OSCE Permanent Council No. 1553 Vienna, 12 February 2026

The European Union welcomes the Chairs of the three Committees to the Permanent Council and thanks them for their presentations. We appreciate the collaborative approach among the Committees, based on joint commitments and principles, and promoting the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security. 

We express support for the continuation of interactive discussions, and the involvement of stakeholders from civil society, academia, field operations and private sector, as well as other International Organisations. We also welcome the intention to continue mainstreaming gender and youth into Committee meetings. 

We underline that discussions in the Committees should contribute to identifying gaps in terms of implementation, as well as policy recommendations and best practices. 

We commend the Chairs’ commitment to continue focus the work of the Committees on the multi-faceted impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, with representative from Ukraine providing first-hand input. 

We congratulate Ambassador Neil Holland upon assuming the Security Committee Chair for a second term in 2026. The European Union attaches great importance to the Security Committee as a platform for discussing non-military security issues and advancing OSCE commitments related to transnational threats, including border security, violent extremism and radicalisation, as well as organised crime, and addressing the use of technologies in response to these threats. Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and persistent malicious activities threatening and undermining the security, resilience and democratic foundations of the EU, its Member States and its partners, the active engagement of the Committee to address also information manipulation and interference, as well as responsible cyber behaviour is more important than ever.  

We also congratulate Ambassador Melita Župevc upon assuming the Chair of the Economic and Environmental Committee for a second term in 2026. We reiterate our support for upholding the balance between economic and environmental topics and appreciate the attention to several relevant topics, including future-proof economic systems, natural resource management, and dialogue for effective economic and environmental networks. We consider that continued attention should be given to addressing security risks arising from environmental degradation and damage to critical energy infrastructure resulting from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which are likely to have long-lasting consequences for Ukraine and the wider OSCE region.

We congratulate Ambassador Eglantina Gjermeni and her team on taking over the Chair of the Human Dimension Committee in 2026 and look forward to our close cooperation. We commend the broad selection of topics in HDC, in particular the focus on fundamental freedoms. As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is further inflicting immense suffering on civilians, there is a pressing need to address the serious and ongoing human rights violations.

We welcome the planned joint meeting of the Committees in preparation of the Chairpersonship’s Conference on “Anticipating technologies – for a safe and humane future”. 

In conclusion, the European Union thanks once again the Chairs of the three Committees for their dedication and their leadership. We will continue to offer our full support to ensure the continued effectiveness of the OSCE’s vital work. Together, we must remain resolute in upholding the principles and commitments that form the foundation of our shared security and cooperation.

Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.