During the first day of the 52nd Conference of COSAC, in Rome, the First Deputy Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament and Chair of the European Affairs Committee, Mr. Ioannis Tragakis said, as head of the Greek parliamentary delegation, that the strengthening of growth is the only way to tackle unemployment in Europe and to prevent social exclusion. As regards the cooperation between the Member States of Southeast Mediterranean and the EU, he noted that migration flows, this year, it was very large. He also stressed that Greece's borders are the maritime borders of Europe in SE Mediterranean and that Europe has an obligation to effectively protect its maritime borders. In this context it is necessary, he said, economic strengthening of Frontex. Regarding the issue of integration of the Western Balkans, the First Deputy Speaker of the House, said that Greece firmly supports the European perspective of the Western Balkans with the terms and conditions set by the European Union and international law, including the principle of good neighborliness.
A day later, Mr. Tragakis made intervention in the topic regarding the review of the Europe 2020 Strategy for growth, employment and competitiveness, saying: "I would like to focus on two key areas, which amid crisis seem, according to the latest statistics, increasingly diverge from the targets set in the 2020 strategy, both at national and European level: in the field of employment and that of poverty and social exclusion. Poverty has increased in the EU by 10 million over the last five years, the number of unemployed reached 26 million, while income inequalities have increased significantly. The differences in performance between the Member States have expanded mainly between North and South countries. In Greece, this year, growth has returned after five years of recession, and for 2015 growth is expected to reach 2.9%, which is much higher than the European average. Besides, Greece has also reached primary surplus. Nevertheless, we are asked to take severe austerity measures which are likely to bring us back into recession. Current policies are not sufficient to reverse the collapse of social Europe. A balance between economic and social priorities is required. There can be no possible economic union if there is not a strong social Europe. Thus, more determination is needed in implementing structural reforms".
In the discussion that took place on the 3rd day, on 3 December, the First deputy Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament took the floor and, inter alia, stated: "The migration to Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta have risen too. Consequently, the financial support of Frontex is necessary. The coastline of Greece, due to the islands, is equivalent to the coastline of Africa. But it is also the eastern borders of the European Union. I note that the discovery of significant hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean and the EEZ of Cyprus, which must be preserved at all costs, it can work as a catalyst for regional cooperation and significantly strengthen the economies of the countries of the region on both sides of the Mediterranean but also energy security and self-sufficiency of the European Union. "
In the next and last topic, the 52nd COSAC, where the democratic control of European institutions was examined, Mr Tragakis said that: "The exact role of European organizations is often a question mark. The results of the interim report of the 22nd COSAC, showed that although the number of European organizations increases, and although often these agencies are charged with the execution of a significant number of specialized and in some cases regulatory functions, more than half of Parliaments have not examined the role, function or audit mechanisms, either in whole or individually. For example, parliaments, located at the external borders of the Union, discuss daily problems arising from the increased number of illegal migration flows. We need cooperation with the Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the EU, the FRONTEX. This was instrumental in promoting, during the Greek Presidency, the European maritime security strategy, launched in the previous half with the joint statement European Parliament - Council and approved by the General Affairs Council on 24 June 2014. This initiative, now continuing by the Italian Presidency, is expected to present a comprehensive action plan. The role of European organizations in such actions should be centralized and I am sure that national parliaments can contribute to this dialogue, but also to the effective implementation of the plan”.