COPENHAGEN, 23 September 2016 – In one week, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 15th Autumn Meeting will open in Skopje with addresses by host officials including Speaker of Parliament Trajko Veljanoski and Vice-President Renata Deskoska. The opening session will also feature remarks by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria). Some 200 members of parliament from 50 countries will gather from 30 September to 2

PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, Research Assistant Maria Patrakova and President Ilkka Kanerva speak to poll workers in Moscow, 18 Sept. 2016 MOSCOW, 19 September 2016 – The 18 September State Duma elections were transparently administered by the Central Election Commission, but challenges to democratic commitments remain. The legal framework can serve as an adequate basis for elections, but the electoral environment was negatively

Special Co-ordinator Kent Harstedt (Sweden) and head of the OSCE PA delegation Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) speak with local observers, Minsk, 11 September 2016 MINSK, 12 September 2016 – The 11 September parliamentary elections were efficiently organized and there were visible efforts to address some long-standing issues, but a number of systemic shortcomings remain, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released

PA delegation visits the CARA di Mineo Reception Center for Asylum Seekers, Catania, 8 Sept. 2016 POZZALLO, Italy, 9 September 2016 – In the second in a series of visits to migration hotspots across Europe, a senior delegation of OSCE parliamentarians today wrapped up a visit to Sicily, where they witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by refugees, migrants, aid workers and authorities related to the ongoing migration crisis impacting the

Ilkka Kanerva speaking at the OSCE PA's Annual Session in Tbilisi, 1 July 2016. COPENHAGEN, 9 September 2016 – To continue developing the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s potential in addressing aspects of the conflict cycle, including early warning, prevention and dialogue facilitation, PA President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) has appointed President Emeritus Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) as the Assembly’s first Special Representative on

POZZALLO and CATANIA, 8 September 2016 – In the second in a series of visits to migration hotspots across Europe, a high-level delegation of OSCE parliamentarians will be in Sicily this week to see first-hand the challenges faced by refugees, migrants, aid workers and authorities related to the ongoing migration crisis impacting Europe. Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration will meet with officials from the