sénat,

Mr PUFU), and the protection of journalists from SLAPPs (Mr RAPIN).

In addition, Ms Emanuela ROSSINI, Italian

Camera dei deputati,

supported the inclusion

of pluralism and media freedom in the analysis parameters of the Annual Rule of Law

Report issued by the European Commission, and noted that an annual conference on rule

of law would be an important occasion to exchange data, to reflect on, and to raise

awareness of the importance of pluralism. Mr HAJDUKOVIĆ suggested that the

European Commission's annual Rule of Law Report should be debated in Parliaments and

be used as an indicator on what needed to be done. Mr NORDQVIST noted that the report

of the COSAC WG on EU Values and the recommendations of the Conference on the

Future of Europe in this area could be followed-up and many steps could be taken without

the need for Treaty change. Mr Raoul BOUCKE, Dutch

Tweede Kamer,

commended the

work of Commissioner JOUROVÁ and of the Czech Presidency which prioritised

protection of media freedom, and welcomed the fact that EU countries were united in a

media freedom coalition.

From the side of non-EU countries, Ms Simonida KORDIC, Montenegro

Skupština,

paraphrased Václav HAVEL’s quote, referring to “media freedom as a task” and she

noted that since digital media was gaining a primary position from traditional media,

focus needed to be directed to responsibility and fair and free information in digital media.

Mr Adrian BĂLUȚEL, Moldovan

Parlamentul Republicii

, called in particular for support

for small and independent journalists, in order to make free journalism more competitive

and stronger. Mr Aukrust ÅSMUND, Norwegian

Stortinget,

talking about striking the

right balance between freedom of speech and protection from propaganda and hate, raised

the subject of the way the terrorist attacks in Norway and other attacks displayed on social

media inspired more attacks. Finally, Mr Bjarni JÓNSSON, Icelandic

Althingi,

called on

parliamentarians to focus on information literacy.

In his concluding remarks, Mr SMOLJAK recalled US President Jefferson’s preference

for “newspapers without government” over “government without newspapers”,

explaining that a society could function without government if there were strong

institutions, civil society and a Parliament, but that without the critical role of independent

EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 670: Referat af Trojka-møde og COSAC-formandsmøde i Prag 10-11/7-22

media such functioning would not be possible, something proven in autocratic countries

where no independent media existed.

6. C

LOSING REMARKS OF THE

HAIRPERSONS

Mr SMOLJAK proceeded to the end of the meeting, giving the floor to Mr BENEŠÍK for

some concluding remarks. He thanked all participants for the very interesting and

constructive debates, highlighting the multiple challenges that the EU and the world

currently faced, some of them unthinkable a few months ago. So far, economic and social

affairs were addressed more in the EU while security and defence was taken as granted.

The Czech Presidency wanted to focus on this. Mr BENEŠÍK considered that without

common security there would be no prosperity, and that the EU should be capable of

looking beyond its borders, to recognise the neighbours with the same values and offer

them the EU perspective.

Mr SMOLJAK gave the floor to Ms Ivanna KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Chairperson

of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union of the

Verkhovna

Rada,

who made reference to the initiatives taken, together with Mr �½ygimantas

PAVILIONIS, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs, Member of the

Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Lithuanian

Seimas,

to put together an

informal network of parliamentarians from the European and national Parliaments called

“United for Ukraine” after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

Furthermore, she mentioned that they would like to commonly suggest that the

Chairpersons of COSAC could consider a common visit to Kiev in the near future, which

would send a strong signal of engagement, support and solidarity of COSAC with

Ukraine. Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE informed that, seeking the support of the

Czech Presidency, she would formalise this proposal in due course, mentioning dates

around the 24 of August (Ukrainian day of Independence) as one possibility to be

considered.

Mr SMOLJAK thanked all participants for the very interesting debates and ended the

meeting.