Press release, 29 January 2013

Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs Gediminas Kirkilas participated in the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs), held in Dublin on 27–28 January 2013. The meeting emphasised a greater role of national Parliaments and Committees on European Affairs in adopting EU decisions. The meeting in Dublin was also attended by Loreta Raulinaitytė, Director of the Communications Department and EU-Presidency Coordinator, and Renata Lygienė, Head of the Office, Committee on European Affairs from the Office of the Seimas.

Gediminas Kirkilas (sixth from the left, first row) attended the meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs. Source: website http://www.parleu2013.ie/ dedicated to the Parliamentary Dimension of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

“The principal topic of the meeting was an enhanced role of national Parliaments and the Committees on European Affairs. The meeting sends an important message to all Europeans. Parliaments pass legislation; EU directives are transposed into the national law by the decisions of Parliaments and become everyday reality in the lives of EU citizens, consequently of people in Lithuania. The Committees on European Affairs, especially in relatively new EU Member States, such as Lithuania, have become a bridge between the EU as an institution and the EU as a community of citizens. The Seimas Committee on European Affairs has spared no effort to raise public awareness about the EU per se and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and to enhance the citizens’ confidence in the Seimas during Lithuania’s Presidency from 1 July 2013”, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs Kirkilas noted following the discussions at the meeting.

“The Lisbon Treaty that came into effect in 2009 has enabled the European Parliament to have a major impact on EU decision-making and gave national Parliaments more power. In this context, the role of the Committee on European Affairs has become crucial. In Finland, for example, due its significance the respective committee is called the Grand Committee. The Seimas Committee on European Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania is exceptional in the sense that the majority of its decisions are adopted by national consensus and that there is a unique consensus among its members regarding the key issues of interest of Lithuania”, Gediminas Kirkilas said at some time in the past.

The meeting of the Chairpersons of the European Affairs Committees was chaired by Dominic Hannigan, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs, Member of the Irish Labour Party. Dominic Hannigan also believes that national Parliaments have an indispensable role to play in the future of the European Union, particularly in underpinning the credibility of moves towards genuine Economic and Monetary Union.

The keynote speakers were Brendan Howlin, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform of the Republic of Ireland, and Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission. Brendan Howlin noted that the Irish Presidency Programme was tightly focussed on the objectives of achieving stability, jobs and growth and that never before had the Programme so closely matched its domestic political priorities and the domestic political priorities of most of our countries. Maroš Šefčovič argued that national Parliaments had a vital role to play in bridging the democratic deficit between Europe and its citizens, in explaining and debating the change with their constituents.

This meeting of the Chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs is one of two ordinary meetings that COSAC (Conference of the Committees of the National Parliaments of the European Union Member States dealing with the European Union affairs as well as representatives of the European Parliament) holds and that is organised by the EU Member State holding the 6-monthly Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The principal purpose of this meeting was also to agree on the Irish Presidency priorities and the agenda for the Plenary Meeting of the XLIX COSAC to be held in Dublin from 23 to 25 June.

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union runs from 1 January to 30 June 2013. During Lithuania’s Presidency, which is due to start on 1 July 2013, the meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC in Vilnius is scheduled for 7–8 July 2013 and the plenary meeting of COSAC is scheduled for 27–29 October 2013.

Morta Vidūnaitė, Advisor to Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Gediminas Kirkilas

tel.: +370 5 239 6278, e-mail: [email protected]