Finnish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

With 55 participating states, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s most broadly-based regional body dealing with issues concerning international security. In addition to the European countries, its membership also includes the United States and Canada. The institutions of the OSCE, including the Parliamentary Assembly, were created through the Charter of Paris in 1990. The first session of the Parliamentary Assembly took place in Budapest in 1992. For more information see the Assembly website: www.oscepa.org.

Goals

The cooperation that led to the birth of the OSCE began with the signing of the Final Act of the first Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in Helsinki in 1975. The 35 signatory states agreed to hold regular intergovernmental gatherings to review implementation of the recommendations contained in the Final Act. The recommendations embraced both military and non-military security, such as the economy, environmental affairs, human rights and cooperation in the spheres of culture and education. Until 1990 the CSCE functioned as a series of conferences and other meetings. Its institutions were founded in 1990 and the new name Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was adopted in 1995.

The OSCE views security from a broad perspective. Arms control and disarmament, preventive diplomacy, democracy, confidence-building measures, human rights, economic security and environmental safety are among the most central sectors of work. The organisation’s goal is to bring states together, as equal partners, to discuss themes and agree on measures to enhance the security of states both individually and collectively.

Members

The membership of the OSCE comprises all of the European countries plus the United States and Canada, 55 in all. Its cooperation partners are Afghanistan, Japan, The Republic Korea, Mongolia and Thailand as well as the Mediterranean partners Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

The participating states are represented in the Parliamentary Assembly by 317 delegates chosen by their national parliaments. The number of delegates that each country sends is determined in proportion to population.

The Finnish delegation

The Finnish delegation has six members and six alternate members. It is chosen by the Parliament for the whole electoral period. The Finnish delegation submits the Parliament a written report on the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly. The delegation has a secretariat at the Parliament's International Department.

Assembly's Tasks

The tasks of the Parliamentary Assembly include monitoring implementation of the OSCE’s goals, discussing matters to be dealt with at Ministerial Councils and Summits, supporting the activities of democratic institutions and promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts. It makes recommendations and proposals to the Ministerial Council. Through resolutions adopted at plenary sessions, it adopts positions on topical international political events.

The ways in which smooth flows of information between the Parliamentary Assembly and the other institutions are ensured include the attendance of the Ministerial Council’s chair and leading officials at plenary sessions. Correspondingly, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly is entitled to speak at meetings of the Ministerial Council and Permanent Council.

The Parliamentary Assembly meets in one annual plenary session in July. It has a bureau, standing committee, three permanent committees and ad hoc working groups. It regularly sends teams of observers to monitor elections, principally in participating states.

Sessions

Plenary sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly take place in July each year. The President, whom it elects for each annual session, acts as its highest representative between sessions. The Parliamentary Assembly also elects nine Vice-Presidents. The President and the Vice-Presidents along with the Treasurer and the President Emeritus form the Bureau. Three General Committees and the Standing Committee meet during plenary sessions.

An annual main theme is selected for each session by the Standing Committee. It is deliberated by the General Committees and the conclusion from the annual parliamentary declaration.

The second main meeting in the Parliamentary Assembly’s annual calendar is the Winter Meeting, the first of which took place in Vienna in February 2002. The Standing Committee and the three General Committees meet during each Winter Meeting.

Committees and Bureau

At each of its Annual Sessions, the Parliamentary Assembly elects the President and nine Vice-Presidents. The President and the Vice-Presidents along with the Treasurer and the President Emeritus form the presidium, which is called the Bureau. The President is elected for one year at a time and can be re-elected once. He or she, in consultation with the OSCE’s Ministerial Council and other institutions, represents the Parliamentary Assembly between sessions.

The Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly comprises, in addition to the members of the Bureau, the chairs of the national delegations and officials from the General Committees. Its task is to carry out preparatory deliberation of matters to be dealt with at sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly and, if necessary, it can adopt resolutions on urgent political issues. A further task is to choose the main theme for the Annual Session.

The remits of the three General Committees are Political Affairs and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment; and Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. Ad hoc committees and working groups can be appointed to deliberate topical questions.

Budget

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's budget for the fiscal year 2005-2006 was about ? 2,3 million of which Finland's contribution was 2,05 per cent.

Other OSCE institutions

The OSCE’s highest decision-making body is the Summit meeting of heads of state or government, which takes place every two or three years to decide the organisation’s broad policy outlines. In years when no Summit is held, the foreign ministers of the Participating States assemble for a conference called the Ministerial Council.

A central OSCE decision-making body is the Permanent Council, which meets weekly in Vienna. Its members are permanent representatives of the Participating States and its work is coordinated by the current holder of the Chairmanship of the organisation. Other decision-making bodies include the Economic and Security Forum, which meets on a regular basis.

The OSCE also has several executive bodies and institutions whose main task is to monitor implementation of the decisions reached in negotiations. Examples include the the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, High Commissioner on national Minorities, Representative on Freedom of the Media as well as Court of Conciliation and Arbitration. Monitoring implementation of agreements and commitments is also one of the Parliamentary Assembly’s central tasks.

Field activities

OSCE Missions

The OSCE missions (representative offices) are the most visible feature of the organisation’s work. They are established in regions where an international presence is needed. The mandate, size and role of a mission depends on the country in which it is located.

Election monitoring

Election monitoring A central task of the OSCE is to exercise oversight of democratic institutions, such as the way in which elections are held. The Parliamentary Assembly sends teams of observers to monitor mainly parliamentary and local-government elections. In certain cases, also presidential and regional elections are monitored. Monitoring is done in close collaboration with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights as well as with other international organisations.

Languages

The OSCE’s six official languages are English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish.

Secretariats

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly secretariat and headquarters

The International Secretariat of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly is in Copenhagen. It also has an office in Vienna, where the Secretariat of the OSCE is also located.

Secretariat of the Finnish delegation

The Finnish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly has a secretariat in the International Department of the Eduskunta.