At the invitation of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, the chairs of parliamentary committees for union affairs of parliaments of the European Union, candidate countries and third countries, in particular EFTA/EEA countries, will meet in Bucharest on 20 and 21 January. The Swiss EFTA/EU Delegation will be represented at the meeting by Council of States member Didier Berberat (SP/NE) and National Council member Kathy Riklin (CVP, ZH).

The meeting in Bucharest will focus on the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, which will be presented by Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă. These include sustainable and equitable growth for all EU member states through innovation and digitalisation, ensuring a safer Europe, strengthening the EU’s global role and stimulating solidarity as a common value among member states.

The chairs of parliamentary committees for union affairs of parliaments of the European Union will also discuss economic and social disparities within the Eurozone, which undermine the criteria for stability and growth set out in the Maastricht Treaty, as well as European cohesion.

The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) was established in 1989 and since its formal recognition in the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997 serves as a platform to intensify inter-parliamentary dialogue and represent members’ interests. Switzerland has been represented at the biannual meetings of the committees for union affairs since 2015.