OSCE PA President Pia Kauma and President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani, Oslo, 13 June 2025 (Photo: Sigbjørn P. Kiserud/Stortinget)OSLO, 13 June 2025 – Restoring security and co-operation in a Europe at war was the focus of a seminar held today at the Norwegian parliament in Oslo with the support of Norway’s Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Focused on how to revitalize the commitment to international norms ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the event explored the document’s ongoing relevance and how to put its principles into action.

Participants agreed that with Europe’s current security challenges, notably the Russian Federation’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Helsinki Final Act’s principles of respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity and its emphasis on comprehensive security are now more relevant than ever.

“As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, we are doing so at a time when European security faces serious challenges,” OSCE PA President Pia Kauma (Finland) said at the close of the event. “Russia’s war against Ukraine is the most significant threat to peace and stability in the OSCE region, and continues to violate core principles of the Helsinki Final Act.”

Kauma noted, however, that inspiration can be taken from the fact that the Final Act was signed during the Cold War, when tensions between the East and West were high. “Despite those divisions, 35 states agreed on a set of principles to guide relations between them and Europe’s security architecture,” she said.

“Security and co-operation is just as important in today’s Europe as in 1975, when the Helsinki Final Act was signed,” said Siv Mossleth, Head of the Norwegian Delegation to the OSCE PA. “I am so pleased that we could gather so many participants in the Storting today to mark the 50th anniversary of the Act. For me as an MP, the values from Helsinki, democracy, human dignity, freedom and the rule of law are the foundations of real security.”

Also addressing the seminar were Feridun Sinirlioğlu, OSCE Secretary General, who spoke about the urgent need to revive the principles of the Helsinki Final Act in order to maintain a forum for serious multilateral diplomatic engagement, and Berit Lindeman, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, who led a panel called “stories from the field.” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu and OSCE PA Deputy Secretary General Gusavo Pallares also participated in the event. Following the opening session, President Kauma met briefly with Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Storting, as well as Secretary General Sinirlioğlu.

Siv Mossleth offers opening remarks in Oslo, 13 June 2025. (Photo: Sigbjørn P. Kiserud/Stortinget)Speakers at the seminar highlighted the relevance of the Helsinki Final Act, noting that the document not only marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War, but contributed significantly to intergovernmental co-operation and has inspired countless civil society organizations. They stressed that the document’s vision of including human rights, human contact across borders, economic and political co-operation, and trust-building measures established a new blueprint for security and co-operation between East and West.

While highlighting the benefits brought by the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act, speakers regretted that the “Helsinki effect” has waned in recent years. Therefore, while celebrating the breakthrough for democracy, peace, and security and commemorating its impacts, it is important to discuss how to revitalize the principles of this landmark document.

In this regard, speakers noted that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly plays an important role in ensuring that Helsinki norms are put into action, that governments are held to account, and that legislation adopted by national parliaments advances OSCE commitments. The PA also works to uphold democratic standards through election observation missions, it was pointed out.

From 29 June to 3 July, the Parliamentary Assembly will meet in Porto, Portugal, for its 32nd Annual Session under the theme “Commemorating 50 Years of the Helsinki Final Act: Responding to a New Reality in the OSCE.” For more information, please click here.

Photos of today’s event are available here.

To watch a video of the seminar, please click here.