Second virtual European Parliamentary Week, 15-16 March 2022

The European Parliamentary Week brought together Parliamentarians from the European Union, candidate and observer countries to discuss economic, budgetary, employment and social matters. Again, this year the conference was dominated by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on EU economies, its recovery and next steps. The parliamentarians debated on the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plans, as well as on the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact and the new own-resources.

The European Parliamentary Week consists of the European Semester Conference and the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union.

The European Semester Conference provides an opportunity to exchange information on best practices in implementing the Semester cycles, and to strengthen cooperation in order to scrutinise the actions of the executives at national and European levels within the framework of the European Semester.

The Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union [Article 13 Conference of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union (Fiscal Compact)] provides a framework for debate and exchange of information and best practices in implementing the provisions of the Treaty and aims to strengthen cooperation between national Parliaments and the European Parliament. The Conference also contributes to ensuring democratic accountability in the area of economic governance and budgetary policy in the EU, particularly in the European Monetary Union, taking into account the social dimension and without prejudice to the competences of national Parliaments and the European Parliament.

The programme of this year edition included addresses, among others, of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.