Co-ordination between the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

During the Council of Europe summit in Warsaw in May 2005, the Council of Europe and the OSCE signed a joint declaration on co-operation and complementarity between the two organisations. Since then, several co-ordination meetings have taken place in order to exchange information, to participate in each others activities whenever feasible as well as to develop joint actions to secure democracy, rule of law and human rights.

21/12/2007 ::

Four priorities for the co-operation has been identified:

1. The fight against terrorism;
2. The protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities;
3. The fight against trafficking in human beings;
4. The promotion of tolerance and non-discrimination.

The Council of Europe and the OSCE recognise the need to adapt relations between the organizations in an evolving international environment, and are aware of the need to work more closely together in identifying effective co-ordinated responses to new threats and challenges, based on the principles of complementarity, transparency and democratic accountability. Increasing the efficiency of the work of the organizations is another ambition for the co-operation.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) works closely with different parts of the Council of Europe, such as the Parliamentary Assembly and the Venice Commission which works for democracy through law. This co-operation covers areas such as terrorism and non-discrimination.

The cooperation on existing and draft legislation in the field of national minorities is another core issue. The Council of Europe particularly co-operates closely with the OSCEs High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM). The Council of Europe concentrates on the implementation and the monitoring of the legal standards it has developed, for example throughout the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, whereas the OSCE focalizes on minority issues from a conflict prevention perspective. The former  Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Knut Vollebæk, was appointed OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in July 2007.

Trafficking was highlighted in the joint declaration on co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE as an area where the co-operation should be particularly strengthened. The two organizations now call for a widest possible signature and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and full implementation of the anti-trafficking commitments.

Joint actions can fully utilize the respective strengths of the two organizations. The OSCE has a strong know-how from field missions and the Council of Europe has an extensive experience in promoting European co-operation and setting standards for local democracy building. This makes co-operation between the organizations particularly interesting.

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