The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) is a conference of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and national Members of Parliament (MPs) who are drawn from parliamentary committees responsible for European Union affairs.

History and role

thumb|220px|left|COSAC meeting in [[Warsaw in 2011]]

COSAC was founded in 1989 on a proposal of Laurent Fabius, then President of the French National Assembly and at the same time an MEP on the European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO). COSAC meets twice a year in the member state that holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

COSAC may also adopt contributions addressed to the EU institutions. COSAC has gained the right to submit contributions and examine proposals on EU law relating to Justice and Home Affairs

Various committees from non-EU countries have also been invited to participate in the meetings as observers. For example, on 26 November 2023, the Standing Committee on European Integration representing Armenia participated in the COSAC meeting held in Madrid, Spain.

Name

COSAC is a French acronym for the conference's former name "Conférence des organes spécialisés dans les affaires communautaires et européennes des parlements de l'Union européenne" (Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union). It is known by similar terms such as the Conference of European Community Affairs Committees

List of European affairs committees

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!width=150px|State

!Committee

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|Advisory Committee on European Affairs and Federal Advisory Committee on European Affairs (includes MEPs)

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|European Affairs Committee

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|Grand Committee

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|The Committee in Charge of European Affairs (lower house)

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|Committee on the Affairs of the European Union (lower house) and the Committee on European Union Questions (upper house) (also, the Chamber for European Affairs in the upper house)

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| Joint Committee on European Union Affairs

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| Committee on European Union Policies (lower house) and Committee on European Union Policies (upper house)

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|European Union Affairs Committee (lower house) European Union Affairs Committee (upper house)

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|European Affairs Committee

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|The Committee on European Affairs (lower house) and European Affairs Committee (upper house)

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|European Affairs Committee

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|Committee on European Union Affairs

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|Joint Commission for the European Union

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|The Committee on EU Affairs

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| (former member state)

|European Scrutiny Committee (lower house) and European Union Committee (upper house, includes sub-committees)

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See also

  • European Assizes
  • National parliaments of the European Union
  • Joint parliamentary meeting on the Future of Europe
  • List of acronyms: European sovereign-debt crisis

References

  • Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union
  • Cooperation between the European Parliament and National Parliaments