Contribution of the LI COSAC

1.         European Elections

1.1        COSAC welcomes the successful conduct of the 8th  European elections, held from the 22nd to the 25th of May 2014. Although the average turnout in the elections was higher than expected, COSAC expresses its concern about both the poor turnout in certain member states and the rise of euroscepticism, extremism and xenophobia,  as  reflected in the results;  it therefore  urges the  respective governments, political parties, as well as the European institutions to reflect on their share of responsibility for these phenomena and act promptly in order to tackle them.

1.2 In this regard, COSAC welcomes the expressed will of the Heads of EU states to  place  growth  and  job  creation  on  top  of  their  priorities,    together  with pursuing further progress in the area of freedom, security and justice and coping with the major challenges of climate change and energy efficiency.

2.         Democratic Accountability

2.1      COSAC notes that the economic recess and its impact, such as high unemployment, combined with reduced social spending and downgrading of living standards have proved critical for the diminishing popularity of the European Union. COSAC is, in this regard, of the view that the EU's democratic credibility has been seriously harmed over the past five years, as the need to swiftly address the effects of the economic and financial crisis and to coordinate fiscal policies has led governments or Council formations such as the Eurogroup to delegate more competencies  to technocrats and to make  decisions -partly or completely- lacking  democratic legitimacy.

2.2      Moreover, COSAC notes with regret that macroeconomic adjustment programmes were not characterised by sufficient democratic legitimacy and accountability, as stated by the vast majority of respondents in the Bi-annual Report. COSAC stresses that, in the future, genuinely democratically accountable institutions should be primarily involved in designing and implementing such programmes in order to guarantee transparency and political ownership.

2.3        COSAC reaffirms the willingness of national Parliaments to engage in a public debate over the European institutional architecture in the context of the existing Treaties. COSAC strongly believes that ways to achieve democratisation of the decision making process should be explored without putting into question the community method. In this respect powers vested by the Treaties to the European Parliament should be fully exercised and its cooperation with national Parliaments should be further developed.

2.4       COSAC welcomes the agreement reached on the Regulation on the statute and funding of European Political Parties and Foundations and hopes that its entry into force will contribute to promoting representative democracy through the channel of supranational political parties that will bridge the gap between national and European political realities.

2.5       Five  years  after  the    entry  into  force  of    the  Lisbon  Treaty  and  the consequent appointments   of the   President of the European Council and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,    COSAC  congratulates  Mr  Herman  Van  Rompuy  and  Lady  Catherine Ashton for the effective way in which they fulfilled their mission during a period marked by the global economic crisis and by major threats to peace and stability in Europe’s southern and eastern neighborhood.

2.6       COSAC  expresses  the  hope  that  cooperation  between  the  European Council and the European External Action Service and EU Parliaments will continue   unhindered   and   will   be   further   exploited   and   developed,   both bilaterally as well as in the context of interparliamentary cooperation.

2.7     COSAC  is  convinced  that  EU  institutions  must  work  together constructively taking into account the election results and the message conveyed by the European citizens when appointing the heads of the main institutional bodies, as envisaged in the TFEU.

3.         Economic Governance – Deepening of the Economic and Monetary
Union (EMU)

3.1       COSAC reaffirms its conviction that deepening of the EMU, through the introduction  of  policies  dealing  with  the  insufficiencies  revealed  after  the outburst of the crisis,  is of utmost importance. In this context, an integrated financial framework with a fully - fledged banking union, with effective supervisory, resolution and deposit guarantee mechanisms  at a European level, coupled, as necessary, by a genuine fiscal and economic union is seen as a natural next step to the budgetary coordination framework already in place.

3.2 Consequently, COSAC welcomes the political agreement reached during the Hellenic Presidency of the Council, on the Single Resolution Mechanism, as well as the completion of the agreement on the Single Resolution Fund. These agreements shall play a vital role towards the conclusion of a Banking Union, which will help ensure financial stability, minimise the cost of bank failures on European citizens, restore the markets’ confidence in the European banking sector and allow banks to resume supply of credit to the real economy and thus pave the way to growth.

