COSAC Chairpersons' meeting

Sunday 5 July – Monday 6 July

The Chairs of the EU bodies of the national Parliaments met on Monday at the Riksdag. The focus of the meeting was the issue of openness and transparency in the EU and the role of the parliaments in increasing this.

Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmström and EU Commissioner Margot Wallström also took part. The meeting was led by the Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs, Anna Kinberg Batra.

Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs Anna Kinberg Batra

The Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs Anna Kinberg Batra opened the meeting. Then the Conference began to prepare for the October COSAC meeting.

The Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmström set out the priorities and challenges of the Swedish EU Presidency.

The Vice President of the European Commission Margot Wallström spoke on the theme: "A louder voice for the parliaments – 5 years of progress in European cooperation".

What is COSAC?

COSAC (Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union) is held every six months. The conference is attended by national parliaments’ EU committees, plus members of the parliaments of candidate countries and the European Parliament. COSAC is arranged by the Parliament of the country holding the EU Presidency. This autumn’s COSAC Plenary will be held at the Swedish Parliament on 4-6 October.

COSAC

Documents for delegates

The documents are in pdf format and will open in a new window.

Updated: 2009-07-13

Picture collage. Click the picture collage for information about the pictures

The tasks of the Presidency

The EU member states take turns to hold the Presidency. The presidency rotates every six months. During the Swedish Presidency, the Government has the following tasks:

to lead the European Council
to lead the Council of Ministers
to represent the EU in its dealings with other countries

The Prime Minister on the Government's priorities

On Tuesday 23 June Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (Moderate Party) presented the Government's priorities for Sweden's EU Presidency.
About the presentation (the Governement)

Letter of invitation from the Speaker

The Speaker Per Westerberg's letter to colleagues at the national parliaments of the EU member states, with information about the Riksdag's inter-parliamentary meetings during the Swedish Presidency.
The letter of invitation (pdf, new window)

Other websites

IPEX – sharing information

Interparliamentary EU Information Exchange (IPEX) is a forum for cooperation between the national parliaments of the EU countries with the aim of making it easier for the parliaments to exchange information and documentation with each other.
Interparliamentary EU Information Exchange (IPEX)

Gateway to the European Union

EUROPA is the EU’s common website, containing information about EU policies, the EU institutions and bodies, as well as a calendar and news items.
EUROPA – Gateway to the European Union