Brussels, 13/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - According to Hubert Haenel, president of the committee on European affairs of the French Senate, "COSAC is not at all what it was 10 years ago". According to the senator, "back then, its rules of functioning never ceased to change, whereas now, it is a proper political forum". Things changed radically five years ago, explained Mr Haenel, "since the French and Dutch voted no in their referendums on the constitution, which forced the European Parliament to take account of the national parliaments".
The 41st COSAC, which closed in Prague yesterday, went some way to confirming the views of the French senator. The Eastern Partnership launched by the Czech Republic was on the agenda and discussions between the national parliaments on the one hand, and between the European and Czech Parliament on the other, were free and frank on the subject. The Eastern Partnership, a subject close to the heart of the Czech Presidency, is about deepening "the relations of the European Union with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus" (for the last of these, this will depend on how its relations with the EU develop). This deepened relationship will involve the signature of new association agreements, which will include reinforced and global free-trade agreements with countries hoping to reinforce their relations and which are capable of it, the gradual integration in the economy of the EU and the facilitation of travel to the EU, by means of gradual liberalisation of the visa system, together with strong measures to fight illegal immigration. If COSAC welcomed this agreement and, by initiative of the Italian delegation, called for "the national parliaments to be involved in the creation of any parliamentary neighbourhood assembly of the EU (EURO-NEST PA)", the Romanian delegation, for its part, called upon "COSAC to deplore the recent worsening of the situation of human rights and democracy in the Republic of Moldova". A majority of parliamentary delegations put great stress on relations with Russia and Turkey, expressing their concern over the way relations with these two countries were developing that too rapid development of eastern partnerships could affect. Such arguments were mostly rejected by the delegations of those countries which joined the EU in 2004, whether Polish, Czech or Cypriot. Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said: “The EU has a special responsibility for the countries in its direct neighbourhood and also has the most effective means to make its influence count most, whether by offering the prospect of accession at some time in the future or a privileged partnership”.
Fischer took the opportunity to note that “the European Parliament and national parliaments are the backbone of the EU,” stating that, “On the one hand, the European Parliament is gradually becoming an equal partner of the European Commission and the European Council. On the other, member states' parliaments, as guardians of the subsidiarity principle, will become involved in the legislative process and in the creation of European rules”. This, he said, was an essential development if the measures adopted by the EU were to be “approved by democratic procedures and were to be as close as possible to citizens”. (P.B./transl.fl/rt)