28 April 2025
The series of parliamentary events related to the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2024 will be closed by the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments on 11-12 May 2025. The peculiarity of the parliamentary dimension of the presidency of the Council of the EU is that the national parliament of the country holding the rotating presidency in the second half of the year organises the highest-level annual forum of interparliamentary cooperation, the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments in the first half of the following year. The Conference of Speakers is attended by the Speakers of the chambers of the national parliaments of the EU Member States, the President of the European Parliament and, as permanent participants with consulting rights, the Speakers of the parliaments of the candidate countries and, as special invitees, the Speakers of the parliaments of other European countries.  

László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly will host the event in Budapest, which will be opened by Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary. During the conference on the future of Europe the Speakers will exchange views in two thematic sessions. Following the introductory remarks of the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly the session on "The future European Union: general perspectives, federalism or national sovereignty” will continue with the keynote speeches to be given by Walter Rosenkranz, President of the National Council of the Parliament of Austria and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. 

The Speakers will then continue their exchange of views on the topic of ”Closer to voters: regionalism in Europe, and safeguarding Europe’s cultural identity”. After the introductory remarks by the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and Maja Riniker, President of the National Council of the Swiss Parliament will deliver keynote speeches.

The event is public and can be followed online on our website. Read more about the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments.