COPENHAGEN, 29 June 2010 – The Nineteenth Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, with the theme “Rule of Law: Combating Transnational Crime and Corruption,” is taking place 6-10 July in Oslo, hosted by the Parliament of Norway – Stortinget.

Nearly 300 parliamentarians from across the OSCE area are expected to participate in the Session, which will be streamed live on the Norwegian Parliament’s website, www.stortinget.no, as well as on the Parliamentary Assembly’s website, www.oscepa.org. Also, selected speeches will be provided in PDF format on the Assembly’s website as they become available.

Over several days of deliberations, the Assembly’s three General Committees will consider resolutions dealing with various dimensions of the Session’s theme, as well as 35 supplementary items covering topics such as climate change, the Middle East peace process, nuclear security, cybercrime and the situation in Kyrgyzstan. The Session will end with the adopton of the Oslo Final Declaration.

Featured speakers include João Soares, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; Dag Terje Andersen, Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget); Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway; and Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of the OSCE. 

The Annual Session is the largest event on the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s calendar. Bringing together members of parliament from the OSCE’s 56 participating States, the Session serves as a vital forum of debate on the most pressing issues facing the OSCE area. Representatives from Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation Israel and Morocco will also be attending.

The Oslo Session will elect new officers, including a new President. Joao Soares (Portugal) is stepping down as President after completing his two one-year terms. Assembly members Petros Efthymiou (Greece) and Consiglio Di Nino (Canada) have declared their candidacies to succeed President Soares.

All resolutions and supplementary items, as well as the final Follow-up Reports, which provide an overview of actions taken in the OSCE area related to recommendations contained in the Final Declaration from last year’s Annual Session, are posted here.

Journalists wishing to attend the Session should contact the media team of the Parliamentary Assembly for accreditation.