Foreign Minister Valtonen to host OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, the current Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will host the Ministerial Council meeting in Austria on 4–5 December.

Finland holds the Chairpersonship of the OSCE in 2025. The OSCE’s 32nd Ministerial Council meeting will offer a platform for the foreign ministers to review the security situation in the OSCE’s area and to evaluate the organisation’s work in all its fields of activity.

The meeting will discuss, among other things, how to strengthen the respect for the fundamental principles of European security and how OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation can jointly respond to challenges threatening international law, peace, human rights, and democracy.

During its Chairpersonship, Finland has stressed the fundamental principles of the OSCE, especially the Helsinki Final Act, support for Ukraine and the importance of civil society. These main themes will feature on the agenda for the meeting. 

The discussion initiated by Finland regarding the OSCE's future will also continue. 

“As Chair, Finland has fostered multilateral discussion on European security and the future of the OSCE. We need to modernize the organisation to better respond to the changed operating environment and to produce added value for the participating States,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

Representatives of the OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly, civil society and international organisations have been invited to the meeting. 

Cooperation with civil society is the cornerstone of the OSCE’s work

On 3 December, Minister Valtonen will attend the OSCE’s annual Parallel Civil Society Conference to discuss the role of civil society in the OSCE’s activities.

At the conference, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Civil Society Anu Juvonen will present the recommendations for enhancing civil society engagement within the OSCE.

“Cooperation with civil society has always been at the heart of the OSCE’s work. Unfortunately, the OSCE area has seen increased restrictions on the freedom of association and peaceful assembly in recent years. Laws on 'foreign agents’ are becoming more common. Human rights defenders face increasing challenges in their work. These developments are very worrying and require action from the OSCE,” Minister Valtonen says. 

Minister Valtonen will also have bilateral meetings in Vienna, and she will attend several side events to the Ministerial Council meeting.