EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Europaudvalget 2022-23 (2. samling)
EUU Alm.del Bilag 527
Offentligt

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LXIX COSAC

TOCKHOLM

, S

WEDEN

, 14 - 16 M

2023

AGENDA

PROCEEDINGS

1. Opening of the meeting

Welcome speech by Dr Andreas NORLÉN, Speaker of the Riksdag

Opening remarks by

- Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Riksdag and Ms Matilda

ERNKRANS, Deputy Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Riksdag

2. Procedural and other general matters

Approval of the Draft Programme of the Plenary Meeting of the LXIX COSAC

Results of the Meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

Presentation of the 39th Bi-annual Report of COSAC

Letters received by the Presidency

Any other business

3. Keynote Video Message: H. E. Ms Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

4. Session I - The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU

Keynote Speaker: Ms Jessika ROSWALL, Minister for EU Affairs

First Speaker: Mr Salvatore DE MEO, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs,

European Parliament

5. Session II: 30 years of the Single Market

Keynote speakers:

Mr Othmar KARAS, First Vice-President of the European Parliament

Ms Kerstin JORNA, Director-General of Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry,

Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Continuation of Session II: 30 years of the Single Market

6. Meeting of the COSAC Chairpersons - discussion on the Contribution and Conclusions of the

LXIX COSAC

7. Session III - Towards a green transition

Keynote Speaker 1: Ms Helén FRITZON, Member of the ENVI Committee, European

Parliament

Keynote Speaker 2: Mr Daniel MES, Member of Cabinet of Executive Vice-President

Timmermans, European Commission

Keynote Speaker 3: Mr Johan KUYLENSTIERNA, Director General, Formas - A Research

Council for Sustainable Development

8. Session IV - Ukraine

Keynote Speaker 1: Ms Ivanna KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Chair of the Committee on

Ukraine’s integration into the EU, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada

Keynote speaker 2: Anders AHNLID, Chair of the Council’s Ad Hoc Working Party on Frozen

and Immobilised Assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction

Keynote speaker 3: Mr Jean-Erik DE ZAGON, Head of European Investment Bank

Representation to Ukraine

9. Closing session: adoption of the Contribution and Conclusions of the LXIX COSAC

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

PROCEEDINGS

IN THE CHAIR: Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the

Riksdag and Ms Matilda ERNKRANS, Deputy Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs

of the Riksdag.

1. O

PENING OF THE MEETING

Welcome speech by Dr Andreas NORLÉN, Speaker of the

Riksdag

Mr NORLÉN welcomed all delegations to the Swedish

Riksdag

and the LXIX COSAC

Plenary meeting in Stockholm. He recalled that the

Riksdag

so far had hosted six of the

eight interparliamentary meetings organised during the parliamentary dimension of the

Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, noting that one meeting had been

organised online (on Energy), and the one on Economic Governance had been

conducted in cooperation with the European Parliament in Brussels. Mr NORLÉN noted

that, after the COSAC Plenary meeting had been concluded, only one interparliamentary

conference remained to be organised in the

Riksdag

before the Spanish

Cortes

Generales

took over the responsibility for the parliamentary dimension of the

Presidency of the Council of the EU as of 1 of July.

Mr NORLÉN made a short introduction of the

Riksdag

and the Plenary chamber,

explaining that all 349 elected members of Parliament had assigned seats distributed

according to the constituency rather than the party affiliation, which was common in

many other countries. He explained that Sweden was divided into 29 electoral

constituencies, and had a proportional electoral system. He further noted that EU

matters were mainly dealt with by the 15 specialised parliamentary committees, which

also included the subsidiarity checks and the issuing of reasoned opinions.

Mr NORLÉN stated that the

Riksdag

was an active Parliament in EU matters,

highlighting the more than 1200 subsidiarity reviews of EU proposals the Swedish

Parliament had issued since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force in 2009. He

explained that the

Riksdag

routinely carried out subsidiarity reviews of EU proposals

where the Union did not have exclusive competences. In 2022, around 190 proposals

were scrutinised resulting in the issuing of 14 reasoned opinions on subsidiarity, which

were always transmitted to the EU institutions. He added that, for constitutional reasons,

it was more difficult for the

Riksdag

to take part in the political dialogue, which

explained why the subsidiarity reviews were such an important tool. Mr NORLÉN said

that every time the

Riksdag

adopted a reasoned opinion, a letter was sent to all fellow

Speakers of national Parliaments to draw their attention to the concerns raised, alluding

to the Treaty provisions stating that if a sufficient number of Parliaments raised

subsidiarity concerns the European Commission needed to formally respond. He further

expressed his wish to see a more frequent exchange among national Parliaments on

subsidiarity, and that he would welcome an increased number of subsidiarity reviews

from other Parliaments in the future.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Mr NORLÈN then referred to the topics discussed during the XLII COSAC Plenary

meeting, held in 2009 at the

Riksdag:

the financial crises, the climate crisis, the EU

enlargement and neighbourhood policy, noting that even if some of the underlying

reasons had changed, all of these were very topical matters still that day.

Mr NORLÉN said that holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU was complex

and challenging, noting that Sweden had taken on this task at a difficult period of time

with a brutal war on its doorstep, an energy crisis, and high levels of inflation. He

recalled that little more than a year had passed since the lives of millions of Ukrainians

had dramatically changed. He emphasised that the date 24 of February 2022 would

forever be tainted by the unjustifiable violence by the Russian Federation aimed at

subjugating Ukraine as a country.

Mr NORLÉN expressed his great respect for the Ukrainian people for their courage,

resilience, and resistance, noting that probably very few could fully see and recognise

the sacrifices Ukraine had been forced to endure. He referred to the Conference of

Speakers of EU Parliaments held in Prague in April earlier that year which had

expressed strong support for Ukraine. He noted that the final session of the LXIX

COSAC Plenary would be an opportunity to further discuss the situation, and how the

support for Ukraine could be upheld and coordinated, as well as how national

Parliaments could contribute to an inclusive reconstruction process of their

neighbouring country.

Mr NORLÉN concluded by alluding to the other topics on the agenda of the LXIX

COSAC Plenary, namely the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, the 30th

anniversary of the Single Market, and the green transition. He considered that

delegations would have two interesting days with discussions on important topics, and

once again warmly welcomed all delegations to the Swedish

Riksdag.

Opening remarks by

- Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the

Riksdag and Ms Matilda ERNKRANS, Deputy Chair of the Committee on

EU Affairs of the Riksdag

Mr WALLMARK expressed his gratitude to the Speaker of the Swedish

Riksdag,

Andreas NORLÉN for his welcoming address. He further welcomed three new

colleagues from national Parliaments who were attending the COSAC Plenary for the

first time: Ms Liisa-Ly PAKOSTA, Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee of

the Estonian

Riigikogu,

Mr Colm BROPHY, Chair of the Committee on European

Union Affairs of the Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas,

and Ms Adéla ŠÍPOVÁ Vice Chair

of the Committee on EU Affairs of the

Senát

of the Czech Republic. He further

informed that Lord KINNOULL, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the

United Kingdom

House of Lords,

had been appointed to a new position and as a

consequence would not take part in coming COSAC meetings. Mr WALLMARK

expressed his personal gratitude to Lord KINNOULL for the good cooperation over the

years, and wished him all success with his new tasks.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

2. P

ROCEDURAL AND OTHER GENERAL MATTERS

Approval of the Draft Programme of the Plenary Meeting of the LXIX COSAC

Mr WALLMARK briefly introduced the draft programme of the Plenary Meeting of the

LXIX COSAC, previously distributed to delegations. The different sessions covered the

Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the 30 years of the Single Market, the

green transition, and Ukraine. He highlighted that the two first sessions of the second

day of the meeting would be conducted in the presence of Her Royal Highness (H.R.H.)

Crown Princess Victoria. The programme was then approved.

Results of the Meeting of the Presidential Troika of COSAC

Mr WALLMARK informed delegations of the outcome of the Meeting of the

Presidential Troika of COSAC which had taken place the day before in the presence of

representatives of the Swedish

Riksdag,

of the Spanish

Cortes Generales,

of the Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna

and

Senát,

and of the European Parliament. The agenda included

a number of matters including the approval of the draft programme of the LXIX

COSAC Plenary meeting, the presentation of the 39

Bi-annual Report, and information

on letters received by the Presidency.

Mr WALLMARK also informed delegations that the Troika had discussed and agreed

on the draft Contribution and Conclusions of the Plenary Meeting of the LXIX COSAC,

noting that several amendments to the drafts were put forward by delegations within the

set deadline of 5 May and that the Presidency had distributed a table with those

amendments. Finally, he informed that revised compromise texts of the Contribution and

Conclusions had been circulated to delegations after the meeting of the Troika, which

were to be further discussed in the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC later the

same day with a view to formally approve them in Plenary at the end of the LXIX

COSAC Meeting.

Presentation of the 39th Bi-annual Report of COSAC

Mr WALLMARK referred to the

39th Bi-annual Report of COSAC,

drafted by the

COSAC Secretariat on the basis of replies to the related questionnaire circulated to

national Parliaments/Chambers on 14 February 2023, with a deadline on 16 March for

submitting the answers. Mr WALLMARK thanked the COSAC Secretariat for their

work and gave the floor to its Permanent Member, Mr Bruno DIAS PINHEIRO, to

present the Report.

In his presentation Mr DIAS PINHEIRO emphasised the fact that all

Parliaments/Chambers of the Member States, as well as the European Parliament, had

replied to the questionnaire, expressing the expectation that the findings of the Report

might prove useful not only for the COSAC Plenary but also for future work. He further

expressed his gratitude to the members of the COSAC Secretariat for their work with

the Report.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

He further recalled that the three chapters of the Report were dedicated to: 1. the role of

Parliaments/Chambers in the handling of the Fit for 55 package; 2. the role of

Parliaments/Chambers in the accelerated decision-making processes in response to

crises; 3. the best practices for information exchange between Parliaments, including the

use of IPEX.

The main results from the Report were summarised in a short

video

clip produced by the

Permanent Member and displayed at the end of his intervention.

Letters received by the Presidency

Mr WALLMARK recalled the following letters received by the Presidency requesting

invitations to attend the COSAC meetings that were received before the Chairpersons

meeting:

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;

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

Kingdom (UK)

House of Lords;

Mr 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;

Ms Rrezarta KRASNIQI, Chair of the Committee on European Integration,

Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës.

