Exclusive: Finland has asked Austria to host next year’s OSCE Ministerial Council meeting during Finland’s OSCE Chairmanship

In a rare diplomatic move, Finland has asked Austria to host the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Vienna next year under the 2025 Finnish OSCE Chairmanship, OSCE diplomats say.

Since Finland is slated to chair the OSCE next year, it was widely expected that Helsinki would host the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting next year, in line with standard practice.

In addition, the year 2025 is an important milestone for the OSCE since it will mark the 50^th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE’s founding document.

A draft Ministerial Council decision with Vienna as the meeting place for next year’s OSCE Ministerial meeting has already been tabled by the Maltese OSCE Chairmanship and is under discussion, according to OSCE diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The decision requires the consensus from foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States. The discussions on this are ongoing, OSCE diplomats say.

There is one precedent in the OSCE’s history when the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting was not held in the country holding the Chair. During the 1998 Polish OSCE Chairmanship, the Ministerial Council was held in Oslo, Norway, as an exception.

The Spokesperson of the Austrian Foreign Minister told SHR Monitor in a written statement: “Especially during times of Russia’s war of aggression and multiple crises in Europe, a strong OSCE that is able to act is more important than ever. As the country hosting the OSCE, Austria feels a special obligation towards the organization.”

The statement continued. “Therefore we have assured the incoming Finnish OSCE Chair of our full support. If it is the wish of all 57 OSCE participating states, Vienna will be available for the annual Ministerial Council; a decision on this would have to be adopted by consensus.”

Addressing the reasons behind this initiative, the statement said: “The difficult budgetary situation of the OSCE requires innovative measures. The holding of the Ministerial Council in Vienna would save costs both for the OSCE Secretariat and for the delegations, in addition to reducing the co2 footprint. This would also be in line with Finland’s plans to rationalize meetings in 2025. The responsibility for the Ministerial Council continues to rest of course with the Finnish OSCE Chair, even if it would take place in Vienna.”

Vesa Häkkinen, Finland’s Ambassador to the OSCE told SHR Monitor: “There are financial and functional reasons behind this initiative, in addition to our endeavors to reduce co2 emissions.” Häkkinen also added that Finland will host a separate event next year during the summer to mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

The OSCE Ministerial Council meeting is a high-level gathering convened to adopt decisions that guide the future work of the OSCE, the world’s largest regional security organization. It takes place annually, usually in the country holding the yearly-rotating OSCE Chairmanship. It brings together the foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE participating states, including countries in North America, Europe, Central Asia and Russia.

Neutral Austria is host to the OSCE’s headquarters in Vienna, in addition to several other international organizations, among them the UN, OPEC and the IAEA. The city of Vienna regularly hosts international conferences and negotiations and is seen as a place for international dialogue.

This is a developing story that may be updated.

It was first published on Dec. 3, 2024 at 14:08 pm CET.