What is the OSCE?

The OSCE is the largest regional security organisation in the world, comprising 57 nations. It is also one of the few institutions that bring the East and the West together for essential dialogue.

In fact, in its original form as the Conference on Security and Co-operation (CSCE) it was a platform during the Cold War fostering discussion between the Eastern and Western Bloc.

While its scope has undoubtedly expanded, that remains one of its defining features – a platform that fosters negotiation between a diverse range of parties.

As mentioned above, the remit of the organisation has evolved to keep up with the steady changes within the international system. So now, the institution doesn’t solely consider traditional and hard security as imminent risks, but it looks through a wider lens, considering climate change, the economy, and the human dimension – such as human rights and media freedoms – as factors strongly affecting inter and intra-state security.

A notable feature of the institution is the fact that it’s political and not legal, i.e. its decisions are not legally binding to its party nations – this has a host of both positive and negative implications.

For instance, a positive is that since decisions are not legally binding, states are more likely to agree on riskier decisions since they technically don’t have to comply. While a negative is just that – they legally don’t have to comply.

That being said, the actual effectiveness of legally binding international institutions is up for debate anyway.

What is the Permanent Council?

The Permanent Council is the principal decision-making body for regular political consultations and for governing the day-to-day operational work of the OSCE between the meetings of the Ministerial Council. It convenes weekly and meetings are led by the Chairperson-in-Office; Malta’s very own Borg.

Borg has an important role because he is outlining the agenda and priorities of the Permanent Council for 2024. Of course, these will generally align with the OSCE’s overall priorities that have been established in recent years – for instance, one can expect the war in Ukraine to be high up on the agenda.

Borg will be presenting these priorities later today at the formal inauguration of the new Chair of the Permanent Council in Vienna. Lovin Malta is currently in Vienna reporting on this inauguration… so stay tuned for what Borg listed as the priorities of the OSCE.

However, he won’t be working alone. The chairperson, who is always the Foreign Affairs Minister of the chairing state, works alongside the previous and succeeding chairs – together, the three form the OSCE Troika.

OSCE decisions have to be taken by consensus. So, the chairperson seeks approval from all delegations. If all delegates agree, the decision becomes politically binding for all participating states. Naturally, this can slow down decisions and make them a lot harder to pass.

For instance, Russia’s use of what is effectively veto power has blocked a number of prospective decisions regarding Ukraine and has cast doubt on the future of the organisation itself.

What else does the OSCE do?

Besides making political decisions, the OSCE works on the ground in several states supporting host countries in implementing their OSCE commitments and fostering local capacities through concrete projects that respond to their needs. A lot of their on-the-field work occurs post-conflict.

The OSCE currently has a presence in several different regions across the world, there are missions in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

In total, it currently has 12 field operations.

What priorities do you think Borg will present?