Chair of the Joint Committee on European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zdenko Ćosić Participates in the 75th Meeting of COSAC Chairs in Nicosia

The Chair of the Joint Committee on European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Zdenko Ćosić, is participating in the 75th Meeting of the Chairs of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC), being held in Nicosia, Republic of Cyprus.

The Conference, which brings together parliamentary committees of European Union (EU) Member States and candidate countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the first in a series of international inter-parliamentary events to be held under the presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, which assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the Kingdom of Denmark in the first half of 2026.

The Conference was opened with welcoming remarks by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, Annita Demetriou, followed by an introductory address by the Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, Harris Georgiades. The work programme, the report on the annual activities of the COSAC Secretariat, a summary of the 45th COSAC Bi-annual Report, and information from the meeting of the COSAC Chairpersons’ Troika were also presented and adopted.

The first working panel was devoted to the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, presented by the Cypriot Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna. She highlighted three key strategic priorities of the Cypriot EU Presidency: the EU’s strategic autonomy and resilience, openness to the world, and the strengthening of social cohesion. Key elements for achieving these priorities include security, defence and the EU’s preparedness to respond to current challenges and dynamic geopolitical circumstances, strengthening resilience to economic, energy and geopolitical turbulence, as well as enhancing the EU’s competitiveness and technological autonomy. The importance of the security of critical infrastructure and the resilience of supply chains was also underlined. In this context, the Cypriot Presidency places particular emphasis on the need for an “autonomous Union”, both internally and externally, with a strong focus on strengthening transatlantic relations.

Building on the thematic focus and priorities presented in the first part of the Conference, the second panel addressed the topic “European Political Challenges and Responses”, with introductory presentations by Member of the European Parliament Yannis Maniatis and the Chair of the Committee on European Affairs of the French Senate, Jean-François Rapin. The Conference highlighted the shared interest in preserving a secure, stable and prosperous Europe. (End)