Athens, 25 February 2022

Meeting of Working Group of European Affairs Committees of EU parliaments with participation of Hellenic Parliament delegation

The second meeting of the COSAC Working Group on the “place of values ​​at the heart of the feeling of belonging to the EU” took place today via teleconference in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Council. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by Mrs Olga Kefalogianni and Mr Giannis Bournous.

The topics discussed -following relevant proposals by public law professors- were: "The definition of EU values​​: legal and political origins and suggested content; Member States’ role in values’ definition; distinction between the rule of law and democracy."

Ms Kefalogianni referred to developments in Ukraine, stressing that Russia's unprovoked attack constitutes a direct blow against democracy, violating international law, undermining global security and stability and endangering human lives.

With regard to the main subject of the meeting and referring to Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, Ms Kefalogianni noted that the Union is based on the values ​​of democracy and equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights - including the rights of individuals belonging to minorities. She stressed that the values ​​of respect for human dignity and freedom are currently at stake on the European continent and beyond, as the Russian attack on Ukraine brings about instability at a global scale.

Furthermore, she underlined  that the rule of law and democracy interlink, as democracy and respect for fundamental rights cannot exist without respect for the rule of law and vice versa. In this spirit and in the light of developments in Ukraine, she called on participants to remain alert and struggle together to defend the European values’ fundamental elements, with full respect for different cultures and traditions of peoples of the European Union.

 

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