1 August 2024
At the event Members of Parliaments from 22 EU Member States, 9 EU candidate countries, as observers Kosovo*, Norway and Switzerland participated, among others the Speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs and Committee Members. The European Parliament was represented by Vice-President Younous Omarjee. The event was hosted by Mr. Zoltán Tessely, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs and Mr. Richárd Hörcsik, Founding Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the Hungarian National Assembly.
The conference was opened by Mr. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly. In his address he emphasised that the aim of the Hungarian National Assembly in general is to further strengthen the role of the national parliaments and promoting the prevailing of the subsidiarity principle. As one of the priorities of the Hungarian presidency he accounted in detail the reasons of the necessity of a farmer-centered EU agricultural policy and shaping a competitive, crisis-proof, sustainable, knowledge-based and farmer-friendly European agriculture.
As first point of the agenda of the conference Mr. János Bóka, Minister for European Union Affairs presented the programme and priorities of the Hungarian presidency which acts as an honest broker, and referred also to some other priority issues, such as the fight against anti-Semitism, the national minorities, the enlargement of the Schengen area and the representation of the EU's position at the COP29 climate conference. The speakers in the debate expressed their support for the Hungarian priorities, with many stressing the importance of supporting Ukraine, and some referred to their reservations about the Hungarian Prime Minister's visit to Russia in early July 2024. Regarding the issue Mr. János Bóka underlined the importance of the common positions and stressed the importance of diversity and dialogue among those having dissenting views.
Regarding the state of play of the Western Balkan and Eastern enlargements of the European Union Mr. Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for the Neighbourhood and Enlargement presented the situation of the 10 countries concerned and drew attention to the importance of the Growth Plan. He said that, according to the European Commission, internal EU reforms and enlargement could go hand in hand. Mr. Péter Sztáray, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary stressed the strategic importance of enlargement, Hungary's commitment to it and the importance of recognising the progress made and involving the candidate countries in the negotiations. He underlined the role of national parliaments not only in law-making but also in sharing experience. The speakers in the debate supported the merit-based progress, but also raised the issue of the EU's preparedness for enlargement and on behalf of the candidate countries the need for equal treatment and progress. Mr. Richárd Hörcsik stressed that in the context of enlargement, we need to strengthen our commitment to welcoming new member states, because in his opinion enlargement is not an opportunity, but a necessity.
In his closing address Mr. Zoltán Tessely, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the Hungarian National Assembly, stressed the importance of enlargement policy and praised the contribution of EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi to the candidates' as great as possible progress in the European integration process. He referred to the motto of the Hungarian presidency, which can also be interpreted in the context of the enlargement of the European Union, and underlined the importance of dialogue.
More information on the COSAC Chairpersons' Meeting can be found here.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
