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OSCE Permanent Council No. 1514 Vienna, 27 March 2025

27.03.2025
Vienna
Press and information team of the Delegation to UN and OSCE in Vienna

EU Statement in response to the report by the  Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov

  1. The European Union warmly welcomes the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, to the Permanent Council, and thanks him for his report. We express our support for the important work done by the OCEEA and his team. 

  2. We regret that, despite the Finnish Chairpersonship’s continuous efforts, consensus on the theme, agenda and modalities of the 32nd Economic and Environmental Forum has not been reached. We reiterate the EU’s strong support for the Finnish Chairpersonship, and underline that the Economic and Environmental Dimension remains an integral part in the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security. We commend the plan to hold a Chairpersonship Conference on Climate and Security on 11 June in Espoo. 

  3. We welcome all efforts within the OSCE to support Ukrainian authorities, citizens, businesses and civil society representatives, in coordination with other international partners, including on anti-corruption, digitalisation and the use of open data, environmental assessment and regeneration, energy security and transboundary water management. We reiterate the importance of addressing the risks stemming from the economic and environmental impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including the environmental degradation and damage to critical infrastructure. In this regard, we support the OCEEA’s ongoing implementation of the ExB project on “Assessing the environmental impacts of the war against Ukraine and options for remediation”. Continued efforts to assess environmental degradation and assist Ukraine in managing safety and security risks, including in disaster risk management, water governance, and hazardous waste, are essential. 

  4. We welcome and support the activities of the OCEEA on anti-corruption, money-laundering risks of virtual assets, sustainable water governance, climate change, women’s rights, youth, and energy security. We commend OCEEA’s efforts to strengthen transboundary cooperation and to mainstream gender equality and youth perspectives throughout their activities, and strongly support your intention to enhance collaboration with other international partners to ensure complementarity and synergies. 

  5. We also welcome initiatives that address security threats stemming from climate change, in line with the 2021 Stockholm Ministerial Decision. Climate change proves to be a risk multiplier, and the impact of climate change continues to intensify globally, affecting different regions in diverse ways, by putting lives and livelihoods at risk, while threatening critical infrastructure, food supply chains, and other essential national security systems. Rising temperatures and sea levels, prolonged droughts, devastating wildfires, climate-induced displacement, and restricted access to already scarce water supplies drive instability and  negatively impact prosperity, stability and security in the OSCE region and worldwide. The OSCE provides a valuable platform for practice-oriented cooperation and political dialogue, bringing together different actors to enhance security and climate resilience. In this context, we congratulate the OCEEA on its ongoing activities to address the security challenges caused by climate change, including the “Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia” and the “Mitigating Climate Change Threats to the Energy Sector in the OSCE Region” projects.

  6. We also welcome the Office’s launch of the new extra-budgetary project “Promoting Cross-Border Connectivity”, with the objective to promote cross-border trade and transport facilitation, as well as regional and interregional economic co-operation for the Central Asia and South Caucasus regions. 

  7. In conclusion, we would like to reiterate our appreciation for the important work done by the OCEEA. The EU remains committed to supporting your efforts and, in light of common threats to security, we are more determined than ever to advance the agenda of the Economic and Environmental Dimension to achieve comprehensive security, in line with OSCE values and international commitments. We look forward to continuing our excellent cooperation.