The Norwegian initiative to strengthen co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE that was launched during the Norwegian chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and has now resulted in a joint CoE/OSCE declaration. The declaration was adopted at the Third summit of heads of state and government in Warsawa in 2005.
10/12/2007 :: The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, in his capacity as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, launched the initiative for closer co-operation with the OSCE in his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 June 2004. This initiative met with a positive response from the Bulgarian Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, and was one of the main items on the agenda of the meeting between Foreign Ministers Petersen and Passy in Sofia on 13 October 2004. During their talks the ministers agreed that there was scope for enhanced interaction to avoid unnecessary duplication of work.
The aim of the initiative was to reach a framework for enhanced co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE, on the basis of their specific tasks and comparative advantages. The co-operation should therefore be based on what is already achieved, including the existing legal acquis of the Council of Europe and the OSCE’s political commitments.
Norway is convinced that the two organisations need to work more closely together in identifying effective co-ordinated responses to the threats and challenges of the twenty-first century, on the basis of the principles of complementarity, transparency and democratic accountability, while respecting the autonomy, different membership and distinctive tasks of the two organisations.
The coordination of the work of the two organisations focus on four core areas; the fight agains terrorism, the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, combating trafficking in human beings, as well as promoting tolerance and non-discrimination.