Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) — Contribution adopted by the XXXVII COSAC — Berlin, 13 - 15 May 2007
Date: 2007-05-15
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: COSAC, European neighbourhood policy, citizens' Europe, climate change, interinstitutional relations (EU), legislative programme (EU), vision of Europe

5.9.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 206/7

IV

(Notices)

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union
(COSAC)

Contribution adopted by the XXXVII COSAC

Berlin, 13-15 May 2007

(2007/C 206/02)

1. The Future of Europe

1.1 COSAC recognizes the effort made by the Presidency to gather the governments of all Member States of
the European Union and representatives of the European Institutions in Berlin on the fiftieth anniver-
sary of the signing of the Rome Treaties. COSAC notes the significance of the Berlin Declaration and
hopes that it will create a lasting positive impetus for European integration. COSAC calls on national
parliaments to contribute towards awareness of this document.

1.2 COSAC welcomes the endeavours of the German Presidency to put the issue of the Constitutional
Treaty on the European agenda again. The debate on this issue will enter a decisive phase with the
report by the German Presidency to the June European Council. COSAC appreciates the firm stance
taken by the Presidency in favour of reaching an institutional settlement before the European elections
in 2009.

1.3 COSAC supports the idea of convening a conference of representatives of the governments of the
Member States in the second half of the year with a clear mandate and timetable in order to reach a
solution which, possibly with a different presentation, strongly respects the substance and objectives of
the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Such a solution should take account of, and give an
answer to, the concerns which have been expressed in some Member States and enhance democracy,
transparency and the efficiency of decision making and the protection of rights of citizens. It should
furthermore address the challenges connected with climate change and energy security. COSAC expects
that national parliaments and the European Parliament will be kept fully involved and that their views
will be duly taken into account. COSAC insists that any institutional settlement must take into account
the important role that national parliaments play in European integration and the process of European
policy formulation. Their future role must be at least equal in strength to that foreseen in the Constitu-
tional Treaty. The Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the European Union and the Protocol
on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality as annexed to the Constitutional
Treaty must be maintained, and better and more effectively implemented, as must the new system by
which the Commission transmits all proposals directly to national parliaments, invites them to react so
as to improve the process of policy formulation, and responds in writing to those reactions.

1.4 COSAC notes that the European Parliament is planning and organizing a meeting with representatives
of civil society (Agora) and proposes joint parliamentary meetings between national parliaments and
the European Parliament to exchange views and to evaluate the outcome of the European Council and
the perspectives for treaty reform during the expected Intergovernmental Conference.

C 206/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

5.9.2007

2. Cooperation with the European Commission and the Council

2.1 The new mechanism through which the Commission transmits directly all new proposals and consulta-
tion papers to national parliaments is welcomed by national parliaments as an added value. With a view
to improving this arrangement, COSAC calls for a standardised procedure for the presentation of the
Commission's consultation documents. COSAC welcomes the efforts of the Commission to provide
national parliaments with reasoned replies to their remarks and to further explain its proposals. COSAC
calls on the Commission to respond to statements of national parliaments within two months and to
react visibly if a significant number of national parliaments raise concern over a specific proposal on
comparable grounds. COSAC would appreciate further clarification of the system under which the
Commission intends to handle the statements of national parliaments. Moreover, COSAC stresses the
importance of Commission consultation documents being translated into all official languages.

2.2 COSAC calls on the Commission to maintain its efforts to better explain its proposals with regard to
the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality in accordance with the guidelines of the Protocol on
the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality of the Amsterdam Treaty. Explana-
tions regarding the choice of legal base would equally be welcomed by national parliaments.

2.3 COSAC encourages national parliaments to upload their findings on specific proposals of EU measures
on the IPEX website in order to foster an exchange of views between national parliaments. The
Commission's replies to statements of national parliaments should also be accessible to other national
parliaments. COSAC calls upon the Commission to assess the possibility of uploading its correspon-
dence with national parliaments on the IPEX website.

2.4 COSAC calls on the Council to assess the possibility of uploading to the IPEX website proposals made
by Member States within the framework of the second and third pillar, especially any legislative
proposal or initiative in relation to the establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice which
might have a direct impact on the rights and freedoms of individuals.

3. The European Commission Annual Policy Strategy for 2008

COSAC stresses the importance for national parliaments of being informed at an early stage about the
Commission's policy projects. COSAC expects that the Commission's announcement to enter into a
critical dialogue with national parliaments on its political priorities will be followed by concrete action,
also within the framework of COSAC. COSAC wishes for the positions of national parliaments to be
taken into account by the Commission in the formulation of its Legislative and Work Programme for
2008.

4. Climate Change and Climate Protection — The Role of the EU

4.1 Climate Change has become a major public concern in Europe. COSAC supports the need for devising
an integrated climate and energy policy of the European Union which should ensure environmental
sustainability, encourage EU economic growth and support its competitiveness in the world.

4.2 COSAC underlines the EU's determination to take a leading role in the fight against climate change. It
welcomes the agreement reached at the Spring European Council 2007 on the Union's comprehensive
policy in the field of climate protection and energy. COSAC endorses the EU's commitment to a 20 %
cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and welcomes its willingness to raise this goal to 30 %
provided other developed countries commit
themselves to comparable emission reductions and
economically more advanced developing countries contribute adequately according to their responsibili-
ties and respective capabilities. COSAC welcomes EU institutions to take a proactive stance in the nego-
tiations of an international climate regime that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

5. The Eastern Dimension — Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia

5.1 COSAC stresses the importance of expanding the European area of security, stability and prosperity.
COSAC therefore welcomes efforts to devote particular attention to the EU's relations with its neigh-
bours to the East and with Central Asia in order to achieve prosperity and democracy in these regions.

5.9.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 206/9

5.2 COSAC encourages the Member States of the European Union to manage the European Neighbourhood
Policy in a more coherent and united way, making full use of the instruments and experience of the
Council of Europe. COSAC underlines the need to strengthen the European Neighbourhood Policy in
order to gradually bring the EU's eastern neighbours to a level which is politically and economically
comparable with that of the EU.

5.3 COSAC emphasises the importance for the entire region of stability and security in Ukraine and under-
lines the necessity for a strong and long-term engagement of the EU in co-operation with Ukraine.
COSAC calls on all politicians involved in the recent political crisis to undertake all possible endeavours
to reach a joint solution.

5.4 COSAC recognizes the need to improve regional cooperation in particular in the Black Sea region with
which the EU has common borders since the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. The region offers
great potential for economic cooperation and growth.

5.5 COSAC stresses the strategic importance of Central Asia and calls for an EU strategy for Central Asia

aimed at bringing stability, peace and prosperity in the whole region around the Caspian Sea.

5.6 Desirous of giving a real impetus to the dialogue between the European Union and Russia, COSAC
expresses the hope that all obstacles to negotiations about a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
between European Union and Russia will be removed at the Summit of Samara on 18 May 2007.
COSAC has followed events in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod during the last few weeks
with deep concern. COSAC however welcomes the fifth Round of Human Rights Consultations
between the European Union and the Russian Federation on 3 May 2007. COSAC calls for a united
European policy towards Russia based on solidarity among EU member States in their relations with
Russia, whereby a robust defence of human rights and democratic values provides the core basis for the
EU — Russia dialogue.