COPENHAGEN, 17 February 2022 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is holding its 21st Winter Meeting in a blended format on 24-25 February 2022. High-level OSCE officials, including Secretary General Helga Schmid, Chairman-in-Office and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden), President of the Austrian Parliament Wolfgang Sobotka, and Secretary General Roberto Montella will address the meeting.

The theme of the open debate, to be held in the plenary session on 24 February, is Security Guarantees and the Indivisibility of Security in Europe: Role of the OSCE. With parliamentarians from across North America, Europe and Central Asia participating, the crisis in and around Ukraine is expected to feature prominently in discussions.

Secretary General Schmid will speak to the OSCE PA Heads of Delegations, Bureau members, Special Representatives and Chairs of Ad Hoc Committees at the Standing Committee Meeting on 24 February, followed by a Q&A session. Also addressing the Standing Committee will be OSCE PA President Cederfelt, Treasurer Peter Juel-Jensen (Denmark), and Secretary General Montella.

The Joint Session of the three General Committees will take place on the afternoon the 24th, and will feature an address by CiO Rau. Also on the 24th, the OSCE PA’s Committee on Political Affairs and Security, chaired by United States Congressman Richard Hudson, will hold a debate on the theme Heightened Tensions in the OSCE Area and the Need for Interparliamentary Dialogue.

On 25 February, the OSCE PA’s committees on human rights and economic and environmental security will hold debates on human trafficking and the role of journalism in promoting the rule of law. The general committee meetings will also provide opportunities for the committee rapporteurs to present their preliminary ideas for reports and draft resolutions being prepared for this year’s Annual Session in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and to hear feedback from OSCE parliamentarians.

With all heads of OSCE institutions and other governmental representatives intervening in the general committees, the Winter Meeting serves as an opportunity for parliamentarians to interact with the governmental side of the OSCE.

Being held in a hybrid format due to the epidemiological situation, the in-person participation in Vienna will be restricted to members of the Standing Committee, Special Representatives and Chairs of Ad Hoc Committees. Other OSCE PA Members will join online.

Members of the media are encouraged to follow the debate on the OSCE PA’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Video will also be streaming at www.oscepa.org, where a full schedule of meetings – including keynote speakers – is available.