He also mentioned that ahead of the LXIX COSAC meeting, letters requesting an

invitation to attend the Plenary were also received from Sir William CASH, UK

House

of Commons,

and from Brigitte BOCONE-PAGES, President of the

Conseil National

Monaco, and Régis BERGONZI, Chair of the respective Committee on Negotiations

with the European Union.

Mr WALLMARK said that, following consultation with the Presidential Troika of

COSAC, invitations had been extended to all the above-mentioned Parliaments to take

part in the LXIX COSAC.

Finally, he also alluded to the letter sent to the Presidency with the Conclusions of the

meeting of the Committees on European Affairs of the Parliaments of the Visegrád

countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), held in Budapest

between 16–18 April 2023.

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 - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

All the letters mentioned were made available on

IPEX.

Any other business

Mr WALLMARK informed on two additional procedural issues, the first being the

termination of the old COSAC website (www.cosac.eu). He said that all content on the

old website had been successfully migrated to IPEX and reminded delegations that a

paragraph on the termination of the old website would be included in the draft

Conclusions from COSAC, and that the COSAC Secretariat would implement this

decision in 2023/24.

Mr WALLMARK recalled that the co-financing of the current Permanent Member and

the office of the COSAC Secretariat ended on 31 December 2023 and that the Swedish

Presidency had had invited Parliaments to renew their commitment to the co-financing

agreement for the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025. He then

announced that 39 out of the 39 National Parliaments/Chambers had signed and sent

their letters of intent indicating that they are willing to participate in the co-financing for

the above stated period, emphasising the fact this procedure could be initiated and

concluded during the Swedish Presidency and therefore the co-financing of the

Permanent Member and the office of the COSAC Secretariat would continue.

3. K

EYNOTE

IDEO

ESSAGE

: H. E. M

RSULA VON DER

EYEN

, P

RESIDENT

OF THE

UROPEAN

OMMISSION

In a pre-recorded video message, the President of the European Commission, Ursula

VON DER LEYEN, expressed her gratitude for being able to address COSAC even if

she was not able to attend in person.

With war raging at the doorstep of the EU and competition rising on a global scale, she

argued it was essential that Europeans set the direction of their travel together. She said

that parliamentarians, as the democratic representatives of the European citizens, had

brought the hopes and aspirations of the people to the political discourse and

decision-making. That was also why she had tasked the College of Commissioners to

regularly meet with national Parliaments, and noted that since the beginning of the

current mandate, the Commission College had made more than 400 visits to Parliaments

in all Member States: more than two visits per week.

Ms VON DER LEYEN expressed her gratitude to the Swedish Presidency of the

Council, and recalled that when Sweden joined the EU in 1995 it was in another

watershed moment for the Union. She noted that in the almost 30 years since, the EU

had become stronger and larger, but that the last years had shown that the job was far

from being done. She continued by listing three current tasks of great importance for the

EU. Firstly, the need to re-think the European security order in the wake of the war in

Ukraine. Secondly, the global race for the clean and digital technologies of tomorrow,

which called for renewed focus on Europe’s global competitiveness. Thirdly, the need to

better protect European democracies. She noted that these tasks corresponded with the

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU; security, sustainable

competitiveness, and democracy.

Regarding the first task, she said that Russia tried to deny Ukraine its most basic rights:

the right to exist and the right to be free. She argued that this concerned all Europeans,

and not just the countries sharing borders with Russia. She said that the EU had, since

day one of the war, stepped up its support to Ukraine and that all over Europe doors had

been opened to welcome Ukrainians “fleeing

from Putin’s bombs”.

The EU had helped

Ukraine’s economy to operate, and the EU and its Member States continued to supply

the weapons and ammunition Ukraine needed to fight back. She recalled that the EU

had promised to support Ukraine “as

long as it takes”,

and Europe would keep its

promise.

As for the second task, she argued that the global economy was also at a watershed

moment, since the world's major economies were racing to develop the technologies of

tomorrow, including the best clean technology and the most advanced chips, and to

access critical raw materials. She said that the EU was part of this competition, and

noted that, with the Green Deal, the EU was the first to set the path to climate neutrality.

She noted that European companies were currently world leaders in clean tech research

and innovation, recalling that last year, for the first time, Europe generated more

electricity from wind and solar than from gas. To support, strengthen, and accelerate this

economic development and to support the clean tech industry, the Commission had

proposed the Net Zero Industry Act. She also noted that Europe’s supply chains for

critical raw materials had to be strengthened and secured, exemplifying by saying that

98% of the rare earth supply originated from China. This was not sustainable, she

argued, which also was why the Commission had proposed the Critical Raw Materials

Act, arguing that it was time to de-risk our value chains for a stronger and a more

resilient EU.

Lastly, she argued that new challenges to European democracies were evolving. Foreign

autocrats were targeting European countries, trying to influence public debates, not only

through social media walls, but also in the halls of universities, and in the lobbies of

institutions. She noted that Europeans should know if a university course or an alleged

independent study actually were funded by a foreign autocratic regime. She further

expressed a hope that all Europeans could join forces to better protect our democracies.

Ms VON DER LEYEN concluded by stating that the future of Europe was then being

written, and that Members of national Parliaments were the voice of the European

people, and for that reason, their contributions were more important than ever. She

finally remarked that Europe was “what

we all make out of it”

and expressed her hope of

a successful COSAC Plenary Meeting.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

4. S

ESSION

I - T

WEDISH

RESIDENCY OF THE

OUNCIL OF THE

Keynote Speaker: Ms Jessika ROSWALL, Minister for EU Affairs

In her introduction Ms ROSWALL expressed her appreciation for being invited to

address the COSAC Plenary Meeting. She then acknowledged the close cooperation

between the Swedish Presidency and the European Parliament. This good cooperation

was also present in the Presidency’s close dialogue with the

Riksdag,

while adding that

having strong support “from

home”

was needed in order to conduct a successful

Presidency in Brussels. Ms ROSWALL said that national Parliaments played a vital role

for the democratic process in the EU, and for that reason she was pleased to see so many

representatives of national Parliaments present in the

Riksdag

to discuss EU matters.

Ms ROSWALL noted that with 75 % of the Presidency already passed, progress had

been made to make Europe safer, greener, and freer.

The first priority was to continue providing support to Ukraine and putting pressure on

the Russian regime through sanctions. Ms ROSWALL argued that the recent adoption of

the 10th sanctions package was an important signal from the EU, emphasising that being

able to agree on ten sanctions packages in 12 months was an historic achievement for

the EU. She argued that sanctions were also hitting Russia harder than many expected,

and welcomed the Commission’s proposal for an 11th sanctions package focussing on

circumventions. She then referred to the need to harmonise the criminal definitions of

sanctions violations to properly implement these restrictive measures. The Swedish

Presidency aimed at reaching a general approach on this proposal at the Justice and

Home Affairs Council in June.

She further stated that the Swedish Presidency had tried to provide as much support as

possible to Ukraine: financial, political, humanitarian, and military, of which the

Council agreement on the joint procurement of ammunition was just one example. She

also alluded to two important tasks still ahead of the Presidency: to reach an agreement

on a judicial resolution on how to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression; and to find

ways to use frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine, for which a Council Ad Hoc

Working Party had been set up. She also referred to the important agreement reached on

the establishment of an international centre in the Hague for the prosecution of war

crimes committed in Ukraine, and that it was vital to get the centre up and running.

Ms ROSWALL further said that the historic decision by the European Council to grant

Ukraine and Moldova status as candidate countries had placed the enlargement process

even higher on the EU’s agenda, and that both countries had also made remarkable

progress despite the ongoing war and destabilisation attempts. She also emphasised the

high priority given by the Presidency to the Western Balkans, as stability was important

for the region itself but also for the EU, especially in the current geopolitical context.

Ms ROSWALL noted that during the Presidency she had, together with the Swedish

minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Tobias BILLSTRÖM, visited all six countries in the

region.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Ms ROSWALL then turned to the discussion on the future of the EU, noting that the EU

could consist of 35 Member States or more in the not so far future. In her view, this

called for a reflection on how the Union should work and be governed, which would

also be on the agenda for the informal meeting of Ministers for EU Affairs in Stockholm

in June.

She then turned to a few of the 350 legislative files on the Council’s agenda during the

current semester, emphasising firstly that the migration policy was a key issue in

European politics and also a priority for the Swedish Government. With that regard, she

said that the Presidency aimed at making as much progress as possible on the Pact on

Migration and Asylum, noting that negotiations had been conducted on all levels

including in the European Council, and leaders would return to the issue again in June.

In parallel to the negotiations in the Council, talks had been held with the European

Parliament, and Ms ROSWALL welcomed the fact that the Parliament recently had

reached a position on the matter.

On energy and climate, she noted that several important components of the Fit for 55

package had been negotiated under the Swedish leadership and were very close to being

finalised, noting that it would be a major success both for the EU and for the climate to

have the Package in place. Regarding energy, she alluded to good progress made on

several important files, including some negotiations successfully concluded.

She then turned to competitiveness and growth, highlighting that strengthening this area

was crucial in the current geopolitical situation. She noted that Sweden had asked for a

reference in the European Council Conclusions last December inviting the Commission

to put forward a strategy on how to boost the EU’s long-term competitiveness and

productivity. This Strategy had now been presented and the last European Council

tasked the Commission and the Council to take this work forward.

On trade, Ms ROSWALL said that the process of concluding agreements with New

Zealand and Australia had been successful. She also highlighted the upcoming EU-US

Trade and Technology Council, that would take place in the Swedish city of Luleå later

that month, which was an important forum to coordinate approaches to key global trade,

economic, and technology issues.

She also noted that substantial work had been conducted during the Swedish Presidency

to provide input to the reform of the EU’s economic governance framework, and that the

Presidency would now start negotiations in the Council based on the legislative proposal

tabled by the Commission.

Finally, Ms ROSWALL underscored the Presidency’s focus on upholding democratic

values and fostering the rule of law, e.g. by starting the second round of rule of law

dialogues in the Council. She noted that at the upcoming General Affairs Council

meeting, the Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) hearings with Poland

and Hungary were to take place, and she also acknowledged the close cooperation with

the European Parliament on these matters.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

In her closing remarks, Ms ROSWALL said the Presidency’s busiest period was

currently taking place and that it was working day and night to deliver a safer, greener

and more secure Europe.

