Pursuant to the Rules of Procedure of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union, the parliaments of candidate states are invited to take part in COSAC plenary meetings as observers.

The European Integration Committee delegation comprised Committee Chairperson Elvira Kovacs, and Committee members Ana Miljanic and Natan Albahari.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the European affairs committees of the parliaments of the EU member states, parliaments of EU candidate countries, special guests and representatives of EU institutions.

The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) Andreas Norlen and the Chair of its Committee on EU Affairs Hans Wallmark spoke at the opening of the meeting, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addressed the audience via video message.

The keynote speakers of Session I: "The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union", were Jessika Roswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, and Salvatore de Meo, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, European Parliament.

The Chairperson of the National Assembly’s European Integration Committee Elvira Kovacs addressed the audience at Session I, expressing her regret that EU enlargement policy is not on the official list of priorities of the Swedish presidency. "Although the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Tirana on 6 December 2022, sent a positive message to the participants from the Western Balkans, I must say that the EU has lost precious time and trust in the Western Balkans during the last few years. It is very difficult to maintain the enthusiasm of the citizens for so long." She pointed out that candidate countries cannot be expected to meet the accession criteria without the EU offering a credible and clear enlargement perspective and real incentives that can provide real solutions to structural problems or open bilateral issues. She pointed out that we are facing growing Euroscepticism. "We follow the internal events in the EU very carefully. We are concerned about the same problems the member countries are facing on the economic and foreign front." The Committee Chairperson expressed the hope that the European Union will successfully solve the challenges it faces and that the enlargement policy will not be brought into question.

The keynote speakers at Session II: "30 years of the single market" were Othmar Karas, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Kerstin Jorna, Director-General of the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises, with an address by Anna Stellinger, Deputy Director General of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, and Therese Svanstrom, President of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees. The COSAC members agreed that the single market is one of the greatest achievements of the EU. They welcomed the implementation of measures related to small and medium-sized enterprises, stressing that the focus should be on removing barriers, especially in the service sector.

The keynote speakers at Session III: "Towards a green transition”, were Helene Fritzon, member of the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament, Daniel Mes, member of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Timmermans, European Commission, and Johan Kuylenstierna, Formas - A Research Council for Sustainable Development. The COSAC members praised the efforts made to achieve the various elements of the Fit for 55 package. They pointed out that the EU, which plays a central role in the field of green transition, has ambitious climate goals.

The keynote speakers at Session IV were Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, Anders Ahnlid, Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Party on Frozen, and Immobilised Funds to Support Ukraine’s Reconstruction, and Jean-Erik de Zagon, Head of the European Investment Bank Representation to Ukraine.

Natan Albahari, member of the National Assembly’s European Integration Committee, spoke at Session IV, recalling the presentation he had during the Czech Presidency of the EU Council in Prague, when he mentioned the need to discuss the alignment of Serbia's foreign policy with the EU in regard to Ukraine. He said that, although it had voted for the adoption of the UN Resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Serbia still does not show full solidarity and partnership with Ukrainian and European friends and this must change. "We will continue the fight in Parliament to get majority support for this much needed policy change. It is not easy to get away from Russian influence, but we have to." Natan Albahari called for the "doors" of Europe to remain open because: "Serbia's place is there, in the EU, which is our sincere friend and partner, and we will never give up that fight.”

On the sidelines of COSAC, the Chairperson of the National Assembly’s European Integration Committee met with the Chairperson of the Irish Parliamentary Committee on European Union Affairs Colm Brophy, and presented him with an official letter inviting the Irish Parliamentary Committee on European Union Affairs to come and visit the European Integration Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, so as to develop cooperation between the two committees.

The delegation of the National Assembly’s European Integration Committee also met with the delegation of Poland and discussed the upcoming visit of the Polish Parliament’s European Union Affairs Committee to the Serbian National Assembly.