“A crisis is the best time to undertake systemic structural changes, and Latvia clearly attests to that. Recently, significant changes have been introduced in the economic governance of the European Union as well, and we should not stop halfway,” pointed out Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, on 16 October in Cyprus at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC).

“In order to compete in the globalised world, Europe needs not only monetary and fiscal union but also closer political and economic integration. The economic potential of all the countries has to be strengthened because even the largest and most developed countries will not be able to compete globally in the long term on their own. Therefore, it is even more important to ensure equal development opportunities to all the member states by using a smart Cohesion Policy with adequate allocations,” said Kalniņa-Lukaševica.

During the debate, the Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima also stressed the need to provide support to each country’s less developed regions and thus contribute to the development of the entire country. The solution is to design a smart, well-considered and integrated development strategy for the regions of the member states. “For example, in order to ensure smart and sustainable growth, the EU at large should focus on developing all countries and regions through investments also in human capital and business startups. We do need the Europe 2020 strategy, but we also need the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework to foresee allocations for development aimed at European growth,” emphasised Kalniņa-Lukaševica.

Kalniņa-Lukaševica also noted that heads and members of the European affairs committees of national parliaments of the EU member states have to make sure that the national parliaments have a greater role in the decision making on the EU level. “This is the right moment for the national parliaments of the member states to start playing a greater role in ensuring democratic legitimacy by promptly getting involved in discussions on conceptual proposals, ideas and initiatives before decisions are taken at the summits of the European Union,” said the Chairperson.

Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for inter-institutional relations and administration, supported Kalniņa-Lukaševica’s opinion by emphasising that national parliaments can ensure democratic legitimacy, which is essential in shaping the future of the EU. Šefčovič also agreed that smart investment in the framework of the Cohesion Policy can stimulate the EU’s economic growth and also contribute to the development of small and medium enterprises.

Atis Lejiņš, Deputy Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, addressed Andreas Mavroyiannis, Deputy Minister to the President for European Affairs of Cyprus, on the priorities of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the European Union. “At the COSAC meeting held during the Danish presidency of the Council of the European Union, we pledged to applaud the Danish presidency if it managed to negotiate adoption of the legal framework necessary for creating the EU patent. However, in June of this year, the European Parliament failed to take the relevant decision. Instead, we are still asking “What went wrong with the EU patent?” said Lejiņš.

In response to this question, Deputy Minister to the President for European Affairs of Cyprus answered that the problem is the inability of the member states to express a single opinion, and that results in the European Parliament’s failure to consider the issue on the EU patent up to now. Mavroyiannis expressed the hope that despite complications, this issue will return on the agenda.

During the discussion, Igors Pimenovs, Secretary of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, addressed the audience on the issue of the EU’s single market.

From 14 to 16 October Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Lejiņš and Pimenovs are on a working visit to Cyprus, where they are participating in the COSAC meeting organised twice a year by the presiding EU country. The agenda drafted by the current presidency focuses on closer EU integration, security of the energy supply, development of the single market and recovery from the economic crisis.

Saeima Press Service