The 2nd Conference in Cork on 10-11 May 1990 focused on the question of how to remedy the democratic deficit. This question stayed on the agenda of future COSAC meetings and was influenced by the debate on the future of the EC that had been launched with the decision of the European Council in June 1985 in Milan to convene an IGC to discuss how the EC could develop into a political and Economic and Monetary Union.
Another subject raised at the Conference was the principle of subsidiarity, which had been launched in the so-called Spinelli report adopted by the European Parliament on 14 February 1984 to provide a blueprint for a Treaty Establishing a European Union.
However, the 2nd Conference was dominated by a discussion on the organisation of the so-called “Assizes” that were to be held later that year on 27-30 November in Rome to discuss the future development of the European Communities. The 2nd Conference welcomed the principle of holding such an inter-parliamentary conference to discuss possible treaty changes and decided that a “restricted” meeting of national and European parliamentarians should be held in June with a view to preparing the Assizes”.
All delegations agreed that there was a need to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EC. However, delegations did not agree how this problem could be solved. Some thought it necessary to strengthen the role of the European Parliament, while others recommended a stronger role for national parliaments in scrutinising European affairs at national level. Again, the idea of a European Senate was raised by some delegations, but no attempts were made to formulate concrete proposals concerning its composition or powers. The 2nd Conference suggested that the “principle of subsidiarity” should be defined more specifically in the Treaties in order to remedy the democratic deficit of the EC.
The 2nd Conference also decided on some points concerning its organisation, for example, that the Conference should meet at least once during each Presidency and that a meeting of the Chairpersons should prepare and coordinate the work of the conference.