Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) joint event.
Recent developments in foreign and security policy have put the European security architecture to a test. A key agent during the Cold War and its direct aftermaths, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has appeared dormant during the last 20 years. New conflicts such as the one in Ukraine prove its relevance and call for a strengthening of the organization to benefit from its unique capacities as a forum for dialogue and confidence building.
On January 1st 2016 Germany took over the OSCE Chairmanship to complete the troika with Serbia (2015) and Austria (2017). Germany will be responsible for steering the organization safely through what will undoubtedly be a turbulent 2016. The European foreign policy agenda counts several unresolved conflicts in the neighbourhood of the EU, while new crises and challenges to the European security architecture have risen in the last few months.
With a strong commitment to security and diplomatic efforts, Germany will seek to re-apply the OSCE as a means for conflict prevention and crisis management. The focus of the Chairmanship will be on renewing dialogue, rebuilding trust and restoring security. This includes advancing confidence building measures, promoting sustainable connectivity and good governance and insisting on commitments in the human dimension in order to achieve a new stable security order in Europe.
Gernot Erler, Special Representative of the Federal Government for Germany's OSCE Chairmanship in 2016, will present and debate the agenda and the priorities of the German OSCE Chairmanship shortly after the official presentation of the agenda at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. It is addressed at Brussels-based foreign and security policy experts.
The presentation will be followed by comments from Erwan Fouéré, CEPS, and Rosa Balfour, German Marshall Fund, and a debate with the audience, moderated by Uwe Optenhögel, FES Brussels.
We are looking forward to your participation and kindly ask to register for this event by Friday, January 22nd 2016 through our registration page: FES Brussels Registration