COSAC Chairs meet in Riga
29 January 2015
On Monday 2 February, Lord Boswell of Aynho attended the COSAC Chairs meeting in Riga. He delivered a short report on the informal interparliamentary meeting held in Brussels on 19 January regarding a possible 'green card', as well as discussing the priorities of the Latvian Presidency.
Related documents
- Informal interparliamentary meeting on 19 January
- Letter from Lord Boswell of Aynho to the Chairpersons with accompanying note on a possible 'green card', 28 January
- Relationships with national parliaments - letter from Ms Lolita Cigane, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee, Latvian Saeima, 28 January
- Relationships with national parliaments - letter from First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, 2 February
What is COSAC Chairs?
The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments (COSAC) was established in 1989. It meets biannually, in whichever country holds the rotating Presidency of the EU, giving members of parliamentary committees and the European Parliament an opportunity to discuss issues of current concern.
The COSAC Chairs meeting is a preparatory meeting, which takes place a few months before every COSAC meeting. It provides the Chairs of EU Affairs Committees of all national parliamentary chambers, and a delegation from the European Parliament, the opportunity to discuss the priorities for the COSAC meeting, as well as the proposed content for the COSAC Bi-Annual Report.
A possible 'green card'
On Monday 19 January, an informal interparliamentary meeting was held in Brussels to discuss how national parliaments could have a more active role in the EU, and how they scrutinise EU issues. Lord Boswell led the discussion regarding a possible ‘green card’, which would build on the existing 'political dialogue' between the European Commission and national parliaments. A 'green card' would allow national parliaments to work together to propose an EU initiative for consideration by the European Commission.
Lord Boswell reported back to COSAC on the 19 January discussion, and invited them to consider next steps, including how to structure the interparliamentary cooperation needed for a 'green card' to be issued, and possible topics for the first 'green card'.