First Speaker: Mr Salvatore DE MEO, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional

Affairs, European Parliament

Mr DE MEO commended the Presidency for its work to support Ukraine as well as its

efforts to create conditions for peace which could be endorsed by Ukraine. As chair of

the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament he argued that the

EU could only tackle these challenges with the proper set of rules to manage its internal

affairs. He thanked the Presidency for its commitment in this area, including its

determination to implement the Conclusions from Conference of the Future of Europe

(CoFE).

Mr DE MEO then turned to the current constitutional agenda of the EU and the follow

up to the CoFE, reminding of its Conclusions, in which citizens had asked for more

Europe, but also for a different, more efficient, and more tangible Europe. Some

proposals from the CoFE, such as enhancing the rule of law provisions, or making EU

decision-making more efficient, could be implemented within the current Treaty

framework, he argued. However other proposals required modifications of the Treaties.

He underlined the importance, noted by the CoFE, that every EU institution needed to

play its role attributed to it by the Treaties.

Mr DE MEO said that, under the Swedish Presidency, the Council had worked on a

number of measures which would enable it to directly implement some of the proposals

emanating from the CoFE. In particular, the proposal for qualified majority voting to be

introduced in the Foreign Policy and Security area, but also how

passerelle

clauses

could be used more effectively and more frequently, he said.

The European Parliament also had been very engaged in promoting the possibility of

Treaty change, having adopted a Resolution, by an overwhelming majority, calling for a

Convention for the revision of the Treaties under Article 48 of the TEU. In this

resolution, the European Parliament noted the following priorities: changing the voting

rules from unanimity to qualified majority in the field of Foreign Policy; strengthening

the procedures for the protection of the values the EU was founded on (Article 7 TEU);

giving the European Parliament a proper right of legislative initiative and full

co-decision rights on the EU budget; and adapting the competences attributed to the

Union in the Treaties, in particular in the field of health. He noted that this Resolution

had been forwarded to the Council, and he hoped that the Swedish Presidency would

initiate the procedures needed for a Convention to eventually be convened, as it was

something citizens had pleaded for.

Mr DE MEO further noted that the next European Parliament elections - scheduled for

June 2024 - would be a watershed moment for the EU, and that important proposals had

been presented to ensure that a strong, robust, and credible Parliament emerged from the

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

elections. He noted however that more was needed to strengthen the rules governing the

elections, ensure proper cross-border electoral campaigns, prevent foreign interference,

and meet the genuine democratic standards which the EU was founded on. In this

context, he was grateful to the Swedish Presidency for all their work on these complex

topics and for their cooperation with the European Parliament on the proposals for a

new European electoral law; the revision of the regulation on European Political Parties

and European Political Foundations; and on the proposal for a regulation on the

transparency and targeting of political advertising.

In his conclusion, Mr DE MEO congratulated the Swedish Presidency for their decisive

role in shaping the negotiation framework for the EU's accession to the European

Convention on Human Rights, and said it was his personal hope that the EU would

shortly accede to this important Council of Europe convention. Mr DE MEO pointed to

the crucial moment in the history of Europe and the need to show European citizens the

strength of the European Union, of our national Parliaments and of our democracies.

During the ensuing debate, 34 speakers took the floor. A great variety of themes and

policy areas were present in the debate of which the most frequent are accounted for

here.

Overall, there was broad support for the

priorities of the Swedish Presidency,

including, amongst others, from Mr Kasper SAND KJÆR, Danish

Folketing,

Richárd HÖRCKSIK, Hungarian

Országgyűlés,

Mr Raoul BOUCKE, Dutch

Tweede

Kamer,

Mr Marco PAVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

Mr Stefan MUȘOIU, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor,

and Ms Rrezarta KRASNIQI, Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës.

Various aspects of the

EU’s response to Russia’s war of aggression

were also

prominent themes in the debate. Amongst others raised by Mr Andris SPRŪDS Latvian

Saeima,

Mr Jean-François RAPIN, French

Sénat,

Ms Davina SAMMUT HILI, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon,

and Mr Sylwester TUŁAJEW, Polish

Sejm.

Several delegates raised the issue of

migration

including Mr Stefano CANDIANI,

Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

Mr SAND KJÆR, and Ms Radvilė

MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ, Lithuanian

Seimas.

In the context of the changing geopolitical situation several delegates expressed support

Sweden’s application for membership to NATO

including Mr Arminas LYDIKA,

Lithuanian

Seimas,

Mr Luís CAPOULAS SANTOS, Portuguese

Assembleia da

República

and Mr RAPIN.

Trade

and the need to conclude ongoing free trade negotiations with e.g New Zealand

and Mercosur was raised by Mr Rihards KOLS, Latvian

Saeima.

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 - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Another frequent theme in the debate was need to defend and strengthen our

democracies and foster the rule of law,

these issues were raised by, amongst others,

Ms Evin INCIR,

European Parliament,

Mr Ruairí Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses of the

Oireachtas: Dáil Eireann,

Mr BOUCKE, and Mr PAVIĆ.

The importance of the

green transition

and energy issues was raised by Ms Maria

HUBER, Austrian

Bundesrat,

Mr CAPOULAS SANTOS, Mr Rubén MORENO,

Spanish

Cortes Generales

and Mr RAPIN.

Many delegates discussed

EU enlargement policy

and the need to make tangible

progress including Mr Georgios KYRTSOS,

European Parliament,

Mr HÖRCKSIK, Mr

Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI, Georgia

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I,

and Mr Bojan GLAVAŠEVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor.

The

Recovery and Resilience Facility,

as well as the ongoing review of the

Stability

and Growth Pact,

were referred to by Ms Elena MURELLI, Italian

Senato della

Repubblica

who warned of excessive inflexibility in these frameworks which could

hinder needed investments.

5. S

ESSION

II: 30

YEARS OF THE

INGLE

ARKET

Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Swedish

Riksdag

opened the session by introducing the topic and two keynote speakers.

Keynote speakers:

Mr Othmar KARAS, First Vice-President of the European Parliament

Mr KARAS began his intervention by alluding to the creation of the internal market

back in 1993 by the Maastricht Treaty, noting that even if it was the longest standing

project in the EU it should not be taken for granted and its benefits should be

maximised. He described it as a very valuable contribution to the EU, not only as a

centrepiece of European integration and European unity, but also as the key to peace,

stability and prosperity in the EU.

He then alluded to the next European Parliament’s elections where a very large number

of people (450 million) would participate: this was also the number of people that

belonged to the internal market, and a figure higher than the population of North

America. He noted that, while this number had to be put in perspective, given the 10

billion global population, the internal market was a tool that enhanced the EU’s strength

in global competition.

Mr KARAS said it represented the largest integrated internal market in the world and

emphasised the need to focus on the internal market´s significance. He also underlined

that it was responsible for the creation of 660 000 jobs in the last year, highlighting the

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

fact that 25 % of the overall economic performance of the EU was directly attributed to

its existence. He gave several examples, namely that it ensured healthy competition,

stronger economy and industry, better selection of quality goods available at more

affordable prices, but it also made it much more simple to travel, to live, to study, and to

work in the EU. Furthermore, Mr KARAS identified other important achievements of

the Single Market such as more social justice and cohesion, the Erasmus program,

mutual recognition of diplomas, the elimination of roaming charges, the single payment

areas (SIPA) or the elimination of geo blocking. He gave the example of his own

country, Austria, as a country placed in the heart of Europe which benefited immensely

from the Single Market, since Austria ́s exports to the EU had more than tripled and it

produced 2/3 of its economic revenue from the internal market within the EU.

Mr KARAS noted however that the internal market was not yet completed and that the

EU had to act in order to make the most of its remaining huge potential.

He mentioned the various crises the internal market had faced in recent years (Brexit,

the pandemic, inflation, energy crisis and the brutal Russian war of aggression against

Ukraine), noting that they had made the EU stronger internally. Despite some EU wide

initiatives (energy union, security union, defence union, digital, health or social union),

Mr KARAS noted that there was a lot of unused potential (e.g. capital markets, banking

union) which meant costs and barriers to the Single Market.

On energy, technology and climate, he considered that more needed to be done, since

the EU still imported too much energy. Mr KARAS also pointed out that the EU risked

losing its place in the global market: while 30 years ago, 25 % of the global GDP was

generated in Europe, by 2040 the comparable figure would become 11 %, due to

competition from China, United States and India. He considered that this trend could be

mitigated by enlarging and deepening the internal market. Therefore, in order to become

a genuinely global player in terms of new green technologies, there was a clear need for

independence in competition and trade policies, also as an answer to the Inflation

Reduction Act of the United States. For that, the EU needed to cut costs, enhance

efficiency and maintain and improve its global competitiveness, mentioning

conservative estimates made by the think-tank of the European Parliament pointing to

an unfulfilled potential of the Single Market to 829 billion euros per year.

Finally, Mr KARAS addressed the potential that the EU could generate by implementing

the Green Deal, NextGenerationEU, REPowerEU, proposals on digital markets, digital

services, EU industrial strategy, Single Market Emergency Instrument, European Chips

Act, Critical Raw Materials Act, on Artificial Intelligence and on Cyber Resilience. Mr

KARAS concluded his speech by reiterating that the 30 years of the Single Market had

been very successful, even if a lot of work laid ahead in order to obtain even greater

achievements in the decades to come.

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Ms Kerstin JORNA, Director-General of Directorate-General for Internal Market,

Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Ms JORNA welcomed the discussion as a great opportunity to celebrate the

achievements of the Single Market and at the same time to reaffirm the shared eagerness

for democratic scrutiny and cooperation on this matter. She underlined that the Single

Market was a shared European value and that it had been as relevant in the times of

pandemic and war as it was 30 years ago.

She then presented her four perspectives of its relevance today: firstly “Single

Market

protects us“;

secondly, ”Single

Market enables us”;

thirdly ”Single

Market makes our

voice heard“;

and fourthly ”our

Single Market“.

With regard to the “Single

Market protects us”

approach, she pointed to its tangible

benefits brought to the EU. It meant more opportunities for people with regard to travel,

work or access to better and cheaper products, more opportunities for business to make

cross border trade and investment and it also brought more competitiveness to the EU.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, she recalled the EU´s ability to ramp up the

vaccine production that rose from 20 to 300 million doses within six months and made

the EU the world leader in mRNA vaccines.

