The 17th COSAC took place in Luxembourg on 13-14 November 1997 and was the first of a number of meetings to discuss implementation of the new protocol attached to the Amsterdam Treaty. The new Treaty included a protocol on the role of national parliaments, and COSAC was acknowledged for the first time in the European treaties. It provided COSAC with the possibility to examine draft EU legislation and address to the EU institutions any contributions it deemed necessary - notably in relation to the application of the principle of subsidiarity, the area of freedom, security and justice as well as questions regarding fundamental rights. It was, however, underlined that such contributions would in no way bind national parliaments or prejudge their position. The protocol put no obligations on COSAC or national parliaments. The new powers would only be used if national parliaments wanted to use them.
The meeting addressed the question of how to revise COSAC’s Rules of Procedure in order to implement the protocol. It was suggested that it would be necessary to provide COSAC with the possibility to express itself through a majority vote. The meeting also considered the question of whether there was a need to establish a secretariat to assist the Presidency and the Troika in preparing COSAC meetings. No final decisions were taken at the meeting, as there was still time whilst the Amsterdam Treaty was being ratified by Member States. A proposal to establish a working group in order to examine the question of a revision of the rules was tabled and the COSAC Presidential Troika was asked to consider the issue. It was agreed that a report on the findings would be presented to the next COSAC in London.
A number of delegations recommended that a question concerning the “establishment of an Area of Freedom, Security and Justice”, should be put on the agenda of the London COSAC for discussion, in order to start activities under COSAC’s new role.
A number of other important issues were also debated at the conference. The Luxembourg Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, presented the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency, which included the enlargement of the EU with ten new Member States from Central and Eastern Europe and the reform of key community policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy and the financial perspectives for the spending of the Union in the years ahead.