PC.JOUR/1579 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 1 October 2026 Permanent Council Original: ENGLISH
Chairmanship: Switzerland
1579th PLENARY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
1. Date: Thursday, 1 October 2026 (in the Ratsaal)
Opened: 10.05 a.m. Suspended: 12.55 p.m. Resumed: 3.05 p.m. Closed: 4.40 p.m.
2. Chairperson: Ambassador R. Nägeli
Russian Federation (Annex 1), United States of America
3. Subjects discussed – Statements – Decisions/documents adopted:
Agenda item 1: ADDRESS BY UNITED NATIONS UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL MS. VANESSA FRAZIER, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT
Chairperson, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (PC.DEL/956/26 OSCE+), Ireland-European Union (with Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino and Ukraine, in alignment) (PC.DEL/936/26), Ukraine (PC.DEL/950/26), Russian Federation (PC.DEL/919/26), United Kingdom (PC.DEL/940/26 OSCE+), Türkiye, Canada, Armenia (PC.DEL/928/26), Italy (also on behalf of Albania, Belgium, Norway and Poland), Andorra (PC.DEL/952/26 OSCE+), Malta (PC.DEL/953/26 OSCE+), Azerbaijan (PC.DEL/951/26 OSCE+), Georgia (PC.DEL/954/26 OSCE+)
Agenda item 2: THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION’S ONGOING AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE
Chairperson, Ukraine (PC.DEL/945/26), United Kingdom, Ireland-European Union (with Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine, in alignment)
PCOEJ1579 -2- PC.JOUR/1579 1 October 2026
(PC.DEL/935/26), Canada, Türkiye, Norway (PC.DEL/941/26), Russian Federation (PC.DEL/918/26)
Agenda item 3: PRESENTATION OF THE 2027 UNIFIED BUDGET PROPOSAL
Chairperson, Secretary General (SEC.GAL/115/26), Canada, Ireland (also on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine) (Annex 2), United Kingdom, Türkiye, Armenia (PC.DEL/929/26 OSCE+), Kazakhstan (PC.DEL/948/26 OSCE+), Russian Federation (PC.DEL/920/26), Belarus (PC.DEL/924/26 OSCE+), Norway (PC.DEL/944/26), Finland, United States of America (PC.DEL/932/26), Turkmenistan (PC.DEL/955/26 OSCE+)
Agenda item 4: ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT OF CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION
Chairperson, President of the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, Sweden (also on behalf of Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine) (PC.DEL/926/26 OSCE+)
Agenda item 5: REVIEW OF CURRENT ISSUES
(a) The ongoing hybrid war waged by NATO and the European Union against Russia: Russian Federation (PC.DEL/922/26), France
(b) 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy: Ukraine, Canada, Ireland-European Union (with Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino and Ukraine, in alignment) (PC.DEL/937/26), Germany (PC.DEL/930/26 OSCE+), Russian Federation (PC.DEL/942/26 OSCE+)
(c) Catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation: Ukraine, Ireland-European Union (with Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Ukraine, in alignment) (PC.DEL/938/26), United Kingdom, Russian Federation (PC.DEL/927/26 OSCE+)
(d) The United States of America’s priorities for the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, to be held from 5 to 15 October 2026: United States of America (PC.DEL/933/26), Russian Federation (PC.DEL/934/26 OSCE+), Chairperson, Ireland-European Union -3- PC.JOUR/1579 1 October 2026
Agenda item 6: REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE
(a) Participation of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Mr. I. Cassis, in the conference entitled “De-escalation in cyberspace: mediation and preventive diplomacy”, held in Zug, Switzerland, on 29 and 30 September 2026: Chairperson
(b) Participation of the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Promotion of Dialogue and Confidence-building, Mr. S. Rumin, in the Second Fergana Peace Forum, held in Khujand, Tajikistan on 28 and 29 September 2026, and current visit to Astana: Chairperson
(c) Meetings with the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Mr. T. Lenk, taking place in Vienna: Chairperson
(d) Consultations by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Mr. I. Cassis, with a number of his counterparts from participating States, including on the topic of the 2027 OSCE Chairmanship, held in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week 2026: Chairperson
(e) Appeal for consensus on the decision on the 2027 OSCE Chairmanship: Chairperson
Agenda item 7: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
Announcement of the distribution of a written report of the Secretary General (SEC.GAL/114/26 OSCE+): Director of the Office of the Secretary General
Agenda item 8: ANY OTHER BUSINESS
(a) Local elections in Slovenia, to be held on 15 November 2026: Slovenia
(b) Pathways to Peace: Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War, held in Toronto, Canada, on 28 and 29 September 2026: Canada (also on behalf of Norway and Ukraine), Ireland-European Union (with Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine, in alignment) (PC.DEL/939/26), United Kingdom, Russian Federation (PC.DEL/943/26 OSCE+), OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
4. Next meeting:
Thursday, 8 October 2026, at 10 a.m., in the Ratsaal PC.JOUR/1579 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 1 October 2026 Permanent Council Annex 1
ENGLISH Original: RUSSIAN
1579th Plenary Meeting PC Journal No. 1579, Point 2
STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Mr. Chairperson,
It is disappointing that the Swiss Chairmanship-in-Office, bending to the political climate, continues to include a confrontational item on “Russian aggression against Ukraine” in the Permanent Council’s agenda.
