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What happened at the LXIX COSAC Plenary Meeting in Stockholm 14-16 May
The Swedish Riksdag hosted the LXIX COSAC Plenary Meeting within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council. The delegation of the European Parliament was headed by Mr Othmar Karas, First Vice-President responsible for relations with national Parliaments and COSAC and Mr Salvatore De Meo as Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. The other members of the delegation were Mr Andrius Kubilius, Mrs Evin Incir, Mr Georgios Kyrtsos and Mr Pär Holmgren.
Upcoming Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on “The role of national parliaments in overseeing the spending of EU funds and the Next Generation EU plan” (CONT ICM), 26 June 2023
The EP's Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments will organize an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on "The role of national parliaments in overseeing the spending of EU funds and the NextGeneration EU plan".
Exercising parliamentary budgetary oversight is of paramount importance in ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently and effectively and that potential misuse or fraud is prevented or detected, and eventually prosecuted. For the oversight of funds based on the multiannual financial framework, both national parliaments and the European Parliament play a role but when it comes to the Next Generation EU funds, the role of national parliaments is even more crucial.
Given the complexity of exercising parliamentary control functions, CONT would like to invite all national parliaments to participate in an exchange of views to discuss common experiences, share best practices, foster mutual learning, and raise awareness of the common challenges related to the oversight of EU spending, including funds allocated under the Next Generation EU plan.
TRAN ICM on “Reaching the transport objectives of Fit for 55 at national level - opportunities and challenges”
The purpose of the meeting was to exchange views with Members from National Parliaments on the realities and experiences of Member States in working towards achieving the transport objectives of the Fit for 55 package.
Europe Day 9 May 2023
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AFCO ICM on the ‘Reform of the European Electoral System’ , 26 April 2023
On 3 May 2022 Parliament adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation on the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, repealing Council Decision (76/787/ECSC, EEC, Euratom) and the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage annexed to that Decision (2020/2220(INL)). Several Parliaments have expressed their views on this proposal.
Therefore, the European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO), in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments, invited Members of national Parliaments of the EU Member States to attend an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) to exchange views with national Parliaments on the 'Reform of the European Electoral System'.
This meeting took place on Wednesday, 26 April 2023 from 15.30 to 18.30 at the European Parliament in Brussels and Members of national Parliaments could also participate remotely.
The Swedish Presidency will organise the LXIX Plenary Meeting of COSAC from 14-16 May 2023 in Stockholm.
The Conference of Speakers of EU Parliaments, hosted by the Czech Chamber of Deputies and the Czech Senate, took place in Prague on 24-25 April 2023.
The Parliament of the Czech Republic will host the EU Conference of Speakers in Prague from Monday, 24th April 2023 to Tuesday, 25th April 2023. The European Parliament will be represented by President Roberta Metsola who will deliver a keynote speech in Session II on "Role of the EU in global cooperation of democracies and the issue of EU member states´ dependence on totalitarian regimes".
The EPs Special Committee ING2, in cooperation with the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments, invited Members of selected 11 national Parliaments of the EU Member States to attend the second edition of this ICM. In view of the upcoming national and European elections, it is of strategic importance that European democracies cooperate and coordinate in the face of foreign interference campaigns.
The 22nd session of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, took place on 2-3 March 2023 in Stockholm in person.
The interparliamentary committee meeting was organised around the topical subject of “Gender aspects of energy poverty”.
In the context of the economic and budgetary policies scrutiny, the European Parliament together with the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU organised the European Parliamentary Week 2023, on 27 and 28 February 2023 in the European Parliament in Brussels.
The COSAC Chairpersons' meeting, hosted by the Swedish Parliament, took place in Stockholm on 30 January 2023 and was preceded by a meeting of the COSAC Presidential Troika on 29 January 2023.
The Swedish Presidency will host the COSAC Chairpersons’ meeting in Stockholm on Sunday 29 January and Monday 30 January.