Concluding Meeting of the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, 12-13 September 2024, Prague

1. The European Union and its Member States would like to thank the Maltese Chairpersonship for its leadership, as well as Czechia for kindly hosting us at the Czernin Palace. We also extend our appreciation to the speakers and panellists who offered valuable perspectives from the private sector, academia and civil society. We are grateful to the moderators for stimulating our debates and facilitating fruitful discussions on how the OSCE and its participating States can address the security implications of key issues in the second dimension, including corruption, climate change, disaster risk management and water management. We would also like to express our appreciation to the OCEEA, and several participating States, for organising engaging side events, which made a valuable contribution to our discussions.
2. This meeting has served as a platform for diverse perspectives on enhancing security and stability in the OSCE region by strengthening sustainable development and climate adaption, and building more resilient and inclusive economies and societies. We welcome the discussions on enhancing the adaptive capacity of societies by addressing the link between climate change, water management and sustainable agriculture and food security. Adaptation is a key priority for the EU. In our EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, we commit to stepping up international action on climate adaptation. The EU and its Member States are the largest donors of adaptation finance, focusing on cross-cutting actions that target both mitigation and adaptation.
3. As Russia’s war of aggression continues unabated, the OSCE should continue contributing to addressing and alleviating the economic and environmental consequences, which are being felt globally, far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
4. In conclusion, the EU will continue to engage in economic and environmental cooperation as a tool for enhancing security, confidence building, and conflict prevention in the OSCE region, in line with OSCE values and commitments.

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, SERBIA*, ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, and BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA*, and the EFTA countries ICELAND and NORWAY, the members of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA, 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.