4.         Addressing the Social Deficit in the EU

4.1       COSAC notes that the deep economic recession in the euro area and the on-going European sovereign debt crisis have placed the debate on the social dimension of the EMU high on the European political agenda. In this respect, COSAC stresses the need for a horizontal integration of the social dimension into EU policies and within the framework of the European Semester. COSAC strongly supports  social  dialogue  and  the  active  participation  of  competent  social partners in shaping more effective and targeted EU policies.

4.2       COSAC  expresses  its  satisfaction  over  the  first  signs  of  a  recovery  in economic activity in the European Union throughout 2013, in terms of both productivity and competitiveness. However, it underlines that the continued pursuit of fiscal consolidation policies is recognised as ineffective and prolonging the economic crisis unnecessarily (IMF, 2013), as well as impeding recovery in employment prospects. the goal of long-term fiscal consolidation needs to be matched with measures to boost demand and stimulate growth.

5.         Rethinking the European employment Strategy

5.1      COSAC notes with great concern that labour market conditions have continued to worsen over 2013, emphasising the unprecedented high level of youth unemployment across many EU countries, the increasing persistency of unemployment and the deterioration in the quality of employment (i.e. involuntary temporary and part-time employment, in-work poverty, informal work, job and wage polarisation);  it therefore deplores the limited capacity so far of the EU to address the failures and disparities in labour markets so as to effectively resolve the problem.

5.2       COSAC welcomes the EU key initiatives to tackle youth unemployment (Youth Employment Package, Youth Guarantee, Youth Employment Initiative) and urges the European Commission to further step up efforts in order to create better and more, employment opportunities for the youth of Europe. Regarding the effective implementation of the Youth Guarantee, COSAC considers that the

involvement of all government levels and a regular and structured cooperation with  stakeholders  (i.e.  public  and  private  employment  services,  enterprises, trade unions, youth organisations) are required.

5.3       COSAC  encourages  EU  Parliaments’  active  involvement  in  the  efforts towards tackling youth unemployment by contributing in the designation of the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan and scrutinising its implementation. In this regard, it urges Parliaments to engage in interparliamentary dialogue not only between them, but also between them and the European institutions.

5.4       COSAC welcomes the adoption of European Union Work Plan for Youth for 2014-2015 by the Education Council. COSAC is of the view that policy-making should take into account young people's conditions and needs. To this end, it encourages enhancement of a structured cross - sectoral cooperation in youth policy, further evolution of social dialogue and increased active participation of young people to the development and implementation of policies affecting them. Furthermore, COSAC emphasises the importance of ensuring youth policy input into the European Semester and into the Europe 2020 Strategy.

5.5      COSAC acknowledges the significance of entrepreneurship for the EU economy,  in  particular  in  Small  and  Medium  Sized  enterprises  (SMEs)  as  a source of economic growth and job creation. In this regard, it encourages the promotion of policies that facilitate business start-ups and young entrepreneurs in accessing finance and support services and strongly supports the development of entrepreneurial education and culture (i.e. through traineeships, exchange programmes, information and support services)   to facilitate the effective integration of young people into the labour market.

5.6       COSAC draws attention to the worrisome trend of high unemployment rate of young adults, aged 25 - 34, who were the first to face job losses due to their lower seniority and job protection provided to older employees.   COSAC, acknowledges that young adults often cannot benefit from youth labour market programmes or retraining to improve their skills and employment prospects, making   return to employment for this age group particularly protracted. Therefore  it  calls  on  the  Commission  to  take  up  concrete  and  imminent initiatives in order to tackle the problem.

6.        Freedom, Security and Justice

6.1       COSAC calls on  the European Council to adopt the Strategic Guidelines in the field of Justice and Home Affairs regarding the legislative and operational planning, building upon the progress already achieved   in the context of   the Stockholm Programme; COSAC  underlines the significance of the principle of

solidarity and responsibility in the designation of the Guidelines and stresses the need for full implementation and enforcement of existing instruments in   the area of freedom, security and justice  in order to improve  the quality of life of European citizens.

6.2       COSAC is of the opinion that special attention should be attached to the sensitive issue of migration flows management and the integration of legal immigrants in EU societies; to this end, proposals put forward by   the Task Force Mediterranean, should be taken into account, as sea routes of migration are the most frequently used and at the same time linked with significant human losses.