Concerning the perspective “the

Single Market enables us“,

Ms JORNA considered this

had been made clear also with the pandemic, a crisis that has shown how a well

functioning Single Market and a strong European industry were two sides of the same

coin. In this context she welcomed the findings of the 39th Bi-annual Report presented

earlier at COSAC Plenary Meeting.

The European industry was faced with the biggest challenge ever with the green and

digital transition, Ms JORNA said. Therefore, and in order to successfully decarbonize

the European industry, the EU needed to master net zero technologies, acknowledging

that the net zero market was growing fast and unleashing its great economic potential

and opportunities for jobs and growth (it was set to triple by 2030, with an annual worth

of around 600 billion euros).

She stressed that the EU’s partners and competitors (USA, China, India, Japan) were

deploying ambitious, even aggressive, measures to secure significant parts of this

market, and that a “clean

tech race”

was in full swing.

She stated that no Member State could face this alone and that building new synergies

was necessary, noting some encouraging new forms of cooperation arising in many

areas (e.g. the hydrogen valleys initiative, that brought several regions together on

hydrogen production, on transportation and on the range of cutting edge applications for

example chemical industry or steel industry).

Industrial alliances was another example mentioned by Ms JORNA, highlighting that

since the launch of a very successful battery alliance in 2018, the EU now had the

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

hydrogen alliance, raw materials, semiconductors and more recently solar voltaic tanks

alliances. In these cases, industries, innovation institutes, small companies, regions,

Member States and the EU were working together and focussing on the full supply

chain.

Ms JORNA also underlined some of the most important proposals put forward by the

European Commission, namely the European Chips Act, the Net Zero Industry Act, and

the Critical Raw Material Act. She referred to them as anchors to the green transition,

while emphasising they represented a new type of legislation in which four elements

were always needed in order to get the investment: access to land, finance, skills and

market.

On the third perspective ”the

Single Market makes our voice heard”,

Ms JORNA stated

that in the current context of growing insecurity, the Single Market had also become a

geopolitical tool. In fact, and with regard to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,

there was for instance a mobilisation of industrial capacity, and acceleration of

ammunition production in solidarity with Ukraine. This showed that the Single Market

had become an essential lever for European solidarity and cooperation. She mentioned

as an example the special program for Ukrainian SME´s and young entrepreneurs

through which they benefited from the EU's Single Market.

Finally, and on the last perspective “our

Single Market”,

Ms JORNAconsidered that the

Single Market went beyond the simple meaning of four freedoms and it could be viewed

also as a policy compass, a political catalyst and as a EU joint asset. She underlined the

importance of respecting the rules of market and customs surveillance. Ms JORNA

concluded by mentioning the need to correctly transpose EU legislation at the national

level, noting that a loophole in any of the Member States meant a barrier for all the

companies. She furthermore presented the Single Market enforcement task force that

addressed the concrete Single Market´s barriers across the EU, noting for instance that

800 barriers were identified in the regulation on professional qualifications, being that

almost half of these barriers were rolled back by the Member States.

During the ensuing debate, 26 speakers took the floor.

Almost all of them acknowledged and welcomed the

Single Market as a great

achievement of the EU

which has created new opportunities, brought innovation and

welfare to the whole EU. Although it was often reminded during the discussion that the

Single Market was

not completed yet

and there were many challenges ahead of the

Single Market such as energy crisis, green transition (Mr Rubén MORENO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

Mr Vytautas GAPŠYS, Lithuanian

Seimas,

Ms Ellen SAMYN,

Belgian

Chambre des représentants/Kamer

van Volksvertegenwoordigers),

digital

transition and others.

A significant number of speakers argued that there should be immediate action towards

accession of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen area

(Mr MORENO, Mr Ștefan

MUȘOIU, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor,

Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

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Bundestag,

Mr Andrzej GRZYB, Polish

Sejm,

Mr Vasile DÎNCU, Romanian

Senat,

Marko PAVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

Mr Anton HOFREITER, German

Bundestag,

Ms Cristina Mădălina PRUNĂ, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor).

Many Members addressed the need of eliminating

red tape and bureaucracy

legislation in order to simplify the life of companies and enhance the functioning of the

Single Market (Mr Christian BUCHMANN, Austrian

Bundesrat,

Mr GAPŠYS, Mr

KRICHBAUM, Mr Andris SPRŪDS, Latvian

Saeima,

Ms PRUNĂ). Furthermore,

many reiterated the need of

strengthening the Single Market

by making it more

resilient and prepared for collective responses to future crises (Mr Pierre-Henri

DUMONT, French

Assemblée Nationale),

while at the same time acknowledging that

the Single Market had succeeded and proved to be an important tool in times of various

crises in recent years (Mr BUCHMANN, Mr Ruud KOOLE, Dutch

Eerste Kamer,

Georgios KYRTSOS, European Parliament, Mr Didier MARIE, French

Sénat,

PRUNĂ). Ms SAMYN mentioned specific areas as critical to the Single Market, such as

the medical and energy sectors.

During the discussion an urgent call for

securement and diversification of the supply

chain

echoed (Mr GAPŠYS, Mr Ruairí Ó MURCHÚ, Irish

Houses of Oireachtas).

Some of the speakers urged for

strategic autonomy of the EU

and, in that regard,

welcomed the European Chips Act or the Critical Raw Material Act legislation (Mr

DUMONT, Mr GRZYB, Mr PAVIĆ, Mr MARIE, Mr Ó MURCHÚ).

Members also warned against

replacing dependence on Russia by dependence on

China,

and at the same time urged the EU to be aware of the fact it was

lagging behind

China and the United States

(Ms PRUNĂ, Mr KYRTSOS). Mr José María SANCHEZ

GARCIA, Spanish

Cortes Generales

added that the President of the United States, Joe

BIDEN, had accepted the position of the previous American President, Donald TRUMP,

with regard to protectionism, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act.

Several speakers underlined the importance of

skills on the Single Market,

highlighting that all barriers in recognition of diplomas and skills must be removed and

recalled 2023 as the European Year of Skills (Mr BUCHMANN, Mr DUMONT, Mr

KRICHBAUM, Mr SPRŪDS, Ms Susana CORREIA, Portuguese

Assembleia da

República).

Mr KRICHBAUM elaborated on the topic of

trade agreements

and urged for more

courageous and ambitious arrangements, hoping for a breakthrough on the EU Mercosur

deal soon.

Ms Hanna KOSONEN, Finnish

Eduskunta

and Mr GRZYB touched upon the topic of

artificial intelligence.

Ms KOSONEN pledged for artificial intelligence regulation,

when she stated that people lived in danger when not using the artificial intelligence

because of its great possible implications to democracy, urging the EU to be the leader

on this.

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Mr Péter BALASSA, Hungarian

Országgyűlés

stated in his intervention that

harmonisation of prices across the Single Market was more or less achieved throughout

the EU, but the completion of the Single Market concerning the same

level of wages

across the continent must not be forgotten.

Ms Isabella DE MONTE, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

pledged for more robust rules, as

better regulation was essential to

address unfair competition.

She urged to ensure that

the transition of the State Aid regulation would not overburden the less strong

economies.

Mr Andrius KUBILIUS, European Parliament, noted the success of the Single Market

using the example of his own country, Lithuania. He recalled Lithuania´s EU accession

negotiation process back in 1993, when the country was economically poor back then

(GDP per capita at 32 % of the EU average). Since the accession to the EU, the country

had moved up to 92 % of the EU average, which meant on a global scale the level of

Japan. In 2033, he added, Lithuania should be at Swedish level, on 120 % EU average.

He pledged to ensure Ukraine and Moldova had the same opportunity and concluded by

saying that the integration to the Single Market was the most

powerful geopolitical

instrument

to spread growth, stability and prosperity across the whole European

continent.

Ms Elena MURELLI, Italian

Senato della Repubblica

mentioned in her intervention the

current legislative proposals including the

Fit for 55

package as a future burden to the

industry, families and public sector, therefore, she said it goals should be kept only to a

minimum, she also shared her view on the disproportionality of the Packaging and

packaging waste regulation proposal.

Mr Constantinos EFSTHATHIOU, Cyprus

Vouli ton Antiprosopon

argued that Cyprus

could not

benefit

freely of

all four freedoms

of the Single Market, due to what he

considered to be a

Turkish invasion.

Mr DÎNCU linked

positive migration

and the internal market in his intervention,

mentioning also the injustice of Romania not acceding to the Schengen area, urging the

Spanish presidency to take things forward in the right direction.

In her final remarks Ms JORNA thanked all participants for the interesting and

consensual debate and took the opportunity to reflect on the tasks for the future. She

repeated her four points perspective for the business case, concretely: access to land,

finance, skills and markets. Regarding access to land she reiterated the need for

shortening the permitting process from the Member State’s side. She noted there was

also funding available to accompany the transition to a more effective process. On

access to finance she mentioned the possibility for the future to align more closely the

EU budget with the national budgets. In this context, she noted that the European

Commission had changed the State Aid rules, also in order to have more predictable

financing for companies. Concerning access to skills, Ms JORNA emphasised that the

skills themselves were more important than the qualifications, mentioning the

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installation of the solar panels as an example. Lastly, on access to markets, while of

course the Single Market rules enabled access to market, she also mentioned the

mandatory sustainability and resilience elements in public procurement, already

incorporated in the Net Zero Industry Act.

In his final remarks Mr KARAS thanked all the participants for the fruitful debate,

admitting he was surprised by the unity in the debate. He noted that the success of the

Single Market had to be translated into individual countries and that there were lessons

to be learnt from the experiences. He urged all to search for shortcomings and for the

lessons learnt that were not yet experienced by the Single Market. He also underlined

the need for strengthening and enhancing the Single Market. He noted that there was

essentially a consensus on many points: on the need of removal of the obstacles; that all

Member States should be members of the Schengen area, when the necessary conditions

were met, and noted that the countries that were blocking this should remove these

obstacles as soon as possible. He also stressed that the EU´s trade agreements needed to

be aligned with European values and law, and that all agreements currently listed needed

to be concluded still this year. In the context of the SMEs and municipalities he

mentioned that the European Parliament was very much in favour of implementation of

the proportionality principle. He also touched on the issue of red tape, bureaucracy,

supporting the European Commission proposal which would bring cutting of 25 % of

red tape in the EU legislation by June. Mr KARAS also stated there should be no gold

plating within the Member States. Lastly, he urged the Members to look at the Single

market also from its geopolitical context.

