The role of parliaments in protecting democracy during times of crisis will be high on the conference agenda. Europe’s position as a guarantor of security, stability and growth in the EU and its adjacent areas will also be a key issue. Norway will have observer status at the conference.

European solidarity

“The war in Ukraine and over two years of pandemic have clearly demonstrated how vital the role of parliamentary democracy is in our societies and how valuable close collaboration and solidarity in Europe is,” said President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani.

The conference will give the President of the Storting the chance to meet colleagues from across the EU as well as a number of other European countries. Several bilateral meetings have also been arranged while the President is in Slovenia. Mr Gharahkhani has been asked to address the conference at some point during the two-day proceedings.

Important parliamentary collaboration

“MPs from all over Europe are actively supporting Ukraine through their work in a variety of interparliamentary assemblies. The ongoing war demonstrates how vital strong democratic institutions and robust parliamentary collaboration are,” added the Storting’s President.

As well as speakers and presidents of the EU’s parliaments, the conference will bring together the President of the European Parliament and the presidents of the EU’s candidate countries and observer states. The purpose of the conference is to discuss matters of common interest.

About the conference

The Conference of the Speakers of EU Parliaments has been an annual event since 1998. It takes place during the spring and is arranged by the country that held the rotating Council Presidency during the 2^nd semester of the previous year. Upon request, the Storting has taken part since 2017. The conference was cancelled in 2020 as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was held as a digital event in 2021.