General Committee on Political Affairs and Security meets in Vienna, 20 Feb. 2025VIENNA, 21 February 2025 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s three general committees have completed their work at the 24th Winter Meeting in Vienna, as the PA’s ad hoc committees on migration and countering terrorism met on the sidelines to discuss priority issues. Several thematic events have also taken place in Vienna, focusing attention on returning Ukrainians from Russian captivity, political prisoners, media freedom, and demographic change, as well as region-specific issues.
On Thursday, Costel Neculai Dunava, Acting Chair of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Political Affairs and Security, opened his committee’s meeting with a reminder of the many challenges facing the OSCE area that underscore the urgent need to ensure that the OSCE remains an effective and responsive institution. Dunava noted that the most pressing security challenge remains Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
“It is imperative to stress that any discussions and negotiations about Ukraine’s future must take place only with Ukraine’s full involvement and with unwavering respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Dunava said. “Attempts to impose external solutions or disregard Ukraine’s legitimate interests will only undermine prospects for a just and lasting peace.”
Featuring presentations by OSCE PA Rapporteur Tobias Winkler (Germany), who shared his ideas and intentions regarding the report being prepared for the 32nd Annual Session in Porto, as well as representatives from of the OSCE executive structures, the committee meeting concluded with a debate on “Nuclear Security, Escalation Risks, and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure in Times of Conflict.”
Azay Guliyev chairs the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Vienna, 20 Feb. 2025Chairing the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) opened with remarks about the many challenges the OSCE area faces in the economic and environmental dimension, focusing in particular on climate change, migration, resource scarcity, and artificial intelligence.
“As we navigate global challenges, it is also crucial to consider the transformative potential of emerging technologies, and particularly artificial intelligence, whose evolution seems unstoppable and which will greatly impact many aspects of our daily lives,” Guliyev said. “AI holds the potential to revolutionize many sectors, offering innovative solutions to pressing issues.”
Rapporteur Paula Cardoso presented her ideas for the Annual Session report and draft resolution, with a focus on climate change and migration, energy security, and economic development.
After presentations by representatives of OSCE executive structures, the parliamentarians explored the nexus between climate change and human mobility with renowned experts, highlighting how the climate crisis is already impacting on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the OSCE region. Contributing to the special debate, Vice Presidents Pere Pons and Daniel De Ridder stressed the need to mobilize political will and integrate climate adaptation strategies with migration management policies, duly safeguarding the rights of all those involved.
General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Vienna, 20 Feb. 2025In the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Chair Lucie Potůčková (Czechia) noted that across the OSCE region, democracy is under growing pressure. The rule of law is eroding, she said, and fundamental freedoms are being curtailed.
“Nowhere is this crisis more evident than in Ukraine,” Potůčková said. “Russia’s ongoing war of aggression is not only a brutal attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty – it comes at a tragic human cost. We continue to witness blatant violations of international humanitarian law: attacks on civilians, mass deportations, arbitrary detentions, and the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.”
Carina Ödebrink (Sweden), Rapporteur of the Committee, presented her preliminary ideas for the report being prepared for this summer’s Annual Session, focusing on issues such as the misuse of “foreign agents” laws, religious persecution, and freedom of the press.
Following presentations by representatives of OSCE institutions, parliamentarians debated the subject of “New Technologies and Social Media: Effects on Elections.” The debate was introduced by Victor Lăpușneanu, Head of Multilateral Cooperation Directorate at the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, who shared details on the many challenges that Moldova faced in its recent elections.
The OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, chaired by Daniela De Ridder (Germany), met Thursday and focused on the impact of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Syrian refugees in the OSCE region.
Committee members heard from experts who discussed challenges of transition and stabilization in Syria. The crisis is not over, they emphasized, urging countries hosting Syrian refugees to maintain the protection status of those in need and to ensure that returns are voluntary. The importance of continuing to support countries in Syria’s immediate neighborhood who are hosting the majority of the 6 million refugees was also underlined. Host countries were also encouraged to enable “go and see visits” to facilitate sustainable returns.
Kamil Aydin chairs the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism on 21 Feb. 2025Today, the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, chaired by Kamil Aydin (Türkiye), met to discuss its activities and priority issues. Experts from the OSCE and academia discussed with parliamentarians about the role of education and digital literacy in preventing terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalization that lead to terrorism, highlighting how extremists exploit online disinformation to incite violence, spread conspiracy theories and recruit new converts. Providing students with the skills required to critically evaluate information available online was stressed as critical.
CCT members also debated the latest terrorism-related developments, including recent attacks in Munich and Villach, and shared ideas for possible upcoming CCT activities, including a visit to the United States in May 2025.
Video of the Winter Meeting is available at YouTube and the OSCE PA’s Facebook page. Photos are available for public use at Flickr.
The full programme is available here.