ONTINUATION OF

ESSION

II: 30

YEARS OF THE

INGLE

ARKET

Mr WALLMARK opened this interactive session by welcoming the moderator, Ms

Katarina ARESKOUG MASCARENHAS, Chair of the Board of the Centre for

European Studies, Lund University.

Ms ARESKOUG MASCARENHAS explained the special format of this session and

shared her thoughts on the Single Market as a foundation of EU cooperation, benefiting

both companies and citizens. The Single Market and its positive effect on the European

Union was an idea reiterated by the majority of speakers that took the floor in this

session. Ms ARESKOUG MASCARENHAS stated that, in times of war, we should

zoom out, and, quoting the Schuman Declaration (1950), she recalled that the original

aim of the European project was that “war

should not be merely unthinkable, but

materially impossible”.

In this line, she defended the enlargement of the Single Market

to Ukraine as a key step. She continued quoting Robert SCHUMAN, French Foreign

Affairs Minister at the time: “Europe

shall not be made all at once, or according to a

single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto

solidarity”.

She added that the Single Market was a fantastic success, but which needed

to be constantly renovated and checked. The challenges faced by the Single Market

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were numerous, namely the need to reinforce the capital markets union, as well as the

weight of the services sector and the need for enforcement to be improved. In order to

achieve this, she considered that national administrations needed to remove obstacles to

the Single Market, and proposed the creation of national offices in the Member States

for that purpose.

The first keynote speaker, Ms Anna STELLINGER, Deputy Director General,

International and EU Affairs, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, focused on three

questions. The first, the importance of the Single Market, “crown

jewel”

of European

integration, which was turning 30 in 2023, noting it was time for celebration but not for

complacency. She considered the focus should be on long term challenges to the Single

Market, and more attention had to be paid to a deepened and forward looking Single

Market agenda. Secondly, she referred to the concerns from a business perspective,

mostly the need to avoid competition to be distorted within the Single Market; and to be

careful not to put the Single Market in reverse. Ms STELLINGER stated in her third

point that the European Commission should be empowered to remove obstacles to the

Single Market, and to be broad based, both via a Regulation to guarantee healthy

competition in the Single Market and to create an innovation climate, and via the use of

a competitiveness check on every new Regulation proposed by the Commission.

The second keynote speaker, Ms Therese SVANSTRÖM, President of the Swedish

Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO), stressed the need for social partners to

be involved so that they feel secure enough to embrace the changes, especially in these

rapidly changing times, as nothing was more competitive than a strong Single Market

where social partners are involved. She then pledged for lifelong learning, and for

talking about it in a concrete way, acknowledging that some jobs will be lost, some will

be created, and most will be transformed. She proposed a specific objective of 60% of

adults in training. This, she said, would imply a new mindset, as university formation

will no longer be valid for the whole career and workers would have to go back to

university in the framework of a regular re-skilling programme, which should be

accessible, relevant and properly financed. She called for more cooperation to get all

perspectives on board, and for responsibility to be shared amongst the state, companies

and employees. She mentioned the forthcoming Recommendation on Social Dialogue,

and recalled the recent labour market reform in Sweden, the biggest in the last 30 years,

that made moves in the right direction, like increased protection to specific categories of

workers and increased employability of workers. Ms SVANSTRÖM concluded her

intervention with a reference to the need to reinforce the gender perspective, as the

lower involvement of women in the labour market was a matter of equal rights that

implied not only a discrimination, but a loss of human capital.

The moderator, Ms ARESKOUG MASCARENHAS, introduced the panel that would

comment on the answers to the questions and after that, she opened the quiz, which

consisted of six questions that were shown on the screens.

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The first question inquired about the factor that increased competitiveness in the EU the

most, and the reply that got the most votes was option a) Strengthened resilience by

EU’s own productions (e.g. critical raw materials).

Mr Othmar KARAS, First

Vice-President of the European Parliament, commented on the result, noting that he

would have rather opted for a combination of more open trade, for example through

Foreign Trade Agreements and World Trade Organisation reform, and increased

autonomy, at the same time.

The second question asked what would be the key for the Single Market to be able to

strengthen competitiveness in the EU. The option with the majority of votes was the one

that proposed to strengthen SMEs through, for example, a more efficient Single Market,

simplification of regulations and good skills provision

. Mr Pere Joan PONS

SAMPIETRO, Member of the Joint Committee for the EU Affairs, Spanish

Cortes

Generales,

would have rather preferred as key the need to speed up the digital and green

transition, given the fact that the green transition would make a difference for the next

generations.

The third question of the quiz referred to how could the Single Market contribute to a

quicker digital and green transition, and the reply that received the most votes was the

one that opted for legally binding requirements for companies

. Mr Ondřej KOLÁŘ,

Vice-Chair of the EU Affairs Committee, Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna,

commented this

reply and he agreed with the result, saying it could not be presumed that citizens were

always responsible. He added that rules had to be compulsory in order to guarantee its

implementation.

The fourth question asked what would be the biggest and most important obstacle for

SMEs, and the reply that got an absolute majority was legal obstacles and administrative

processes

. This reply was commented by Mr PONS SAMPIETRO, who considered that

not only legal obstacles and administrative processes, but also a lack of good skills

provision would be an obstacle, and in any case, he made the case for a more federal

Europe in order to achieve a more efficient Single Market.

The fifth question asked how could the Single Market better safeguard good skills

provision, and the most voted reply was that it would be achieved via a combination of

The three possible replies to question 1 were: a) Strengthened resilience by EU’s own productions (e.g.

critical raw materials); b) More open trade, for example through FTAs and WTO reform; c) A

combination of the above.

The three possible replies to question 2 were: a) To speed up the digital and green transition, b) To

strengthen SMEs through, for example, a more efficient Single Market, simplification of regulations and

good skills provision, c) Other.

The three possible replies to question 3 were: a) Legally binding requirements for companies; b)

Voluntary requirements/standards/incentives; c) Other.

The three possible replies to question 4 were: a) Legal obstacles and administrative processes; b) A

lack of good skills provision; c) Other.

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internal measures, for example increased recognition of professional qualifications

within the EU, and more skilled workers from third countries

. Mr KOLÁŘ, who

commented this result, agreed with it and stressed the need for an easier recognition of

diplomas within the EU, having suffered this problem himself after having moved to the

Czech Republic from Ireland.

The last question enquired how could national Parliaments best contribute to the

strengthening of the Single Market’s competitiveness and resilience. The overwhelming

majority (82%) replied this could be achieved through contacts at an early stage of

proposals with the Commission or national governments, as well as subsidiarity checks

Mr KARAS agreed with this result in his final comment.

During the ensuing debate, 11 speakers took the floor.

All of them praised the

positive results of the Single Market,

as cornerstone of

European integration. Different issues affecting the Single Market were mentioned, as

the

diverging energy prices

in Member States (Ms Boglárka ILLÉS, Hungarian

Országgyűlés),

or the need for the

regulation of artificial intelligence

(Mr Robert

TROY; Irish

Houses of the Oireachtas: Dáil Eireann).

Representatives from candidate

countries (Mr Zdenko ĆOSIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Parlamentarna skupština

and

Mr Mile LEFKOV, North Macedonian

Sobranie),

pleaded for their entry in the

European Union and considered

enlargement

to be a key topic that could have been

included in the agenda. Ms Fjolla UJKANI, Kosovo

Kuvendi i Kosovës,

pleaded for

candidate status to be offered to Kosovo, while Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI,

Georgian

Sakartvelos P'arlament'i,

added that Georgians expected their work towards

European integration to be assessed timely.

Ms KILLONEN, Finish

Eduskunta,

asked Mr KARAS about possible

new funding

instruments in cross border areas,

to which Mr KARAS replied that, even if the end

of the mandate of the European Parliament and European Commission should be

awaited before being able to answer, he would discuss this topic with the Budget

Committee members in the European Parliament.

Mr Vlad-Mircea PUFU, Romanian

Camera Deputaților,

stated that the Single Market

could work only on the basis of solidarity, and deemed as an injustice the fact that

Romania

had been prevented from joining

Schengen.

The three possible replies to question 5 were: a) Internal measures, for example increased recognition of

professional qualifications within the EU; b) More skilled workers from third countries; c) A combination

of the above.

The three possible replies to question 6 were: a) Through contact at an early stage of proposals with the

Commission or national governments, as well as subsidiarity checks; b) Through contacts with members

of the European Parliament and interparliamentary cooperation; c) Other.

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.

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Ms Zita PLEŠTINSKÁ, Slovakian

Národná rada,

evoked her former work as member

of the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament and she recalled a very

favourable recent

tax reform

in favour of women with young children in Slovakia.

Once the debate on the quiz results finished, the moderator gave the floor back to both

keynote speakers. Ms SVANSTRÖM deemed that the quiz had shown that there were no

quick fixes to difficult issues, as it was the case of the Single Market. Challenges such

as the green transition and the digitalisation could be turned into opportunities for

Europe to compete globally, for which education remained a key tool.

Ms STELLINGER described the European Union as a balancing act, in which both

employers and employees should be included in the search for a common direction.

Besides good legislation on the Single Market, she emphasised that better

implementation was also needed.

Mr WALLMARK deemed that this session of the COSAC Plenary had been very

amusing, and closed the session.

6. M

EETING OF THE

COSAC C

HAIRPERSONS

DISCUSSION

ONTRIBUTION AND

ONCLUSIONS OF THE

LXIX COSAC

THE

Mr WALLMARK informed the Chairpersons of the procedure regarding the adoption of

Contribution and Conclusions by the LXIX COSAC, recalling that the drafts of both

texts had been circulated to all delegations on 28 April. Since then, the Presidency had

received amendments from Parliaments/Chambers within the set deadline of 5 May and,

following the discussion during the Troika meeting on 14 May, delegations had received

a modified document, as well as the amendments tabled until the deadline of noon, that

day.

