On 1 July 2025 Denmark takes over the Presidency of the Council of European Union. During the Presidency both the Danish Government and the Danish Parliament play an important role. While the Danish Government chairs the work in the Council of the Europea Union, the Danish Parliament will chair the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency – and will invite colleagues from across Europe to discuss common solutions to Europe’s challenges.
»The Danish Parliament has a unique opportunity to gather elected politicians from all of Europe to address the major issues shaping our shared future. We have a responsibility to strengthen the democratic dialogue and to ensure that the national parliaments are heard across Europe. We take on this task with both humility and ambition,« says Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade.
The first conference is the COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting, which takes place at Christiansborg – the home of the Danish Parliament - on the 3rd-4th of July. COSAC gathers members of the national European Affairs Committees – that is, the committees of the national parliaments that deal with EU politics. At the meeting the attendees will discuss key topics on the EU agenda such as security and defence, the continued support for Ukraine and the priorities of the Danish EU Presidency.
Chairperson for the Danish European Affairs Committee, Brigitte Klintskov Jerkel, states:
»The COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting marks the beginning of the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency, chaired by the Danish Parliament. It’s an important opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between the national parliaments and EU’s institutions. We look forward to addressing the major issues that pervade Europe – and to engaging in an open and constructive dialogue with our European colleagues.«
On the agenda for the COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting are - amongst other things – addresses to the attendees by the Danish Minister of European Affairs, Marie Bjerre, Deputy Prime minister and Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, as well as from representatives from the European Parliament and the Ukrainian Parliament.
There will also be discussions about EU’s defence capacity and the need to modernise the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which amongst other things supports the development of the member states’ defense capabilities, as well as research and innovation aimed at strengthening European competitiveness – themes that are recurring throughout the Danish Presidency.
»European cooperation has rarely been this important. The world is changing rapidly, and it calls for an EU that stands and acts together. With the presidency we will unite our efforts and find shared solutions,« says the Speaker of the Danish Parliament.
The COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting is the first of seven conferences across Copenhagen and Billund in Jutland, where parliamentarians, EU-commissioners and experts will meet to set a shared direction for the future of Europe.
The parliamentary dimension of the Presidency will culminate in December with the COSAC Plenary Meeting, where larger delegations from the national European Affairs Committees will gather to turn visions into effective and coordinated actions.