Parliamentary Delegation attends COSAC Meeting in Finland

A Parliamentary delegation led by the Hon. Dolores Cristina, M.P., Chairperson of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, and including the Hon. John Vella, M.P., and the Hon. Chris Cardona, M.P., will be attending the XXIst COSAC - Conference of European Affairs Committees of the National Parliaments of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Parliaments of the Applicant States.

The conference, which is to be held in Helsinki between the 10th and 13th October 1999, will be opened by Mr Esko Aho, Chairman of the Grand Committee of the Parliament of Finland.

Meetings of COSAC are held twice a year in the country holding the presidency of the European Union. Finland holds the presidency of the Union till the end of this year.

Topics on the agenda of the forthcoming conference are:

"Main goals of the Finnish Presidency" introduced by Mr Paavo Lipponen, Prime Minister;

"The EU's priorities in the area of freedom, security and justice, including the preparation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights - preparations for the Tampere extraordinary European Council", also to be introduced by the Prime Minister, Mr Paavo Lipponen;

"Enlargement of the Union - economic and financial implications, including employment" introduced by Ms Suvi-Anne Slimes, Minister of Finance with responsibility for fiscal issues and the EU budget, and Mr Erkki Llikanen, Member of the EU Commission;

• "The relations between the EU and Russia", introduced by Ms Tarja Halonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland; and

"Reform of the Rules of Procedure of COSAC", introduced by Mr Esko Aho, Chairman of the Grand Committee of the Parliament of Finland.

Mr Kari HiikSmics, Minister of the Interior, and Mr Johannes Koskinen, Minister of Justice of Finland, are also expected to contribute to the debates.