Final interparliamentary conference of the Dutch EU Presidency

24 June 2016

In the first half of 2016, the Netherlands is holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The final interparliamentary conference of this EU Presidency took place on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 June 2016.

COSAC conference

Around 250 MPs from all over Europe gathered together for the plenary COSAC conference organised by the Dutch House of Representatives and Senate in the Hall of Knights in The Hague. The COSAC is made up of members of the national parliaments and the European Parliament. All of the COSAC members are specifically focused on European Affairs.

Programme

On Tuesday 14 June, Alex Brenninkmeijer spoke on behalf of the European Court of Auditors in a session addressing the way in which European national parliaments use the reports drawn up by the European Court of Auditors. The following session was focused on migration. The plenary COSAC conference finished with the adoption of the contributions and conclusions.

Reflection

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte opened the plenary COSAC conference on Monday 13 June, with a speech reflecting on the Dutch EU Presidency. This was followed by a discussion with those present. The first session focused on the scrutiny of EU proposals by national parliaments. The second session was on the rule of law. First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans was invited to attend these sessions. The third session took an in-depth look at parliamentary diplomacy.

Winner of the essay competition

Andrea Finesso, an Italian student of European Studies at Maastricht University, is the winner of the essay competition initiated by the Dutch House of Representatives and Senate to mark the Dutch EU Presidency. Students aged 18 to 25 at research universities and universities of applied sciences were invited to share their vision on the theme: What will be the role of the Dutch parliament in the European Union in 25 years’ time? In his essay, Andrea Finesso argued for a stronger political debate at EU level. On Tuesday 14 June, he was given the opportunity to present his vision to the conference delegates.

Parliamentary influence

The plenary COSAC conference was the sixth and final interparliamentary conference organised by the Dutch House of Representatives and Senate during the Dutch EU Presidency. In addition to the four regular interparliamentary conferences, the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives held two conferences on specific themes, one on human trafficking and one on energy. The overarching theme of the parliamentary dimension of the EU Presidency is ‘working together to strengthen parliamentary influence on EU decision-making’.

More information

You can find more information on the special website for parliamentary activities during the Dutch EU Presidency.