“The Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the entire EU has demonstrated its ability to face challenges during these six months. This is also attested by the College of Commissioners, which has announced legislative proposals in areas that require immediate action. These include the situation in Ukraine, the fight against terrorism, the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, as well as several issues regarding entrepreneurship”, said Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima. 

On 1 and 2 June, nearly 300 European parliamentarians, including members of the European Parliament, as well as high public officials and experts on European affairs, will convene in Riga for the LIII COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union). This is one of six events hosted by the Saeima within the framework of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

Čigāne pointed out that the EU legislators have also demonstrated their ability to adjust to global challenges by agreeing to work jointly on complex and multifaceted decisions regarding not only the aforementioned challenges but also proposals aimed at improving energy, transport and communication interconnections between member states. 

The Chairperson explained that the adjusting to the constantly changing circumstances goes hand in hand with the increased role of national parliaments in EU processes and that for several years national parliaments have already been actively contributing to the work of the EU, as prescribed by the Lisbon Treaty. She underlined the importance of the national parliaments’ experience, knowledge and skills in providing an even greater contribution to the EU. 

At the plenary meeting of COSAC, European parliamentarians, officials and experts look back at the main challenges of the Latvian Presidency, discuss the future of the EU’s trade policy, as well as reflect on one of the paradoxes of the EU’s history, i.e. energy policy, which, on the one hand, was the cornerstone of the EU, but on the other hand, until recently was regarded as being within the national competence of member states. 

A live stream of the meeting is available on the website of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Latvian Presidency at http://parleu2015.lv/en. For the programme of the meeting, please visit http://parleu2015.lv/files/cosac_plenary/en-draft-programme_cosac-plen-4.pdf. 

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157653709317186
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Saeima Press Service