EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE CHAIRPERSONS
OF THE COMMITTEES ON COMMUNITY AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS (COSAC)
FEDERAL PARLIAMENT OF
COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE COSAC PRESIDENCY
1. At the initiative of the Belgian COSAC Presidency, an extraordinary meeting of the chairpersons of the Committees on Community and European Affairs of the national parliaments of the Member States and the Candidate Countries as well as the European Parliament, was organised in the hemicycle of the House of Representatives of Belgium on Saturday 1 December 2001.
2. The aim of this meeting, chaired by Mr Herman De Croo, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belgium, was to be informed of the results of the mission undertaken, at the request of the Belgian government in the framework of its Presidency of the EU, the House of Representatives and the Senate of Belgium, by Messrs Philippe Mahoux, senator and Chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee on European Affairs of the Belgian Parliament, and Pierre Chevalier, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Belgian House of Representatives, with a view to the European Council of Laeken (14 and 15 December 2001).
3. This mission, during which Messrs Philippe Mahoux and Pierre Chevalier met, amongst others, Speakers of Parliamentary Assemblies, the Chairpersons and the members of the European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of all the Member States of the Union and of all the Candidate countries as well as members or representatives of governments, aimed mainly at being informed of the current state of the national debates on the future of the European Union and at examining, in this framework, the positions of the political actors with regard to the role of national parliaments in the European architecture.
4. The extraordinary meeting of the chairpersons of the Committees on Community and European Affairs (Saturday 1 December 2001) has highlighted the following points:
4.1. The mission carried out by Messrs Philippe Mahoux and Pierre Chevalier, has revealed the important role played by the parliaments of the Member States, of the Candidate Countries and the European Parliament, in the debate on the future of the European Union.
4.2. The debate on the future of the European Union must lead to a reflection on the European Union in the context of which the ways and means should be defined for the purpose of achieving a political Union that respects the democratic values and ideals on which the said political Union is based.
4.3. There is a consensus about the method to be followed in order to conduct the debate on the future of the Union, namely by a Convention which will bring together representatives of the European Parliament, of the national parliaments of the Member States and the Candidate Countries, of the national governments and of the Commission. This Convention must, for its effectiveness, be conducted from its inception by an internally appointed Presidium composed of representatives of each component and assisted by an efficient secretariat.
4.4. This Convention should contribute to bringing the citizens closer to politics by laying the foundations of a more open and more transparent
4.5. It is essential that each Parliament organises a regular dialogue with its representatives within the Convention.