Winter Meetings
In February 2001 the Assembly’s Standing Committee approved the holding of an annual OSCE PA Winter Meeting in Vienna. The Winter Meetings allow the three General Committees to have discussions and debates amongst themselves as well as to be briefed by high-level OSCE officials who have responsibilities related to the work of each of the three General Committees.
The Winter Meeting also serves as an opportunity for parliamentarians to hear presentations by the three General Committee Rapporteurs and to discuss their draft reports for the upcoming Annual Session. Winter Meetings have now been held in February 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and parliamentary interest in the event has steadily increased. The Winter Meeting is the second largest event in the OSCE PA calendar.
2010 Winter Meeting, Vienna
Nearly 50 parliamentarians participated in the special debate on the situation in Afghanistan during the second day of the OSCE PA’s ninth Winter Meeting held in Vienna on 18-19 February. The debate was introduced by OSCE PA Vice-President and Head of the Kazakh Delegation Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Michel Voisin who serves as the Assembly’s Special Representative on Afghanistan and as head of France’s delegation to the OSCE PA.
Mr. Tokayev noted that the Kazakh Chairmanship has made stabilizing Afghanistan one of its top priorities. "One of Kazakhstan's main priorities for this Chairmanship of the OSCE is to enhance the Organization's role in the international efforts to rehabilitate Afghanistan," he said. Mr. Voisin lamented that "coalition forces have not been able to provide adequate security, which has led to a crisis of faith."
2009 Winter Meeting, Vienna
The Eighth Winter Meeting on 19-20 February concluded with a lively debate on European security architecture, involving prominent speakers from Russia and France and almost 50 of the 250 parliamentarians participating in the Vienna meeting.
The security debate took place as a follow-up on recent initiatives by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for new European security arrangements.
2008 Winter Meeting, Vienna
The seventh Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held 21 and 22 February 2008 in Vienna before almost 240 parliamentarians from 48 of the 56 OSCE participating States.
During the opening session, the Meeting was addressed by OSCE PA President Goran Lennmarker, the President of Austria's National Council, Barbara Prammer, and State Secretary Teija Tiilikainen, the special representative of the Finnish OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva.
''The parliamentary dimension is vital for the good health of the OSCE,'' said Ms. Tiilikainen in her speech.
2007 Winter Meeting, Vienna
The sixth annual Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in Vienna on 22-23 February 2007. The Meeting was attended by over 250 parliamentarians from 53 OSCE participating States, as well as partner countries. Main speakers at the Winter Meeting included Goran Lennmarker, PA President; Josep Borrell, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office; Barbara Prammer, President of the Austrian Parliament; and OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. Borrell talked of the growing importance of the Parliamentary Assembly and stressed that it provided “inspiration and ideas as well as parliamentary support to the work of the OSCE.”
2006 Winter Meeting, Vienna
From 23-24 February 2006, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held its fifth annual Winter Meeting in Vienna. Attended by over 200 parliamentarians from across the OSCE region and from partner States, the Winter Meeting consisted of two joint sessions of the Assembly’s three General Committees, as well as separate meetings of the Committees, and a special debate.
OSCE PA President Alcee L. Hastings opened the Winter Meeting at the first joint session, which was addressed by , and by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht.
2005 Winter Meeting, Vienna
More than 200 parliamentarians met from 24-25 February 2005 in the OSCE premises in Vienna for the fourth Annual OSCE PA Winter Meeting. The Winter Meeting consisted of two Joint Sessions as well as separate meetings of the three General Committees. On the first day, parliamentarians heard welcoming remarks by OSCE PA President Alcee L. Hastings, followed by addresses by the President of the Republic of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who took questions from the floor.
2004 Winter Meeting, Vienna
On 19 and 20 February 2004, more than 250 parliamentarians from 50 OSCE participating States met in the OSCE premises in Vienna to discuss current international developments and to be briefed by senior representatives of the OSCE Governmental side. The Winter Meeting was also attended by OSCE diplomats and officials from Europe, North America and Central Asia, as well as observers from partner states in North Africa and Asia.
2003 Winter Meeting, Vienna
The second annual Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held in Vienna on 20-21 February 2003. The Meeting was attended by some 250 parliamentarians as well as many OSCE diplomats and officials from around Europe, North America and Central Asia, and observers from North Africa and Asia.
The parliamentarians were addressed by the President of Austria, Dr. Thomas Klestil, as well as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap De Hoop Scheffer. Addressing the gathered parliamentarians, Minister Scheffer stressed that "Your wisdom and insight are needed on many levels. If there is nothing that can replace experience, there is certainly nothing that can replace parliamentary experience. In many OSCE regions a reinforcement of democratic structures and institutions is urgently needed. That is something that cannot be achieved through government alone. It requires parliamentary action as well.”
2002 Winter Meeting, Vienna
On 21 and 22 February 2002, more than 230 parliamentarians from 50 OSCE participating States met in the OSCE premises in Vienna to discuss current international developments and to be briefed by senior representatives of the OSCE Governmental side. The Winter Meeting also served as an opportunity for parliamentarians to hear presentations by the three General Committee Rapporteurs, Mr. Theo van den Doel, Mrs. Barbara Haering and Mr. Svend Robinson and to discuss their draft reports on the role of the OSCE in the fight against terrorism, which is the theme of the upcoming OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session in July.
