The Secretary General
To:
Members of the OSCE PA Standing Committee
CC:
Members of the OSCE PA Bureau
Copenhagen, 28 April 2020
Dear Members of the Standing Committee,
I hope you and your families are well in these difficult and uncertain times as the COVID-19
pandemic continues to spread in our countries. I am writing to update you about the main points
discussed yesterday by our Bureau during its official online meeting.
As you all know, our Annual Session scheduled for July in Vancouver had to be unfortunately
cancelled. Moreover, following an official communication from authorities just a few days ago,
also the Autumn Meeting in San Marino has to be called off. As for other activities, including
election observation missions, conferences and visits, we will continue to monitor the evolving
situation and update you promptly on when and how they will be able to resume.
The Cancellation of the Annual Session brings along a series of implications:
1. Elected PA Officers will remain in office until the 2021 Annual Session, thereby freezing
the current composition of the Bureau for one more year. This stems from our Rules of
Procedure, which clearly state that elections take place during annual sessions.
2. In the absence of an official meeting of the Standing Committee, consensus (minus one)
on the OSCE PA 2020/21 Budget, as required in Rule 35. 6, will be established by means
of a written silence procedure. You will receive a separate communication on this matter
in the coming weeks. Please be informed that the Bureau, upon proposal of the Treasurer,
is recommending a zero-nominal increase of the current budget and the use of savings as
discount for States’ contributions, as a sign of
solidarity and responsibility in this hardship
period.
3. Acknowledging the need to keep the political debate alive among all Members, the
Secretariat has launched a cycle of
Parliamentary Web Dialogues
on matters of topical
importance for our work. Please see attached a document with a short concept and a list of
upcoming events.
4. The next statutory meetings will be the Bureau Meeting in Tirana in December on the
margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council and the Winter Meeting in Vienna, in February
2021.
5. Consultations are currently being undertaken by the International Secretariat with the
Annual Sessions planned hosts for 2020 and 2021 regarding the venue for the next Annual
Session.
_________________
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K., Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 80 40 - Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 - [email protected] - www.oscepa.org