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Who We Are

Who we are

Flags with the English, German and Russian abbreviations for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in front of the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna, 10 May 2004. (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev) Photo details
Based in Vienna, the Permanent Council is the body for regular political consultation and decision-making on all issues pertinent to the OSCE and is responsible for the day-to-day business of the Organization.

Institutionalization

The Permanent Committee itself represented an institutionalization of the "CSO Vienna Group", established in 1992 at the Stockholm Ministerial Council Meeting, when Foreign Ministers of the participating States instructed their representatives to meet regularly in Vienna in order to conduct consultations on all issues pertinent to the CSCE.

Istanbul decisions

At the Istanbul Summit in 1999, participating States agreed to establish a Preparatory Committee, under the Permanent Council's direction, to strengthen the process of political consultation and transparency within the Organization.

Information for the press

The Permanent Council, the main regular decision-making body of the Organization, convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss current developments in the OSCE area and to make appropriate decisions.

The Chairmanship of the Permanent Council rotates annually. The Chairman of the Permanent Council is the ambassador to the OSCE of the country that holds the Chairmanship of the OSCE.