7.         EU maritime policies

7.1     COSAC  underlines  that  sea  and  maritime  activities  present  an inexhaustible source of growth and prosperity for the whole of Europe. It therefore  welcomes  the  joined-up  effort  undertaken  by  the  European Commission,  the  External  Action  Service,  the  Hellenic  Presidency  and  the Member-States to develop a holistic, cross sectorial strategy in order to promote and safeguard this potential, namely the EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS); it  is  convinced  that  the  EUMSS  should  consist  of  both  internal  and  external aspects of maritime security, promote global solutions in dealing with challenges at the European level and make good use of all existing EU tools and structures in the maritime security domain, including CSDP missions and operations.

8.         Ukraine

NEW 8.1 COSAC reiterates strong support for the territorial integrity of the territory of Ukraine, with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea constituting a part of it, and the inviolability of the borders of Ukraine as defined in Article 2 of the Constitution of Ukraine and recognised internationally. COSAC condemns any separatist activity and provocations stoked up by external forces in efforts to destabilise Eastern and Southern Ukraine and the whole country.

8.1 2      COSAC  welcomes  the  holding  of  Presidential  elections  in  Ukraine  and notes with satisfaction the high turnout of the Ukrainian people and the clear resolve of the Ukrainian authorities to hold genuine election procedures, largely conforming to international commitment. However, it expresses its  regret over the fact  that the elections did not take place in the Crimean Peninsula, which is not under the control of Ukrainian authorities, as well as over   the constraints and the hostile security environment in Donetsk and Luhansk.

8.2 3       COSAC is confident that the quality of the Presidential elections provides the new President of Ukraine with the legitimacy to establish an inclusive dialogue with all citizens and work in order to guarantee the unity of the country while  respecting  the  diversity  of  Ukrainian  society;  it  calls  on  the  European Union to work closely together with the new President of Ukraine and support him in pursuit  of  de-centralisation  and constitutional, and structural economic reforms in order to ensure political and economic stability in the country. Moreover,  COSAC  welcomes takes note of the statements  by  the  Russian  Federation  pledging respect for the elections outcome; it therefore urges the Russian Federation to cooperate with the new legitimate President, to commit to a peaceful and constructive dialogue towards de-escalating tensions and to continue the withdrawal of armed forces from the Ukrainian border.

8.3 4      COSAC expects that the contracts regarding gas supplies from Russia to the European Union will be fully respected. Following the Ukraine crisis, COSAC considers  that  energy efficiency has  risen to a  top  priority for the European Union. In this regard, COSAC urges the Commission and the Member States to explore ways for financing energy efficiency measures and curbing energy demand,  as  well  as  to  engage  in  further  developing  an  EU  energy  security strategy.

NEW 8.5 COSAC welcomes the decision to sign the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova on 27 of June 2014 and expects the concurrent signature of the remaining chapters of the Association Agreement with Ukraine. COSAC notes the special role of EU national parliaments and European Parliament in the process of ratification of these agreements and invites them to send a strong message of support to the Eastern partners by ensuring smooth ratification process.

Annex

1. Women's Forum

1.1 COSAC notes with great concern that the austerity policies to address the financial crisis are resulting in severe reductions in social services and job security. COSAC draws attention to the fact that the impact of such policies on women's economic independence as well as on their working and living conditions,   is negatively affecting the balance of work and family life, while undermining, at the same time, their equal opportunities in the labour market.

1.2 COSAC underlines that the current economic and financial crisis, which has fuelled a social crisis, should not jeopardise progress achieved in the promotion of gender equality, reproductive health and rights.

1.3  COSAC  notes  that,  although  the  Strategy  for  equality  between  men  and women 2010-2015 has been introduced as the main tool to support gender equality in the implementation of the EU2020 strategy, the share of the burden shouldered by women has in fact become heavier.

1.4 COSAC deplores the fact that gender mainstreaming has a very low an insufficient or non- existent profile in the EU2020 agenda and the European Semester; it therefore deems necessary that  gender perspective is incorporated in the elaboration of the EU 2020 targets, in particular those related to employment, Research and Development energy, education and poverty and  becomes a reality.