The 10th COSAC in Athens on 9-10 May 1994 was dominated by discussions on enlargement of the EU, economic growth, competitiveness and employment, the question of the democratic deficit and transparency in the EU’s decision-making process.
In relation to enlargement, COSAC invited representatives of the national parliaments of applicant countries to participate as observers in COSAC meetings. The Rules of Procedure of the COSAC were modified to allow applicant countries to participate with a maximum of three observers, on the condition that accession negotiations had started. The conditions under which observers could participate in the meetings were not defined by the rule change.
The Speaker of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, Mr Charles F. Nothomb, had drafted a report on the question of democratic deficit and the lack of transparency in the EU, which he presented at the conference. In the report he addressed questions such as the impact of the European Parliament’s new powers in the Maastricht Treaty, transparency and whether the Maastricht Treaty had taken sufficient account of the proposals of the declaration of the Rome Assizes to reduce the democratic deficit.