COPENHAGEN, 13 July 2015 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions today called for an immediate end to evictions in Roma communities in Bulgaria and criticized political leaders for incidents of hate speech. “The targeting of Roma communities in the hopes of political gain has echoes of truly dark times in Europe’s history. At a time when European politicians should be

Delegates vote on the Final Declaration, 9 July 2015. (courtesy of Hanne Salonen / Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 9 July 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has adopted the 2015 Helsinki Declaration, containing the Assembly’s wide-ranging policy recommendations and pronouncements for the OSCE and its 57 participating States in the fields of political affairs and security, economics, the environment and human rights. The FULL TEXT is

Delegates voting at the OSCE PA Annual Session, 8 July 2015. (courtesy of Hanne Salonen / Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 8 July 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, meeting in Helsinki this week at its 2015 Annual Session , has approved a resolution condemning Russia’s actions in and around Ukraine in the context of the ongoing crisis. Parliamentarians from three continents voted by a margin of 96 in favor to 7 against with 32 abstentions

Left to right: Committee Rapporteurs Gordana Comic, Margareta Cederfelt and Marietta Tidei (courtesy of Hanne Salonen / Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 7 July 2015 – Parliamentary debate on political affairs, economic and environmental issues and human rights concerns is well under way at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session in Helsinki. Nearly 300 parliamentarians from more than 50 OSCE participating States have divided into

HELSINKI, 6 July 2015 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s International Secretariat has released the Final Report of its Helsinki +40 Project , presenting concrete proposals for reforming the OSCE to ensure its relevance and efficiency in the years ahead. The report was presented today to parliamentarians from three continents attending the OSCE PA’s 2015 Annual Session, during a special event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the OSCE’s

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Timo Soini addresses the opening plenary of the OSCE PA Annual Session, 6 July 2015. (courtesy of Hanne Salonen/Parliament of Finland) HELSINKI, 6 July 2015 – Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) recalled the OSCE’s past, assessed the OSCE’s present, and looked to the OSCE’s future in keynote addresses