EU Statement in response to the Presentations by the Chairs of the Three Committees

As delivered at the 1499th Meeting of the Permanent Council, Vienna, 28 November 2024

The European Union warmly welcomes and thanks the Chairs of the Security, Economic and Environmental, and Human Dimension Committees for their presentations and their commitment to fostering a collaborative approach among the Committees, while upholding the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security. In a year marked by immense challenges for the OSCE region and beyond, compounded by Russia’s ongoing unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, we deeply appreciate the Committees' adaptability in addressing the most pressing issues. We commend the Chairs for their consultative and inclusive approach in shaping their work programmes, and for their dedication to facilitating meaningful dialogue within the OSCE framework under such demanding circumstances.

We congratulate Ambassador Burian and his dedicated team on their commendable work with the Security Committee. We highly value the Committee as a key forum for addressing non-military security issues and advancing OSCE commitments on transnational threats. We welcome the continued focus on challenges arising from Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, including trafficking in human beings, protection of critical infrastructure, trafficking in cultural property, and the safety of journalists. The EU also applauds the incorporation of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and your dedication to ensuring the full, equal, and meaningful participation of female experts in the first dimension. We further appreciate your professional and inclusive approach to conducting meetings, fostering interactive and practice-oriented discussions, and engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, think tanks, and academia.

Ambassador Florian Raunig, we sincerely thank you for your outstanding leadership in chairing the Economic and Environmental Committee (EEC) and commend the significant contributions of the Austrian team to the Second Dimension's success over the past four years. We reiterate our support for maintaining a balanced focus on economic and environmental topics within the Committee, while ensuring the inclusion of relevant stakeholders such as civil society, academia, and the private sector in our discussions. We applaud the Committee’s emphasis on important issues such as the empowerment of women, combating corruption, strengthening climate resilience, food security, transboundary water management, digitalisation, and the promotion of connectivity and economic cooperation. These efforts are vital to the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security. We underscore the need to continue addressing the security risks posed by environmental degradation and damage to critical energy infrastructure resulting from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Ambassador Callan, we express our heartfelt gratitude to you and the Irish team for your exceptional leadership over the past two years. We commend your broad selection of topics for the Human Dimension Committee (HDC) meetings, including regarding violence against women, media freedom and freedom of expression, democratic election observation, tolerance and non-discrimination, the role of youth in protecting civic space, torture prevention and combating hate crime. We highly valued your dedication to keeping the spotlight on the most pressing issue: Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and its deplorable impact on the human rights situation in the region. Thank you for providing the opportunity to hear moving testimonials from those working on the ground. We fully support the Finnish Chair’s priorities in the Human Dimension and the approach to next year’s Human Dimension events. The annual HDIM in Warsaw remains the most important platform in the OSCE region for civil society and human rights defenders to speak and hold our governments accountable for the implementation of our joint OSCE commitments. It is a responsibility of all participating States to reach consensus on its organisation.

In conclusion, the EU thanks once again the outgoing Chairs of the three Committees for their dedication and their leadership. We look forward to working closely with the incoming Chairs and their teams under the Finnish Chairpersonship, offering our full support to ensure the continued effectiveness of the OSCE’s vital work. Together, we must remain resolute in upholding the principles and commitments that form the foundation of our shared security and cooperation.

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, SERBIA*,
ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA*,
and GEORGIA, the EFTA countries ICELAND, LIECHTENSTEIN and NORWAY, members of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA, MONACO and SAN MARINO align themselves with this statement.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.