.png)
The Chair of the European Affairs Committee, Mr. Domagoj Ivan Milošević and Mr. Joško Klisović, Committee member, participated at the meeting of the Chairpersons of Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC), the first event of the parliamentary dimension of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of EU.
Croatian parliamentary delegation, representing the upcoming Croatian presidency of the Council of EU, took part in the meeting of the Presidential Troika for the first time. The Troika approved agendas for the LXII plenary COSAC and Chairpersons of COSAC meeting, discussed the inputs received by the Finnish Presidency, and resolved the remaining procedural issues for the purpose of preparing the COSAC meeting.
At the beginning of Chairpersons of COSAC meeting, the minister for European Affairs Mrs. Tytti Tuppurainen presented the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of EU, emphasizing the commitment to environmental protection.
Mr. Domagoj Ivan Milošević welcomed the priorities of the Finnish presidency, in particular the focus on environmental protection and the fight against climate change, underlining that these problems should not be left to future generations. He warned of growing social and economic inequalities in the European Union and stressed the importance of directing sustainable economic growth towards the growth of living standards. He wished the Finnish Presidency success in the work on the new Multiannual Financial Framework, underlining that challenge of internal migration and labor market imbalances should also be addressed.
Member of the European Affairs Committee, Joško Klisović, also participated in the debate on the Multiannual Financial Framework, which was a separate item of the agenda. Mr. Klisović said that budget was the clearest indicator of political priorities, and commented on the statement by the President of France, Mr. Macron, that without the EU consolidation there will be no enlargement, stressing that consolidation is not possible without convergence. In this regard, he underlined the importance of cohesion policy among the priorities of the new Multiannual Financial Framework.
The Chairpersons of COSAC meeting was concluded with the announcement of LXII COSAC meeting, to be held from 1 to 3 December 2019, also in Helsinki.