- The Central European Summit of the Presidents of Parliaments was held in Prague on 26-27 September 2008 on the initiative of the President of the Czech Senate. The meeting was attended by the presidents of fourteen chambers from eleven EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary). It was devoted to new forms of cooperation between national parliaments in the European Union.
- The Conclusions of the Presidency of the Summit of Presidents of Parliaments of European Union Member States from Central and Eastern Europe adopted at the meeting contained i.a. a declaration to facilitate the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, a call for the involvement of national parliaments in the EU decision making processes, and an appeal for the European Commission’s close cooperation with the parliaments in monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality. In addition, the parliaments reaffirmed their support to the continued enlargement process of the EU, stressed the need for mutual communication of their positions in the event of a foreign political crisis or a direct military conflict, and expressed support for closer cooperation with the national parliaments of the Eastern neighbours of the European Union and for the initiative of Eastern Partnership, including its parliamentary dimension. The unity of the European Union in solidarity with Georgia was also emphasised.
- The Presidents of parliamentary chambers agreed that cooperation in the form of Central European Summit of the Presidents of Parliaments should not be given an institutionalised framework, and any future meetings would arise from a specific need (one meeting of the Central European Summit of the Presidents of Parliaments has been organised so far).
Last updated 2008