At the invitation of the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, National Council president Christa Markwalder (FDP/BE) was a guest at the Conference of Speakers of European Union Parliaments in Luxembourg between 22 and 24 May. The event, attended for the first time by a Swiss representative in this format, offered numerous opportunities for informal discussions with parliamentary speakers from EU member states and representatives from the European Parliament and the European Commission.
One of the main themes of the conference, attended by 36 parliamentary speakers and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, was migration. Discussions covered measures to reduce the incentive for irregular migration, save human lives, secure Schengen's external borders and implement the unrestricted and uniform common European asylum system. Against that backdrop, the EU's refugee agreement with Turkey, which came into force on 20 March, was also addressed.
(Unless otherwise stated, the copyright to all of the following images from the conference is held by the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.)