Members of the Riksdag participate in interparliamentary cooperation with the other national parliaments of the EU member states and the European Parliament. The purpose is, among other things, to promote exchange of information and experience about EU affairs among the parliaments.
The most recent conference of Speakers in the national parliaments of the EU member states – the EU Speakers Conference – was held in Tallinn in April 2018.
Photo: Erik Peinar / Estlands parlament
Regular and other meetings
By cooperating with each other and with the European Parliament, the national parliaments in the EU member states are to contribute to an efficiently functioning EU. Interparliamentary cooperation within the EU takes the form of various meetings between members working with similar issues in the national parliaments.
Members of the Riksdag from parliamentary committees and the Committee on EU Affairs
The parliamentary committees and the Committee on EU Affairs appoint the members of the Riksdag who are to participate in the various forums for interparliamentary cooperation in the EU. One exception is the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol. As from the spring of 2019, the Riksdag chooses a delegation to this group for an electoral period, that is, for four years.
Four regular interparliamentary meetings in the EU
- The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs, COSAC
- The Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, CFSP/CSDP Conference
- The Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance, SECG Conference
- The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol, JPSG Europol
In addition to these four conferences, a regular EU Speakers Conference is held once a year with the purpose, among other things, of coordinating interparliamentary cooperation in the EU at a general level.
The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs
Members of the Riksdag’s Committee on EU Affairs participate in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs, COSAC. COSAC can, among other things, inform the EU institutions of matters that the Conference considers should be highlighted by the institutions. COSAC meets four times a year.
The COSAC website
The Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy
Members of the Riksdag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Defence participate in the EU’s Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, known as the CFSP/CSDP Conference. These meetings provide an opportunity for exchange of information and experience between parliaments regarding the EU’s common foreign and security policy and common security and defence policy. The Conference can reach various conclusions that can be sent to the EU institutions for their information. The conclusions are not binding. The CFSP/CSDP Conference is held twice a year.
The CFSP/CSDP Conference website
The Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance
Members of the Riksdag’s Committee on Finance and Committee on Taxation participate in the EU’s Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance, known as the SECG Conference. The Conference contributes, among other things, to exchange of information and experience on the EU’s work on economic policy with the purpose of promoting interparliamentary cooperation and democratic accountability as regards financial management and budget policy in the EU. The SECG Conference is held twice a year.
The SECG Conference website
The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol
The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol – the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is also referred to as JPSG Europol and meets twice a year. In order to carry out its scrutiny, JPSG Europol can access various documents and interview leading officials. JPSG Europol is also to be consulted regarding Europol’s multiannual programme planning.
As from the spring of 2019, the Riksdag chooses a delegation for a full electoral period, that it four years, to JPSG Europol.
Members of the JPSG delegation
The JPSG Europol website
The EU Speakers Conference coordinates
The Speakers of the EU member states’ national parliaments and the European Parliament meet in the EU Speakers Conference to coordinate and develop interparliamentary cooperation in the EU at a general level. The EU Speakers Conference is held once a year in the spring.
The EU Speakers Conference has adopted guidelines on interparliamentary cooperation in the EU. The guidelines set out that the national parliaments in the EU member states contribute to the good functioning and democratic legitimacy of the EU. The objectives of interparliamentary cooperation in the EU are, among other things, to:
- promote exchange of information and experience in order to strengthen parliamentary control and influence;
- ensure that the national parliaments can exercise their parliamentary powers effectively as regards EU issues, for example when it comes to the parliaments’ right to examine whether proposals for new EU legislation are compliant with the principle of subsidiarity;
- promote cooperation with parliaments in countries outside the EU.
EU Speakers Conference website