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This upcoming FEMM interparliamentary committee meeting will be organised around the topical subject of “Women in sport" on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2024.

The European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments (DG PART), invites Members of national Parliaments of the EU Member States and EU Candidate Countries to attend an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) in person, in Brussels.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, 7 March from 9:00 - 12:30 CET in the European Parliament in Brussels in room ANTALL 4Q1.

In the context of the economic, employment and budgetary policies scrutiny, the European Parliament together with the Belgian Senate and the House of Representatives representing the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency of the Council of the EU organised the European Parliamentary Week 2024, on 12 and 13 February 2024 in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Annually the European Parliamentary Week brings together Parliamentarians from the European Union, candidate and observer countries to discuss economic, budgetary and social matters. It includes the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union established by the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union (Fiscal Compact).

The Meeting of Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for European Union Affairs (COSAC) convened on 14-15 January 2024, in Namur, Belgium.

Hosted by the Belgian Federal Parliament, the meeting brought together prominent figures, including First Vice-President Othmar Karas and AFCO Vice-Chair Charles Goerens from the European Parliament, alongside Members and staff from EU National Parliaments, candidate countries, and invited nations.

Ms. Eliane Tillieux, President of the Belgian House of Representatives, and Mr. Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven, Belgian Senator, delivered opening speeches, emphasizing the key priorities of the Belgian presidency, covering aspects such as gender policies, the defence of the rule of law, the EU strategy agenda for 2024-2029, EU strategic autonomy, and EU institutional reform.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) with the support of the Directorate for relations with National Parliaments organized an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on “The situation of the Rule of Law in the EU”.

The meeting took place on Monday, 4 December 2023, from 14.00 to 17.00, in the European Parliament premises in Brussels.
The interparliamentary committee meeting was dedicated to an assessment of the fourth Commission's rule of law report with a specific emphasis on combating corruption. The meeting served as a follow up on previous such interparliamentary meetings, including the one which took place in December 2022, as well as on the Parliament's resolution of 30 March 2023 on the Commission's 2022 Rule of Law Report. The meeting also served as input into the ongoing work on the LIBE own-initiative report on the Commission's 2023 Rule of Law Report.

The meeting, which was held in-person, provided the occasion for an in-depth exchange of views on the rule of law situation in the EU and on the role of National Parliaments in the context of the EU efforts to protect and enforce the Union values.

The European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments organized an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on "Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process" took place on Monday, 4 December 2023 from 16.00 to 18.30 CET in the European Parliament in Brussels (ANTALL building, room 6Q2), in physical presence and remotely.

The event was structured around two sessions. The first panel discussed "Participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process ‐ State of play and remaining obstacles", and the second looked into "Preparing for the European elections 2024 ‐ How can improvements still be achieved?. The debate allowed for discussions on common experiences, to share best practices, foster mutual learning, and to raise awareness of the common challenges related to this right.

This event gathered alongside national and European Parliaments Members, Council and Commission representatives, as well as NGOs. In view of the upcoming European elections 2024, its first aim was identifying the state of play regarding persons' with disabilities participation in electoral processes, progress made and remaining legal or accessibility barriers. Subsequently, all participants were invited to share best practices and discuss how improvements can still be made for the upcoming European elections.

The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) together with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, hosted this High Level Conference.

The Conference was dedicated to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration. The event took place on Wednesday 29 November 2023 from 10:15 to 17:30 CET at the European Parliament in Brussels (Room - József Antall 4Q2).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone in the history of human rights. Over the decades, it has inspired a rich body of legally binding international human rights treaties, remaining a relevant compass to navigate through global challenges. This High Level Conference was therefore a unique opportunity for members of national Parliaments, MEPs and other representatives from the European Union, as well as international and regional human rights organisations and mechanisms to bridge divides and stand up for human rights at the time when emerging contested narratives led by global powers are prospering.

In the light of the 75th anniversary of the UDHR, the first panel of the event delved into the question of what makes human rights universal. The second segment of the conference allowed for an in-depth discourse on collaborative strategies to meet the challenges of our times. By bringing together a wide range of human rights stakeholders to share their perspectives and approaches and thanks to a vivid and candid exchange of views, this Conference contributed to fostering dialogue and cooperation to ensure that the universality of human rights is respected and implemented globally.

The European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), with the support of the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, hosted an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on “European Citizenship Education”.

The event took place on Monday, 27th of November 2023 from 14:00 to 20:00 CET and on Tuesday, 28th of November 2023 from 9:00 to 12:30 CET at the European Parliament in Brussels (Room - Antall 6Q2).

The European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development (REGI), in collaboration with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, hosted an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) on "The Future of Cohesion Policy: Opportunities, Challenges and Next Steps". The event took place on Tuesday, 7th of November 2023, from 09:00 to 12:30 CET at the European Parliament in Brussels (ANTALL 2Q2).

This ICM followed the Ministerial Meeting of foreign affairs ministers held in Murcia in September. It aimed at ensuring the active participation of national Parliaments in the discussion regarding the future of Cohesion Policy post 2027. The event was structured into two panel sessions, offering Members of the European Parliament and Members of national Parliaments an opportunity to exchange their perspectives on how to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the European Union.

The 4th Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the "Evaluation of Eurojust's activities" took place on Tuesday, 7 November 2023, from 9:00 to 12:30, at the European Parliament in Brussels.

In accordance with Article 85(1) TFEU and Article 67 (3) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1727 on the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), the President of Eurojust shall appear once a year for the joint evaluation of the activities of Eurojust by the European Parliament and national Parliaments within the framework of an interparliamentary committee meeting, to discuss the agency's current activities and to present its annual report or its other key documents.

The last such meetings were organized by the European Parliament in December 2020 and in January 2022 (for 2021 exercise) and in November 2022 which also marked 20th year of Eurojust's establishment. As a consequence of the war in Ukraine, the Eurojust regulation has been amended with new provisions providing it with capacity to store, analyse and share evidence on core international crimes. In other areas, the Eurojust has reinforced its cooperation with other EU bodies and agencies and has concluded several new agreements to structure more efficiently such cooperation.

Against this background, the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) organised together with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, the 4th interparliamentary committee meeting on "The evaluation of Eurojust activities".

The topics that were addressed included a discussion on Eurojust's annual report and outlook on its activities and challenges for future cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters. In addition, the number of Eurojust's activities with regard to Ukraine, including the assessment of its enhanced mandate were discussed.

Finally, it is relevant to assess regularly Eurojust's activities with regard to inter-agency cooperation, where this ICM focused on its cooperation with Europol, in particular with regard to organised crime.

Interparliamentary Conference - Tax Symposium on "The Future of taxation in the EU: challenges ahead and what are the changes needed", co-hosted by the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) in cooperation with the Legislative Dialogue Unit of the Directorate for Relations with national Parliaments and the European Commission (DG TAXUD), took place from 24 to 25 October 2023.

On 24 October (afternoon), the sessions were held at the SQUARE - Brussels Convention Centre (Mont des Arts, 1000 - Brussels). On 25 October, the sessions took place in the Hemicycle, at the European Parliament, Brussels.

Finance ministers, Members of the European and national Parliaments, high-level policy makers, academics and civil society representatives came together in Brussels to discuss the future of our tax systems. The aim of the Tax Symposium was to stimulate a broad debate, covering all types of taxes, collected at all levels of governance. It also offered the opportunity to delve into specific aspects of the tax mix, and consider their long-term perspectives. The multiple debates allowed a discussion on common experiences and best practices, to foster mutual learning, and raise awareness of the common challenges related to the this important matter between all stakeholders from European and national level.