'Een opgewaardeerd OSCE moet veligheidsuitdagingen aanpakken' (en)

The EU should take greater responsibility for enhancing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), say MEPs in a resolution that calls for a revamp of this body, which they believe should serve as a more active forum for the management of regional conflicts in Europe.

The OSCE could play an essential role in enhancing security as it represents a unique network of treaties and instruments for conflict prevention. However, the EU and its Member States have shown little will so far to use this body effectively to resolve security conflicts in the pan-European region, according to the Thursday's EP resolution. By way of example, MEPs cite the downgrading of the OSCE mission and the interruption of disarmament activities in Transnistria (Moldova) as well as other unresolved inter-ethnic conflicts in Georgia, Kirgizstan and the Caucasus region.

Next opportunity in December

The OSCE, argue MEPs, needs to hold regular high level summits (the last one took place in Istanbul in 1999) and play a more active role in conflict prevention, arms control, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. The next OSCE summit on 1 December 2010 in Astana (Kazakhstan) offers a chance to review the role of the organization, say MEPs, seeing it as an important forum for addressing issues such as a legally binding European Security Treaty with Russia.

Improved OSCE cooperation in early warning on economic and environmental topics, such as energy supply, trade, climate change, or water security, is also needed to diminish tensions in the Eurasian region and should be a central issue at the December summit.

For all these reasons, MEPs believe that Parliament's President should be invited to the OSCE summit and that the establishment of an EP delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly should be considered.

Lastly, the EU's new External Action Service will also need to work out how to further cooperate with the OSCE in international election observation missions (currently the OSCE'S main political task), argues Parliament's resolution, which was adopted by show of hands.