The COSAC plenary meeting took place at the invitation of Belgium, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2024. The first day of the conference focused on a review of the 2019-24 European legislative period and the perspectives for the strategic agenda of the European Council for the period 2024-29. Another working session was dedicated to gender policy and the balanced representation of women and men in the European Parliament and the parliaments of the member states.
The second day of the conference focused on questions of Open Strategic Autonomy. This means ensuring the EU’s ability to act autonomously wherever it must, while cooperating multilaterally whenever it can. Open Strategic Autonomy thus aims to reduce external dependence in areas of strategic importance, while reconciling security considerations with competitiveness and the potential of a greener and more digital future. Finally, the fourth working session focused on democracy and the rule of law, including the relationship between national and EU law.
Switzerland has been participating in the plenary meetings, which take place two times a year, as an observer since 2015. The Swiss EFTA/EU Delegation was represented at the COSAC plenary meeting in Brussels by the delegation head, National Council member Thomas Aeschi (SVP, ZG) and Council of States member Damian Müller (FDP, LU).