He also mentioned that the Swedish Presidency had tried to present a short and concise

text that would reflect the topics actually discussed at the COSAC meetings. He briefly

commented on the amendments received on the Contribution, referring that the

Presidency had tried to accommodate most of them, but trying to keep the text balanced

and susceptible of reaching consensus amongst delegations. Regarding to the draft

Conclusions, Mr WALLMARK informed that no amendments were received within the

deadline of 5 May, but that the European Parliament had asked for the insertion of a

reference to the Conclusions of the Presidency of the Conference of Speakers of the

European Union Parliaments held in Prague on 24-25 April 2023, in particular the

invitation to COSAC to propose an exchange of best practices and to reflect on possible

ways to strengthen modern parliamentarism. This suggestion was accommodated by the

Presidency.

Following some debate, in which delegations expressed their views on the different

amendments, the draft Conclusions and an amended text of the draft Contribution of the

LXIX COSAC were agreed by consensus, without any vote required.

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7. S

ESSION

III - T

OWARDS A GREEN TRANSITION

The session was conducted in the presence of H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria.

Ms Matilda ERNKRANS, Deputy Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the

Riksdag

opened the session by welcoming the three keynote speakers.

Keynote Speaker 1: Ms Helén FRITZON, Member of the ENVI Committee,

European Parliament

Ms Helén FRITZON started her speech by welcoming all delegates in Sweden and

stating it was an honour and a pleasure to stand in the Swedish Parliament again and talk

about the most important issue of our time - the green transition. To illustrate that

importance she quoted the popular Swedish artist Mr Ted GÄRDESTAD and explained

that the climate and environmental crisis was about the limits of the only planet we live

on - and which world we should leave to our children and grandchildren. She noted that

Sweden and the Social Democrats had long been pioneers in climate and environmental

policy. As early as 1972, Mr Olof PALME, former Swedish Prime Minister, had invited

people to the first UN Environmental Conference in Stockholm to discuss

environmental problems. In the 1970s, the Swedish government had implemented a

major investment programme in district heating to break the dependence on oil. Ms

FRITZON explained that her country had managed to almost halve the country's

emissions in just over a decade - while being the most equal country in the world. She

further developed that in the 1990s, Mr Göran PERSSON , former Swedish Prime

Minister, had launched the idea of the green Swedish welfare state based on the idea of a

just transition where everyone was involved in creating a better, more sustainable

society.

Ms FRITZON also referred to Ms Anna LINDH, former Swedish Minister for the

Environment and later Foreign Minister, who had pushed for the EU's strategy to

combat acidification and for stricter chemicals legislation. Ms FRITZON then stated

that she could clearly see the legacy of Swedish social democratic policy in the EU's

flagship project, the European Green Deal, which was launched in 2019. The ambition

had been to take a holistic approach to climate change and environmental issues,

including non-toxic environment and biodiversity, food production and social justice. In

her opinion, these matters could not be separated, and therefore the transition policy

must be coherent. She noted that the basis of the European Green Deal was the historic

European Climate Law agreed on in 2021, with clear climate targets that determine that

the EU should be climate neutral by 2050, and that the emissions must be reduced by at

least 55 % by 2030. In order to do so, Ms FRITZON described that a comprehensive Fit

for 55 reform package had to be negotiated, consisting of a wide range of reforms and

new tools to reduce emissions and promote a fair transition that would strengthen

Europe's competitiveness.

Ms FRITZON further explained that in the Fit for 55 package, the EU's Emissions

Trading System (ETS) had been tightened so that the price of emissions would increase

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significantly already from 2024. The ambition levels of all countries to reduce emissions

by 2030 had been raised, and the targets for storing more carbon in forests and soil had

been increased. She then introduced further elements of the package: a Social Climate

Fund to support households and small businesses in the transition; climate tariffs at EU

level to put the same price on emissions for goods outside Europe, and using the EU's

collective strengths and Single Market to put pressure on the rest of the world to act.

She noted that the negotiations on all Fit for 55 legislation were being finalised and

emphasised it would then be up to Member States to deliver on what had been agreed on

the EU level.

Ms FRITZON concluded by highlighting a few other aspects of the green transition.

Firstly, she urged to start the work immediately as there were only seven years left until

2030, and postponement would only lead to increased costs and reduced

competitiveness. Secondly, she emphasised that gender equality and the green transition

must go hand in hand, as women took a lot of responsibility for the transition in their

daily lives, but were also more affected by its risks. Nonetheless, 75 % of new green

jobs globally by 2030 were expected to go to men. Therefore, it must be ensured that

more women are empowered to participate in the green transition. Thirdly, for the

transition to succeed it was crucial that it became the pathway to a fairer and more

democratic Europe which would require redistributive reforms and support for

households and businesses. Ms FRITZON closed by stating that there was a big and

important job ahead of the EU policymakers which should be dealt with together as a

united Europe, facing crises by increasing democracy, freedom and sustainability.

Keynote Speaker 2: Mr Daniel MES, Member of Cabinet of Executive

Vice-President Timmermans, European Commission

Mr Daniel MES opened his intervention by posing the question of how to achieve a

good transition to a climate neutral future knowing from our lives that transitions really

matter. He then referred to the Czech-Austrian composer Mr Gustav MAHLER who had

stated that a “secret

of a beautiful piece of music peace was in the transition, in its

rhythms”.

Similarly, a journalist Ms Robbie SHELL said that “if

you had big global

transitions, big challenges brought the best out of us as humanity, namely to make new

discoveries in science and innovations to master the change”.

Mr MES explained those parallels as transitions were essential for achieving the

European Green Deal and the climate action and stated the importance of citizens for

these changes. Mr MES also referred to Australian philosopher Mr Roman KRZNARIC

who sketched a dilemma in this context by suggesting that we all wanted to be good

ancestors and leave the world for those who come after, which would be at least as good

as the one we found. However, the problem was to focus purely on the long-term as

there were many things to worry about in the short-term which was rather natural for

human beings. To overcome such a dilemma Mr MES advocated for an assessment of

whether the goal of a sustainable future could be achieved by short-term success which

would lead to trusting that the approach was right and eventually long-term goals could

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be implemented. Three things could be relevant for that: the importance of targets to

trigger the transition, the limits of targets without a realistic plan to achieve them, and

giving a voice to everyone who was struggling or facing obstacles in making that

transition.

On the importance of targets, Mr MES noted that the direction was set in the European

Climate Law which created a legally binding obligation to reach climate neutrality

collectively by 2050. He stated that the EU was not only defining targets but setting the

legislation to achieve them. However, he considered that the targets had limits and the

adoption of the climate package some months earlier was only the beginning. The

implementation on a national level would be challenging and difficult choices would

have to be made, highlighting that the Social Climate Fund would play an important role

to help more vulnerable households.

Mr MES also referred to the business angle to the green transition, mentioning two

seemingly unrelated examples. First, and to illustrate how the perception that the green

transition was only available to the upper class was not accurate, he gave the example of

his own parents who lived in a social housing project, yet were able for instance to

afford solar panels earlier than him. Another example was a recent announcement for a

new Korean owned car battery factory to be built in Dunkirk, northern France, which

would bring some 20,000 jobs to the region. The connecting element between those two

examples was the network of businesses, the chain of companies that can work together

and bring those solutions that everyone can use. Without SMEs, Mr MES’ parents could

not have green innovations in their house as nobody could provide them. Similarly, the

Korean investor decided to invest and build a factory in France because the EU had a

long-term stable commitment towards green transition, but mainly because it had a

network of SMEs they could cooperate with. Mr MES therefore praised the value chain

of companies which could bring these affordable solutions to citizens.

Mr MES also mentioned the BlackRock founder Mr Larry FINK, who had predicted

that the next 1000 unicorns (companies that reach a valuation of 1 billion dollars

without being listed on the stock market) will be those in the climate technology

business. Mr MES related this to the fact that the EU had the Green Deal in place,

however, it should then focus on a business plan to make its targets happening which

involved cooperating with businesses who could facilitate that. The EU should not only

cooperate with such businesses but also make a friendly environment for them to ensure

access to resources and prevention of bureaucratic obstacles.

Mr MES also emphasised the importance of ensuring the proportionate distribution of

such businesses across the whole of the EU, and not only in leading countries such as

Sweden or the Netherlands. Toward the end of his intervention he also drew attention to

the importance of SMEs' access to decision-makers on the EU level as small and

medium companies often had solutions to problems which did not reach the right ears.

He used Sweden and the Netherlands as examples of leaders in cooperation with

innovative SMEs companies and connecting them with bigger businesses that were

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interested in their solutions. He considered that the EU should learn from Scandinavia

how to give SMEs a stronger voice. Mr MES concluded by congratulating Sweden on

its success in the green transition and expressed his hope it would keep inspiring the EU

in this matter in the future.

Keynote Speaker 3: Mr Johan KUYLENSTIERNA, Director General, Formas - A

Research Council for Sustainable Development

Mr Johan KUYLENSTIERNA, began by stating that the topic of this session was the

most exciting of all and referred to the current climate situation as a

“code red for

humanity",

in the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He also

mentioned that the World Economic Forum stressed very clearly in its latest Global Risk

Report

that 6 out of 10 major global challenges would be environmentally related in

the next ten years (climate, biodiversity, natural resources). He noted that the green

transition was happening around the whole world and that there was a need for system

shifts to lift the global population out of poverty and into a greener future. To illustrate,

he recalled impacts in Europe from droughts and floods, but also that the indirect

impacts on Europe from such problems elsewhere could be as severe. He warned that

even though such circumstances were short-term, in the long run a major shift could be

seen in terms of sea level rise, shifts in atmospheric circulation etc. that could bring

changes that would be difficult for modern society to cope with.

Mr KUYLENSTIERNA stated that the world was in the “Anthropocene” era, facing lots

of crises and challenges, for which a system approach was much needed. The Green

Deal was about going from fossil to non-fossil economies, but that leadership required

system shifts to deal with a green transition, since it was about going from linear to

circular economy, and to resource efficiency in times of crises. He further emphasised

that it was important to understand the link between resource efficiency and geopolitics

and security, something that the war in Ukraine had demonstrated. Despite these

challenges Mr KUYLENSTIERNA considered himself more optimistic than ever before

in his long career since, despite all the crises, what was happening at the EU level and

globally was a mindset change which was laying the foundations for the green transition

to occur. The top-down approach from the Green Deal entailed a broad framework not

just looking at the climate transition but also its whole socio-economic dimension,

making sure all people would be on board and experience a real change.