Such actions by the Chairmanship are directly incompatible with standing agenda items as established by the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE (chapter IV.1(C)). This precludes the possibility of equal and non-discriminatory participation in a discussion of the developments in and around Ukraine.
The convening of Permanent Council meetings must be fully in line with the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE as regards consultations with all the participating States (paragraphs IV.1(C)1 and IV.1(C)3) and may not run counter to the provisions of the mandate of the Chairmanship-in-Office, which unambiguously obligates the Chairmanship to take the whole spectrum of opinions into account in its actions (Porto Ministerial Council Decision No. 8 of 2002).
We request that this formal reservation be reflected in the journal of today’s meeting of the Permanent Council in accordance with paragraph IV.1(A)6 of the Rules of Procedure of the OSCE.
Thank you for your attention. PC.JOUR/1579 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 1 October 2026 Permanent Council Annex 2
ENGLISH Original: FRENCH
1579th Plenary Meeting PC Journal No. 1579, Agenda item 3
STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF IRELAND (ALSO ON BEHALF OF ALBANIA, ANDORRA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BULGARIA, CROATIA, CYPRUS, CZECHIA, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, ITALY, LATVIA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MALTA, MOLDOVA, MONTENEGRO, THE NETHERLANDS, NORTH MACEDONIA, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN AND UKRAINE)
The Member States of the European Union express their appreciation to you, Mr. Secretary General, for your presentation of the Unified Budget Proposal for 2027. The European Union and its Member States contribute almost 60 per cent of the Unified Budget; we therefore attach the utmost importance to the swift adoption of the Unified Budget for 2027.
While we consider it legitimate to take inflation into account in the budget proposal for 2027, we would point out that the United Nations salary scale is due to be reviewed before the end of the year.
We welcome the proposal for a zero real growth budget, although the details will need to be discussed further. This proposal offers a welcome stabilization after the adoption of the 2026 Unified Budget, involving an 11 per cent reduction compared with the 2021 budget, including the abolition of 405 posts in total.
At the same time, we remain committed to taking as rigorous an approach as possible to budgetary discipline. We agree that reforms are necessary for the OSCE to be able to operate efficiently and deliver tangible results. However, we would point out that these reforms must be properly prepared, following sufficient consultation.
In this regard, the Member States of the European Union are not convinced of the merits of the three-pillar restructuring proposed by the Secretariat and wonder about the implications of this proposal for the quality of the projects implemented by the Organization. We believe that the added value of this new structure in terms of efficiency, co-ordination -2- PC.JOUR/1579 1 October 2026 Annex 2
and decision-making needs to be demonstrated more clearly, while maintaining clearly defined lines of responsibility and accountability.
We reiterate the long-standing position of the Member States of the European Union that any reform must preserve the Organization’s capacity to act on the ground, whether in relation to missions and presences, autonomous institutions or the Secretariat. The credibility of our Organization is at stake. We emphasize that the Organization must have sufficient resources to overcome the immense challenges caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, a war which has defied the principles of the Helsinki Final Act with grave consequences for the stability of the entire OSCE area and that of the Organization as a whole.
In order to fulfil its security mandate, the OSCE, under the auspices of the Chairmanship-in-Office and the Secretary General, must be able to rely on the pivotal role played by the Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC), to which the Member States of the European Union remain deeply committed. We believe that a strong CPC, equipped with the necessary capabilities, remains vital for the Organization’s operational effectiveness, particularly in terms of providing support to the field operations, early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management. Any reform should preserve its ability to carry out these essential functions in full.
We were pleased to note that the Gender Issues Programme remains within the Office of the Secretary General, thereby enabling cross-cutting monitoring of this priority. We should also like to gain a better understanding of the added value of the proposed transfers of certain units, including the Programming and Evaluation Support Unit, along with their impact on the Secretariat’s operational capabilities.
We welcome the efforts to strengthen oversight and audit functions through the Office of Internal Oversight. We take note of the clarification of the respective roles of the Records Management Unit and the Documentation Centre in Prague. In this regard, we emphasize the importance of preserving the Documentation Centre’s capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively, through adequate human and financial resources.
We are ready to begin discussions on the 2027 Unified Budget in a constructive spirit. We thank you, Mr. Secretary General, and all the Fund Managers for your dedication to the good of the Organization and its field operations for a just and lasting peace among the OSCE community.
I thank you and kindly ask the Chairmanship to attach this statement to the journal of the day.
Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.