From the CSCE to the OSCE
From the CSCE to the OSCE
The Visegrad Agreement
Conclusions of the Dublin European Council: extract concerning the CSCE (25 and 26 June 1990)
TextAt their meeting of 25 and 26 June 1990 in Dublin, the Heads of State or Government of the Twelve emphasise the exceptional importance for the future of Europe of the Paris Summit, to be held in November 1990, on the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
European Parliament resolution on the CSCE (9 October 1990)
TextOn 9 October 1990, with a view to the Paris Summit to be held on 19, 20 and 21 November, the European Parliament adopts a resolution on participation by the Twelve in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), better known as Helsinki II.
‘CSCE Summit, beware of historical indigestion' from Europe (16 November 1990)
TextIn his editorial of 16 November 1990, three days before the opening of the Paris Conference on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Emanuele Gazzo, Director of Agence Europe in Brussels, is sceptical about the implications of the meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (Paris, 19 November 1990)
TextOn 19 November 1990, during the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the 22 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Warsaw Treaty Organisation sign the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).
Address given by François Mitterrand to the CSCE Summit (Paris, 19 November 1990)
TextOn 19 November 1990, François Mitterrand, President of France, delivers the opening address and outlines the implications of the Summit held in Paris, from 19 to 21 November, attended by the 34 Heads of State or Government of the countries taking part in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
Déclaration commune de vingt-deux États à l'occasion du sommet de la CSCE (Paris, 19 novembre 1990)
TextLe 19 novembre 1990, à l'occasion du sommet de la Conférence sur la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (CSCE) à Paris, les chefs d'État ou de gouvernement des pays membres de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et de l'Organisation du traité de Varsovie se déclarent prêts à établir de nouvelles relations de partenariat et à œuvrer ensemble pour le désarmement en Europe.
Address given by Helmut Kohl to the CSCE Summit (Paris, 20 November 1990)
TextOn 20 November 1990, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Paris, the German Federal Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, outlines the CSCE’s new tasks.
Cartoon by Ironimus on the CSCE Paris Summit (20 November 1990)
Image‘The breakthrough.’ On 20 November 1990, commenting on the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Austrian cartoonist Ironimus depicts the establishment of new partnerships between the Eastern and Western blocs by emphasising the role played by Austria in the process of political and economic rapprochement.
Charter of Paris for a new Europe (Paris, 21 November 1990)
TextFollowing the collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Empire, the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) adopts, on 21 November 1990, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe. This Charter welcomes the end of the era of confrontation and division in Europe and makes particular reference to the values of peace and the inviolability of territorial borders.
Press conference held by François Mitterrand following the CSCE Summit (Paris, 21 November 1990)
TextOn 21 November 1990, François Mitterrand, President of France, gives an assessment of the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Paris and answers questions posed by journalists on the nature of the new relationship between East and West.
Group photo at the CSCE Summit in Paris (Palais de l'Élysée, 21 November 1990)
ImageOn 21 November 1990, the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) decides on how to institutionalise the CSCE and adopts the Paris Charter for a New Europe.
‘Paris Summit: the road towards a new Europe' from Pravda (22 November 1990)
TextOn 22 November 1990, the Soviet daily newspaper Pravda speculates as to whether the Charter of Paris for a New Europe provides the necessary guarantees to avoid further wars on the continent.
‘The New Europe faces the challenges' from Le Monde (23 November 1990)
TextOn 23 November 1990, commenting on the conclusions of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit held in Paris from 19 to 21 November, the French daily newspaper Le Monde speculates on the challenges awaiting the new Europe born of the end of East–West confrontation.
Establishment of the OSCE
‘Moscow's legacy — highly explosive' from Die Zeit (2 December 1994)
TextOn 2 December 1994, on the eve of the CSCE Conference in Budapest, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit analyses the economic and political situation in Moldova and Transnistria, regions of the former Soviet Union.
Address given by François Mitterrand at the CSCE Summit (Budapest, 5 December 1994)
TextOn 5 December 1994, in Budapest, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), François Mitterrand, President of France, delivers an address in which he questions the usefulness of the CSCE and discusses the new implications of security policy in Europe.
Statement by Martti Ahtisaari to the CSCE Summit (Budapest, 5 December 1994)
TextOn 5 December 1994, in Budapest, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland, delivers an address in which he weclomes the new era of cooperation in north-eastern Europe.
Budapest Summit Declaration (6 December 1994)
TextAcknowledging the fact that the CSCE is no longer simply a Conference, the Budapest Summit of 5 and 6 December 1994 changes its name to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). This gives the Organisation a new political impetus, while also reflecting its institutional development since the end of the Cold War.
CSCE Summit in Budapest (5 and 6 December 1994)
ImageOn 5 December 1994, in Budapest the Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) opens at which the decision is taken to change its name to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
‘The leaders of 52 countries are holding debates over European security’ from Le Monde (6 December 1994)
TextOn 6 December 1994, with the opening of negotiations at the CSCE Summit in Budapest the previous day, the French daily newspaper Le Monde analyses the differences of opinion between the Western countries and Russia regarding the probable evolution of the CSCE’s structures and its future relations with NATO and the UN.
"Russia is caught in a vice" from Pravda (8 December 1994)
TextOn 8 December 1994, the Russian daily newspaper Pravda refers to the CSCE Summit in Budapest and comments on the situation of Russia, caught between China and Japan on one side and NATO on the other.
Stability Pact in Europe on the initiative of the European Union (Paris, 20 and 21 March 1995)
TextOn 20 and 21 March 1995 in Paris, the Final Conference on the Stability Pact in Europe, convened on the initiative of the European Union on the basis of a proposal from France, is attended by the representatives of the OSCE Member States. The Council of Europe is represented by its Secretary General. At the end of the Conference, the participants adopt a political declaration and integrate into the Stability Pact all the agreements and arrangements for cooperation and good neighbourly relations that they have concluded. The Stability Pact, which is monitored by the OSCE, serves as a model for other joint initiatives on preventive diplomacy.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Plea for a ‘Common Home’
TextIn 1995, Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, draws lessons from the transitional period that followed the end of the Cold War and refers to the need to establish an effective collective security system within the framework of a European ‘Common Home’.
Andrey Kozyrev, OSCE: the future of the old continent
TextIn 1995, Andrey Kozyrev, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, sets out Moscow’s position on the role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in maintaining and strengthening European security.
OSCE Summit (Lisbon, 2 December 1996)
ImageOn 2 and 3 December 1996, the Belém Cultural Centre hosts the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit, at the end of which a ‘Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century’ is adopted.
Establishment of the OSCE
Statement by Jacques Chirac at the OSCE Summit (Lisbon, 2 December 1996)
TextOn 2 December 1996, at the summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Lisbon, Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, delivers an address in which he outlines the implications and tasks of the organisation.
Lisbon Summit Declaration (3 December 1996)
TextMeeting in Lisbon on 2 and 3 December 1996, the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) adopt the Lisbon Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century.
Allocation scheme relating to large-scale OSCE missions and projects (2002)
TableTable showing the allocation scheme relating to large-scale missions and projects established by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Recommendation 1381 (1998) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (22 september 1998)
TextOn 22 September 1998, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recommends the Committee of Ministers to promote better coordination between the activities of the Council and those of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Origin and development of the CSCE/OSCE
VideoThis video clip outlines the origin of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) as an instrument for political and military détente in Europe during the Cold War and its development in post-Communist Europe as an international organisation active mainly in the fields of crisis prevention and management, renamed ‘Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe' (OSCE) in 1995.