Mr KUYLENSTIERNA highlighted the importance of the bottom-up force emerging

from cities, and regions that really invested in the future, as a transforming trend for the

climate, but also many other challenges facing local communities. He also noted that the

corporate sector was moving from talking about climate and biodiversity as

environmental responsibilities to instead seeing these as market-driven business

opportunities for the future. He pointed out that there had also been new challenges

coming up in terms of raw materials. This was about circular economy and resource

efficiency, which also applied to bio-resources – forests, food security etc. He stated that

https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/

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national Parliaments had a critical role in that, as they were in the junction between the

EU and global policies, and the bottom up force of businesses and local communities.

Mr KUYLENSTIERNA announced three messages that he would like to share for the

discussion that day. The first one was about catalysing the transition, upscaling and

enabling change, explaining that the power and force were among local communities

and businesses. The question was whether the implementation could be speeded up by

catalysing change in economic, legal and social areas. The second message was about

the importance of multi-level governance, understanding how the EU level could be

connected all the way down to the local level and businesses in terms of

implementation. According to him, it was also about understanding the value chains and

value webs. Global trade had grown tenfold since the Stockholm Conference in 1972,

economy fourfold and population doubled. So the global trading system, the flows of

materials, were connecting companies, people and countries across the globe. And his

final message was related to the whole issue of skills and competences for the green

transition, since there could be a lot of new positions in the new green economy, but

people could not take them without proper training. The EU had been pushing this issue

of skills for the green transition really hard during the Swedish Presidency.

However, Mr KUYLENSTIERNA would like to see that effort becoming a long-term

goal. To conclude his intervention, he quoted the famous Danish chemist Mr Niels

BOHR, who allegedly stated that “predictions

are difficult, especially about the future”.

Mr KUYLENSTIERNA added that this landscape would bring surprises, but with the

right policies and the right decisions one could be possibly sure that we would also be

able to harness all the opportunities that the green transition would bring to us:

European competitiveness and driving the transition of the entire world.

During the ensuing debate, 25 speakers took the floor.

All speakers agreed that the green transition was absolutely essential to achieve a

greener future and thus supported it. At the same time it was said that the path to that

goal would not be easy but there was no other alternative. Mr Raoul BOUCKE, Dutch

Tweede Kamer,

further added that the current generation was the last one which could

tackle climate change but at the same time the first one that would suffer the

consequences.

A significant number of speakers mentioned

the social aspects of the green transition

and the importance of the Social Climate Fund.

They mostly argued the green

transition should not cause a burden on citizens and lead to energy poverty, as that

would hit the most vulnerable citizens of the EU. Moreover, speakers pointed out that

the cost of decarbonisation must not be put on citizens as it would raise the price of

energy for them (Mr Rubén MORENO, Spanish

Cortes Generales;

Mr Andrzej GRZYB

and Ms Anna KWIECIEŃ, both Polish

Sejm;

Mr Andris SPRŪDS, Latvian

Saeima;

Georgios KYRTSOS, European Parliament).

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Mr Marc DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Chambre des représentants/Kamer van

volksvertegenwoordigers,

expressed his concern about the ETS system resulting in

higher prices. Mr Pietro LOREFICE, Italian

Senato della Repubblica

and Mr Firmino

MARQUES, Portuguese

Assembleia da República,

recalled the importance of solidarity,

both among different social groups and generations as well as countries. Ms

Cristina-Madalina PRUNA, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor,

emphasised that living

standards should not deteriorate as a result of the green transition, as that would lead to

a lack of trust from European citizens.

Furthermore, speakers also argued

in favour of nuclear energy

(Mr Pere Joan PONS

SAMPIETRO, Spanish

Cortes Generales;

Mr Pieyre-Alexandre ANGLADE, French

Assemblée nationale).

Mr Tomasz NOWAK, Polish

Sejm,

emphasised the importance of

nuclear energy as a stabiliser during green transition. Ms KWIECIEŃ argued nuclear

energy should be included among the green energies. Mr Jean-François RAPIN, French

Sénat,

added that the EU ́s energy supply must be guaranteed and nuclear energy would

allow it to better safeguard its energy independence in Europe, especially in the context

of the war in Ukraine. Mr Rubén MORENO, Spanish

Cortes Generales,

stated that he

was not in favour of building new nuclear plants, noting however that it may be needed

to extend the life of the current ones.

There were also

calls for the EU to be a global leader in the green transition,

which

was mentioned for instance by Ms Maria HUBER, Austrian

Bundesrat.

Mr Pär

HOLMGREN, European Parliament, stressed that the EU was more ambitious than the

USA or China, however, at the same time it was far away from what was needed

according to science. He suggested that instead of reducing 55 % of greenhouse

emissions by 2030, the EU should aim at 70 % and climate neutrality should be

achieved by 2040, not 2050. Mr Marko PAVIĆ, Croatian

Hrvatski sabor,

drew attention

to the fact that the EU was responsible only for 8-9 % of the greenhouse emissions,

whereas countries such as China and India produce over 50 %.

Many speakers also informed about

the specific situation or progress made in their

home countries.

Mr PAVIĆ mentioned that Croatia had planned to become an energy

hub for south-east and central Europe by doubling their liquified natural gas capacity on

the islet of Krk. In addition, almost half of the electric energy of the country came from

hydro energy sources, 20 % came from wind and there were capacities for the solar

energy being built. Mr Aurelius VERYGA, Lithuanian

Seimas,

listed that a quarter of

energy of his country came from renewables and this should get to 80 % by 2050. Ms

Hanna KOSONEN, Finish

Eduskunta,

informed that Finnish businesses were prepared

for a faster transition and politicians were falling behind.

There was a significant support for

the respect of energy mix of each Member State

(Mr GRZYB; Mr Zoltán TESSELY, Hungarian

Országgyűlés;

Mr NOWAK and Ms

KWIECIEŃ). Ms Maria JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI, Estonian

Riigikogu,

added that

that had been outlined in the COSAC Contribution.

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The economic dimension of the climate crisis

was mentioned for instance by Ms

HUBER who argued that climate policy could be turned into an economic advantage

and it should be implemented in a way to offer the industrial opportunities we needed.

She added there was a need for green and clean products and that the EU was actually

already the market leader in that, as well as in technology and innovation and it should

stay that way.

Mr Stefano CANDIANI, Italian

Camera dei Deputati,

argued that

the long-term

objectives should be clear to all,

noting that, even if it would be costly to achieve

them, it had to be done. He added that the unique characteristics of each EU Member

State should be respected and that a one-size-fits-all approach should be avoided.

Ms Lucia TACER, Slovenian

Državni zbor,

raised

the issue of the need for better

connectivity of Europe by train,

recalling that last April the European Commission

registered a citizen’s initiative to facilitate a network of fast speed trains to connect the

EU capitals. She urged members of Parliaments to support this initiative so it could

proceed faster.

Among other topics raised was for instance

the risk of extinction

(Mr Anton

HOFREITER, German

Bundestag),

and

the need to secure energy and resource

independence from Russia and other problematic countries

such as China

(

Ms Ellen

SAMYN, Belgian

Chambre des représentants/Kamer van volksvertegenwoordigers;

BOUCKE).

After the debate, the floor was given to the keynote speakers for brief comments.

In her concluding remarks, Ms FRITZON drew two main conclusions from the debate.

First, the perspective should change from top-down to bottom-up. The green transition

must be local, national and international. Second, there was not a conflict between

sustainability and growth because for the future we must use the green transition to

achieve both and also gender equality. Mr MES added that the move to renewable

energy was actually a move to freedom and independence from problematic energy

suppliers. He also agreed that the issue of high energy prices in the EU should be

resolved quickly. Lastly, he emphasised that the green transition must be well

communicated to the EU citizens. Mr KUYLENSTIERNA argued that the green

transition was very much about social and economic development, EU leadership and

security aspects. The one thing he missed in the debate was the issue of skills and

competences needed in the process of the green transition.

8. S

ESSION

IV - U

KRAINE

Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Swedish

Riksdag

opened the session by introducing the topic and keynote speakers.

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Keynote Speaker 1: Ms Ivanna KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Chair of the

Committee on Ukraine’s integration into the EU, Ukrainian

Verkhovna Rada

In her opening speech, Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE thanked the Swedish

Presidency for maintaining Ukraine on top of the EU’s agenda, and the EU and its

Member States for their support to the Ukrainian people who were fighting not only for

their countries but also for the values of the EU. She welcomed the humanitarian

support for Ukraine, the pressure placed on Russia through the sanctions adopted and

through the calls for accountability for the crimes committed. Ms

KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE highlighted the importance of military support, which

allowed the country to resist repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. She noted that

the common objective had to be to put an end to the war that secured Ukrainian victory

and Russia’s defeat, as this country was seeking to destroy the post-Cold War

international order.

Furthermore Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE called for all possible support for the

reconstruction, recovery and development of Ukraine, as this support was necessary to

rebuild peoples’ lives. She noted that 14 billion dollars were needed immediately to

cover basic needs, of which the Government of Ukraine would provide 3 billion, and the

remaining 11 billion should come from the international community. She outlined that

the overall reconstruction needs were estimated at 400 billion dollars and that the

Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform would play an essential role in mobilising

international public and private investment, as well as securing local engagement.

Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE closed her intervention by highlighting the importance

of the Ukraine Recovery Conference that would take place on 21-22 June 2023 in

London and stressed the need to maintain the reconstruction and reform processes in

parallel to allow Ukraine to transform itself and continue on the EU integration path.

Keynote speaker 2: Anders AHNLID, Chair of the Council’s Ad Hoc Working

Party on Frozen and Immobilised Assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction

In his presentation, Mr AHNLID outlined the work initiated under the Swedish

Presidency on the use of frozen and immobilised assets to support Ukraine's

reconstruction, in line with the mandate from the European Council. He said that the Ad

Hoc Council Working Party was established in February and was pursuing a holistic

approach - carrying out legal, financial, economic and political assessments - to the

question of frozen and immobilised assets. The preparatory work could support concrete

future Council proposals and initiatives that should be in line with EU and international

law, according to Mr AHNLID.

