Within parliamentary dimension of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the EU was held today in Riga, during which priorities of the six-month presidency were presented and Eastern Partnership policy overviewed.

Ms Inara Murniece, Speaker of the Latvian Parliament, addressed the attendees at the beginning of the meeting, while Ms Lolita Čigane, Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs of the Latvian Saeima, chaired the meeting. During the introductory part of the Meeting, the 23^rd half-year COSAC report was adopted and the agenda for LII COSAC session, to be held from 31 May to 2 June 2015, was presented.

In the first part of the meeting, while presenting the priorities of the presidency, Ms Zanda Kalnina-Lukaševica, representative of the parliamentary secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, said that priorities had already been harmonised with the goals set by the European Union and that those include competitive, digital and active Europe. That means – strengthening the single market, establishing the Energy Union which should be built on principles of solidarity, trust and safety, and improving neighbourhood policies  with its south and east dimensions, as a priority of EU’s foreign relations.

Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration Mr Slaven Radunović addressed the present on behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro, bringing attention to the importance of improving relations of the European Union and neighbours, particularly Western Balkans countries, because tight connections among countries contribute not only to peace and safety, but also to prosperity of the whole continent. Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration stressed devotion of the Montenegrin Parliament to the integration process, stressing the quality and determination of the social reforms. Taking into consideration a statement by the President of the European Commission Mr Juncker, Mr Radunović asked Ms Lukaševica about enlargement perspective during the presidency, and Ms Lukaševica answered that the solidarity principle was of key importance in developing enlargement policies, and that Montenegro should pay attention to the issues such as the rule of law and fulfilment of requirements from chapters 23 and 24.  Mr Radunović ended his speech by stating that Montenegro may achieve its strategic goal by adequate implementation of reforms and efficient administration, and thanked for the support that the European institutions had been providing to it on that path.  

In the second part of the meeting, Chairperson of the Swedish Riksdag Mr Urban Ahlin spoke on the topic of Eastern Partnership, stressing the importance of understanding and cooperation among states, particularly neighbouring states, because, as he said “if our neighbours are safe, we are safe too”. In this part of the meeting, the participants also talked about the situation in Ukraine and on that occasion accented the need for solidarity  and responsibility sharing.

In addition to Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration Mr Slaven Radunović, Ms Maja Ćatović also attended the meeting on behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro.