EU Statement on the Assumption of the Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation by Croatia

512th Meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation 25 April 2007

The European Union extends a very warm welcome to Croatia as incoming Chair of the FSC and to Denmark as a new member of the FSC Troika. We are looking forward to cooperate closely with the new Troika in order to strengthen the FSC’s effectiveness.

The EU would also like to once again express its sincere appreciation for the excellent work done by the previous Chairmanship, Cyprus. The EU was especially pleased with the successful efforts aimed at improving the modalities during this year’s Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting. These efforts led to a stimulation of discussions and to a revitalisation of the AIAM. We shall also thank Cyprus for having successfully co-ordinated the Special FSC meeting on “Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons by Air”. The Cyprus chairmanship managed not only to chair the FSC in a professional and pro-active manner, but also to set the stage for future events of the FSC. We would also like to thank Canada, who left the Troika, for its valuable contribution to the FSC's work.

Notwithstanding the good work already done, the EU looks forward to the rest of the joint work programme of the FSC Chairmanships in 2007. It provides an excellent framework for the achievement of progress in the OSCE’s politico-military dimension. We applaud Croatia for its stated commitment towards this programme and, at the same time, would like to express our deep satisfaction with Croatia’s intention to take up additional issues where appropriate.

The importance of follow-up activities is particularly evident for issues addressed during this year’s AIAM. The European Union would therefore welcome initiatives by the chair that aim at detecting relevant topics and, subsequently, stimulating their further discussion. By doing so, the chair would add real value not only to activities within the FSC, but also to the work of the OSCE and its participating States. We believe that the CPC survey of suggestions provided at this year's AIAM serves as a valuable tool in this regard.

Furthermore, several special meetings are to be held during the upcoming months on various aspects of the politico-military dimension. We would like to use this opportunity and highlight three occasions we deem particularly important:

• Under the chairmanship of Croatia, a special meeting of the working group “A” on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security will offer the opportunity to proceed on this important issue. The distribution of a food-for-thought paper on the implementation of the Code of Conduct and the appointment of a co-ordinator to prepare discussions in the working group are promising steps. We ask all participating States to use the opportunity at hand and help to improve the valuable instrument of the Code of Conduct.
• The Annual Security Review Conference will provide another opportunity to highlight the importance of the politico-military dimension of the OSCE. We should concentrate our efforts on a substantial input to the ASRC by the FSC, in particular for working session 2. We are confident that under the able lead of our chef-de-file and with the active contribution of all participating States we will achieve this aim.
• At the joint PC/FSC meeting on 14 March 2007 a special meeting of the working group “A” on a more active role of the OSCE in combating anti-personnel mines was suggested. We hope that the new FSC chair will soon be able to conclude that the special meeting be convened in autumn this year.

Bearing in mind the geographical location and historical role of Croatia in the OSCE area, the European Union would also like to stress its support for the chair’s focus on regional issues. We regard the chairmanship of Croatia as an opportunity to enhance co-operation and consolidation of stability in South Eastern Europe.

Finally, we would like to wish Croatia, a candidate country for membership in the European Union, a successful chairmanship of the FSC.

The Candidate Country former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, EFTA country Norway, a member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this statement.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.