On 21 and 22 July, the chairpersons of the Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) will convene in Helsinki. The EFTA/EU delegation has also been invited by the Finnish EU Council presiden-cy to attend this event. The delegation president, Hans-Peter Portmann (National Council, FDP/ZH) and Eric Nussbaumer (National Council, SP/BL) will represent the Swiss Federal Assembly at this inter-parliamentary meeting.

​The 62nd meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union is being organised by Finland, which has selected the motto «Sustainable Europe – Sustainable Future» for its EU Council presidency. Finland’s priorities during these six months are the EU’s future relationship with the UK after Brexit, the EU funding framework for 2010 to 2027, and European efforts to protect the environment and build a climate-neutral economy by 2050.

The conference also provides a platform for actively fostering inter-parliamentary contacts. The members of the Swiss delegation will also make use of the opportunity to engage in bilateral dialogue with delegations from the various EU member states.

COSAC was founded in 1989, and since being formally recognised in the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997 has served as a platform for fostering inter-parliamentary dialogue. Switzerland has attended the biannual meetings of the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees for Union affairs since 2015.