22/10/2021 European Conference of Presidents of Parliament
“To sum up: after the crisis is before the crisis. We need to ensure national parliaments and interparliamentary assemblies alike are prepared for future crises, and are prepared for the unexpected. These crises will come”, today said the President of the Hellenic Parliament Constantine An. Tassoulas, presenting the conclusions of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament.
“They may not be of the same nature and may be more linked to the climate crisis currently unfolding, but we need to future-proof our ways of working, so that parliaments are not side-lined in the next global emergency. We need to defend and develop democracy”, he added.
Referring to theme 1 of the discussions, ‘Democracies facing the Covid-19 public health crisis’, he stressed that multilateralism, international co-operation and solidarity “must remain at the heart of anticipating and addressing future similar threats. Neither viruses nor floods, fire nor pollution respect national borders. We thus need full support to, but also reform of, multilateral organisations, as well as full support for international and human rights law. We need to develop resilience.”
Sharing Mr Tassoulas impressions, PACE President Rick Daems referred to theme 2, ‘National parliaments and the right to a healthy and sustainable environment’, and stressed that “the link between human rights and the environment is evident to us all”. He announced that the Assembly intends to set up a parliamentary network in January 2022 to ensure the necessary political support and parliamentary input by representative democracy. “It will serve as an essential link to national parliaments, and I am looking forward to your parliaments and interparliamentary Assemblies appointing contact parliamentarians next year”, he said.
Referring to the discussion on the third theme, ‘The common future of all European citizens’ Mr Daems stressed that “we should take action to avoid that exceptional measures which were resorted to in an emergency situation become the norm. At the same time, we should listen to citizens’ calls for a renewal of democracy, promoting education to democracy, giving citizens a greater say in political decision-making processes and having the courage to experiment”.
Many of the challenges that confront European societies bypass national borders. "This is why we support solidarity actions such as the purchase of vaccines by the EU for the Covax mechanism”, concluded Mr Tassoulas. Multilateralism, membership in international organisations, and active engagement in international fora “should be promoted as a means of achieving durable solutions to global challenges and securing peace and stability through dialogue and solidarity. Several speakers highlighted the importance for the Western Balkans to be given a concrete prospect of integration into the European Union, thus responding to their citizens’ aspiration for greater prosperity and stronger democracies”.