The COSAC plenary meeting will take place at the invitation of Sweden, which is presiding over the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2023. On the first day of the conference, discussions will focus on the most important developments under the Swedish Presidency and the thirtieth anniversary of the European Single Market. Thirty years after the Maastricht Treaty came into force, the pandemic and the Russian war against Ukraine have brought new challenges for the European Single Market. In this context, the conference participants will discuss new instruments for dealing with political and economic crises. The 'Next Generation EU' development plan, which was adopted in 2020 and applies for a limited period, will be discussed, along with the European Industrial Strategy, which is intended to build the bridge to a green and digital economy.
The second day of the conference will focus on the EU's efforts towards a 'green transition' and on the war in Ukraine. The EU is aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 with the European Green Deal, adopted in 2019, and the 'Fit for 55' package. Developments in the energy market as a result of the war in Ukraine have led the EU to further accelerate the transition to clean energy.
With regard to the war in Ukraine, conference participants will discuss international support for financing reconstruction. The analysis carried out by a working group led by the Swedish Presidency on the possible use of frozen Russian assets to finance reconstruction projects in Ukraine will be presented. International efforts to bring those responsible for crimes related to the Russian war of aggression to justice will also be addressed.
COSAC was founded in 1989 and has served as a platform for intensifying interparliamentary dialogue since it was formally recognised in the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997. Switzerland has held observer status and has been attending the COSAC meetings since 2015; meetings take place four times a year.
The EFTA/EU delegation will be represented at the COSAC plenary meeting in Stockholm by the delegation president, Councillor of States Benedikt Würth (The Centre, SG), and National Councillors Thomas Aeschi (SVP, ZG) and Nicolas Walder (The Greens, GE).