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| 14.12.2022 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 475/1 |

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PLENARY MEETING OF THE LXVIII COSAC

Prague, 13 – 15 November 2022

Contribution of the LXVIII COSAC

(2022/C 475/01)

On Ukraine

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| | (1) | COSAC condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign and democratic state. It also condemns Belarus' involvement in Russia’s military aggression. |

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| | (2) | COSAC condemns the organisation by Russia of illegal sham referenda in regions within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. Russia’s unilateral decisions deliberately violate the UN Charter and disregard the rules-based international order. Russia has no legitimate basis for any action in the territory of Ukraine. |

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| | (3) | COSAC is appalled by and strongly condemns Russia’s missile and kamikaze-drone attacks on Ukraine, targeting civilian and energy infrastructure and educational institutions, destroying homes and killing civilians. COSAC states that these acts are crimes against humanity and therefore calls on national Parliaments to recognize current Russian regime as a terrorist one. |

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| | (4) | COSAC calls for immediate and unconditional termination of Russia’s illegal military actions and withdrawal of all Russian forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine and calls for a just peace based on full respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. |

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| | (5) | COSAC calls for the establishment of the Special International Criminal Tribunal to secure accountability for the crime of aggression and calls for prosecution and punishment of war crimes and other crimes according to international law committed in Ukraine, including through the implementation of the universal jurisdiction principle. |

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| | (6) | COSAC calls for the establishment of an effective mechanism in line with international law to seize individual and national assets frozen as the result of EU sanctions and to use these assets to compensate for the damage caused to Ukraine and its people by the Russian aggression. COSAC calls for Russia to pay full reparations for material and immaterial damage caused to Ukraine. |

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| | (7) | COSAC calls on the EU leaders to further reinforce sanctions on Russia and Belarus in order to stop the unprovoked Russian aggression. |

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| | (8) | COSAC calls on the EU leaders to continue to show unity and strength and provide Ukraine with humanitarian, political, financial and military support (while respecting the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States) as well as immediate, medium and long-term assistance for reconstruction and recovery. COSAC also calls on the European Commission to continue its work on a comprehensive recovery package for Ukraine. |

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| | (9) | COSAC calls on the national Parliaments of the EU Member States to continue to provide assistance to the best of their ability to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in its efforts to meet the requirements of EU membership. |

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| | (10) | COSAC supports the European Parliament's calls to use existing European institutions to improve mechanisms for coordination for the delivery of modern weapons systems as well as the training of Ukrainian soldiers in EU Member States, while respecting the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States. In doing so, we underscore our recognition that our shared European security is threatened by Russia. It is therefore our shared responsibility to counter this threat. |

On the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership

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| | (11) | COSAC expresses its full and unequivocal commitment to support the process of EU integration of the Western Balkans, and calls for an enhanced merit-based accession process, underpinned by the rule of law and alignment with the acquis and good neighbourly relations. COSAC welcomes that the European Commission recommended the status of candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina. |

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| | (12) | COSAC welcomes the decision of the European Council to grant the status of candidate country to Ukraine and to the Republic of Moldova, as well as its readiness to grant the status of candidate country to Georgia, and fully supports their progress towards joining the European Union. |

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| | (13) | COSAC welcomes the first meeting of the European political community in Prague that shall constitute an area of political dialogue and co-operation among democratic countries in Europe insofar as this does not overlap with the existing regional organisations in Europe. COSAC notes that the European political community should not serve as a substitute for the enlargement of the European Union. |

On strategic autonomy

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| | (14) | COSAC underlines the need for the EU to autonomously set its own strategic objectives and to develop the capabilities to pursue them. |

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| | (15) | In the face of Russia’s weaponisation of energy and in light of the ongoing crisis, COSAC supports all efforts to ensure security of supply, to reduce demand where possible and to lower energy prices for households and businesses across the Union. |

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| | (16) | At the same time, COSAC considers it essential to increase investment in a future-proof energy infrastructure, including interconnections, and in innovative renewable technologies. |

On the future of the EU

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| | (17) | COSAC takes note of the proposals set out in the Report on the outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Conference has been an opportunity to engage with European citizens. An effective follow-up to this report is to be ensured by the institutions, each within their own sphere of competences and in accordance with the Treaties. COSAC notes that work has already been undertaken in this regard. Citizens should be informed clearly, in detail and in all the official EU languages about the follow-up to individual proposals. |

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| | (18) | COSAC supports citizen participation and consultation mechanisms at the European level and emphasises the necessity of broad public access to information and documents from EU institutions. COSAC highlights the importance of the Commission’s genuine and constructive approach to interaction with citizens and to the contributions and opinions of Parliaments as direct representatives of EU citizens. |

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| | (19) | COSAC calls on the EU institutions to invite the national Parliaments to the follow-up event on the Conference on the Future of Europe scheduled on 2 December 2022. |

On the inter-parliamentary cooperation and the 38th Bi-annual Report of COSAC

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| | (20) | COSAC welcomes the initiative of setting up two Working Groups under Article 2.6 of its Rules of Procedure, one on the role of national Parliaments in the EU, and the other one on the place of values at the heart of the sense of belonging to the European Union, which have finalised their activities on 14 June 2022. COSAC calls upon the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament to take note of the proceedings and invites them to reflect on the issues covered by the Working Groups and the findings of the 38th Bi-annual Report of COSAC. |

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