Mr AHNLID explained the three different strands of work being carried out: first,

understanding the data on the value, ownership, type and location of the frozen and

immobilised assets. He said that it was estimated that 300 billion dollars in public assets

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were frozen and immobilised in G7 countries, while private assets of individuals

amounted to around 20 billion dollars. Second, assessing the feasibility and

appropriateness of different options regarding frozen and immobilised assets. While the

confiscation of private assets of individuals found guilty of crimes was feasible, the

options regarding public assets were more complicated given the principle of state

immunity. The third strand concerned international cooperation and coordination with

the work done by other G7 countries. Mr AHNLID closed by reiterating the objective of

seeking as many results as possible, calling on Member States to take responsibility, and

noted that he expected the Working Party to deliver tangible results before the Foreign

Affairs and European Council meetings in June.

Keynote speaker 3: Mr Jean-Erik DE ZAGON, Head of European Investment

Bank Representation to Ukraine

Mr DE ZAGON began his

presentation

by providing data on the estimated direct

damages caused by Russia’s attacks in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion

in February 2022 which amounted to 115 billion dollars. He also said that reconstruction

needs were estimated to 411 billion dollars. This higher figure resulted from the more

modern and higher standards to be used in reconstruction. Immediate needs for the next

18 months were estimated to 14 billion dollars, of which the international community

should contribute with 11 billion dollars. He noted that the main priority for

reconstruction was public sector investment and the repair of critical infrastructure,

which would allow people to come back to Ukraine and crowd-in private investment. As

the main challenges, he pointed to Ukraine’s limited absorption capacity, as well as the

need to secure concessional financing in order to ensure debt sustainability.

Mr DE ZAGON outlined the main areas in which the European Investment Bank (EIB)

was active in Ukraine and the available support from the EU for the reconstruction work

in Ukraine. Since 2007, the EIB had invested 7 billion euros in Ukraine, with a focus on

social infrastructure. Since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022, 2.3 billion euros have

been dedicated to immediate relief to Ukraine, particularly targeting government

funding and repair of damaged infrastructure such as roads. In order to secure continued

support in the coming 18 months, and since the use of the European Fund for

Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) sovereign lending guarantee was currently not

possible, the EIB had developed the EU for Ukraine (EU4U) Initiative. This included

100 million euros of the EIB’s own resources and the creation of the EU for Ukraine

Trust Fund, which was open for contributions from the European Commission, Member

States and like-minded countries.

Mr DE ZAGON explained that the EU4U initiative would allow the continuity of

important support projects, including 2 billion euros for the recovery of the public

sector. This included repairs and rebuilding of the transport infrastructure, such as

Solidarity Lanes to allow export and import goods and equipment from/to Ukraine,

repairs in the energy sector and support for infrastructure. EU4U also envisaged the

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economic resilience of the private sectors by supporting access to finance for SMEs,

with guarantees to larger corporations and investing in Ukrainian private equity funds.

During the ensuing debate, 23 speakers took the floor.

Almost all the speakers

called for continued EU support to Ukraine

until the

country’s victory and the reestablishment of Ukrainian control over all the territory

within its international borders. Mr Helmut BRANDSTÄTTER, Austrian

Nationalrat

and Mr Ondřej KOLÁŘ, Czech

Poslanecká sněmovna

also noted the importance of

concrete and visible shows of solidarity such as EU visits to Ukraine or establishing

contacts between local authorities in the EU and Ukraine.

Mr Rihards KOLS, Latvian

Saeima

condemned those undermining EU unity in support

of Ukraine and asked EU leaders to overcome their fears and provide Ukraine with

longer-term, comprehensive support. Mr Pieyre-Alexandre ANGLADE, French

Assemblée nationale

and Mr Marc DEMESMAEKER, Belgian

Sénat/Senaat

highlighted the

importance of stepping up military support

to Ukraine ahead of the

expected counter-offensive and called for the delivery of fighter jets.

In her intervention Ms Maria JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI, Estonian

Riigikogu

clearly

stated that it

pertained only to Ukraine to decide on any possible peace negotiations.

A message that was echoed by Mr Sylwester TUŁAJEW, Polish

Sejm.

JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI also called on the EU to lead efforts to bring the Russian

leadership to justice under a special tribunal, a call supported by other speakers taking

the floor like Mr Ruud KOOLE, Dutch

Eerste Kamer

and Mr Arber ADEMI, North

Macedonian

Sobranie.

The

call for accountability for Russian crimes committed in

Ukraine

was also made by Mr Claude KERN, French

Sénat

and Mr Gaëtan VAN

GOIDSENHOVEN, Belgian

Sénat/Senaat.

Mr DEMESMAEKER noted the need to explore how to

use Russian frozen and

immobilised assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine,

a message supported by Mr

KOLÁŘ. Mr DEMESMAEKER also stressed the importance of the 11th EU sanctions

package being prepared, and of closing the existing loopholes in the sanctions regime,

which was also mentioned by Mr Gunther KRICHBAUM, German

Bundestag

and Mr.

TUŁAJEW. Mr KRICHBAUM also raised the

issue of Ukrainian agricultural exports

to the EU

market and harming European farmers due to decreased agricultural prices.

Ms Ana-Maria CĂTĂUŢĂ, Romanian

Camera Deputaţilor

highlighted the

importance

and challenges of the reconstruction process in Ukraine,

which would need both

important financial commitments and reforms to be carried out by the Ukrainian

government. Ms CĂTĂUŢĂ also noted that the involvement of women was essential

for a successful reconstruction. This last message was also underlined by Ms Anna

LASSES, Swedish

Riksdag.

Ms Eva Maria HOLZLEITNER, Austrian

Nationalrat

denounced the

violence against women and children committed by Russian troops

in Ukraine

and the need to investigate these human rights violations, as well as to

defend the rights of all women across the EU.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

Numerous parliamentarians, including Radvilė MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ,

Lithuanian

Seimas,

Mr ADEMI and Mr Michał KAMIŃSKI, Polish

Senat

noted that

Russia’s war of aggression

and actions were not directed only towards Ukraine, but

they

constituted a direct attack on the international order and against the EU

as a

project, and the values it represented.

At this juncture, Mr Logi EINARSSON, Icelandic

Alþingi

noted that the

Summit of

Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe

taking place on 16-17 May

in Reykjavik presented a historic opportunity to redefine the mission and purpose of this

organisation. He also noted that he expected that the outcomes of the summit would

include actions to support Ukraine.

Mr Andrius KUBILIUS, European Parliament, called for a broader and longer-term

discussion than military peace in Ukraine. He stressed the

need to look at the elements

which were necessary for Europe’s sustainable peace.

For Mr KUBILIUS this

required the democratisation of Russia and Belarus as well as securing

Ukraine’s

accession to the EU and to NATO,

which he called for as soon as possible. Ms

JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI and Mr ADEMI also called for Ukraine joining the EU

and NATO.

Ms Doina GHERMAN, Moldovan

Parlamentul Republicii

noted that Moldova was the

most vulnerable neighbour of Ukraine and was currently facing security, humanitarian,

economic and energy challenges, as well as increasing Russian propaganda and attempts

at destabilisation. She called for the

EU’s solidarity and support for Ukraine to be

extended also to Moldova.

Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI, Georgian

Sakartvelos p'arlament'I

expressed Georgia’s

solidarity with Ukraine as the country was also experiencing Russian occupation and

military presence, and the displacement of an important part of its population. Ms

BOTCHORISHVILI noted Georgia’s close cooperation with the EU and NATO despite

not being a member, and

called for EU candidate status to be provided to Georgia.

Mr Natan ALBAHARY, Serbian

Narodna skupština

noted that his party would continue

to push for a closer alignment of Serbia and the EU positions on Ukraine, and

asked the

EU to keep open the possibility for Serbia to join the EU.

On the subject of EU

enlargement,

Mr KOOLE noted his support for Ukraine and Moldova to join the EU if

all the criteria were met and therefore called for the EU to provide the necessary support

so this could happen as soon as possible. Mr Salvatore CAIATA, Italian

Camera dei

Deputati

and Mr TUŁAJEW also expressed their

support for advancing the EU’s

enlargement process with all candidate countries.

In his replies, Mr DE ZAGON emphasised that the war in Ukraine was not only about

territory but about value, stating that support for Ukraine was urgent in military terms

but also in regards to reconstruction.

EUU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 527: Referat fra COSAC-møde og Trojka-møde i Stockholm 14-16/5-23

In his final intervention, Mr AHNLID reiterated that it was evident that there were large

amounts of frozen and immobilised assets that could be used for Ukraine’s

reconstruction, and called on members of national Parliaments to engage with their

national governments so that work in this area could be advanced.

In her replies Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE thanked all for their statements - and

actions - in support of Ukraine and called for continued engagement and support until

Ukraine’s victory. She stated that Russia needed to be defeated, isolated and punished

for the aggression against Ukraine and that this was the only way for durable and

sustainable peace in Europe. Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE acknowledged the

concern of EU farmers but stated that it was not possible to cut the lifeline that

agricultural exports represent for Ukraine and called for detailed discussions to find a

solution to this complex issue. She also noted that Ukraine was expecting the next

Commission report on Ukraine’s progress towards the benchmarks needed before

accession negotiations can start. Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE concluded by

welcoming the unprecedented decision by COSAC Chairs to travel to Ukraine last

September and extending an invitation for further visits to the country.

In his closing remarks, Mr WALLMARK highlighted the importance of the work being

carried out by the EIB, and the Ad Hoc Council Working Party on frozen and

immobilised assets, and asked Ms KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE to convey to the

Ukrainian people and members of the Ukrainian

Verkhovna Rada

the solidarity and

commitment by the EU to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as was needed.

9. C

LOSING SESSION

THE

LXIX COSAC

ADOPTION OF THE

ONTRIBUTION

AND

ONCLUSIONS

Mr Hans WALLMARK, Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the

Swedish

Riksdag,

concluded the meeting by emphasising the fruitful discussions held.

He then alluded to the texts of the Contribution and Conclusions of the LXIX COSAC

Meeting, distributed to all delegations, which were adopted by consensus with no

amendment presented during the Plenary, highlighting that no vote was required

throughout the entire procedure. The Chair gave the floor to Ms Susana SUMELZO,

Chair of the Joint Committee for EU Affairs of the Spanish

Cortes Generales,

incoming Presidency of COSAC in the second semester of 2023, who announced that

the meeting of the COSAC Chairpersons would take place on 9-10 July, and that the

LXX COSAC would be held on 24-26 September, both in Madrid.

Mr WALLMARK concluded the LXIX COSAC Plenary Meeting by extending his

thanks also to the staff who assisted in the organisation.