Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Johan Büser (S)

Madam Speaker! We are now considering the Foreign Affairs Committee's report on OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. I would like to begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal in the report.

It is with pride that I stand here again as a member of the Swedish OSCE delegation. During this parliamentary term, I have also had the trust to serve as treasurer in the OSCE's parliamentary assembly with responsibility for issues concerning the organization's finances and long-term stability.

It is needed, because while the security situation in Europe is the most serious in a long time, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is also in a difficult economic situation. Russia continues not to pay its fees, which has created significant deficits and uncertainty regarding our activities moving forward.

This is fundamentally deeply symbolic. The same regime in Russia that is brutally trying to dismantle the European security order is also undermining the international institutions that have been built up to protect peace, dialogue, and cooperation in Europe.

That is why, as recently as yesterday, I had a meeting here in the Riksdag together with the OSCE's Secretary General and the Director General of the Riksdag to discuss how we should handle the situation and ensure that the organization can continue to fulfill its important mission. This is not just about figures in a budget; it is about safeguarding one of the broader platforms that Sweden is part of, where we have dialogue and work for democracy and security.

Madam Speaker! OSSE's work is still dominated by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war affects every discussion on European security, democracy, and human rights. It is impossible to speak about Europe's future without speaking about Ukraine.

For the second year in a row, I traveled to Ukraine a few weeks ago. Visiting a country in Europe that is at war makes a strong impression, not least because one simultaneously encounters something very human in the midst of all the darkness: people who are trying to continue living their lives, go to work, raise their children, and keep their families together, even though air raid sirens, drones, and missile attacks have become part of everyday life.

I am thinking particularly of a woman I met during the trip to Ukraine. She had survived a very serious bomb attack against her apartment building, and at that time she was also pregnant. Several of her neighbors did not survive. She told me about how everything changed in just a few seconds, how everyday life suddenly turned into chaos, smoke and death.

It is difficult to fully grasp that people in Europe in 2026 are still waking up to the sound of bombs hitting residential buildings and civilian targets, that children are growing up with war as an everyday reality, and that people are forced to live with constant fear of the next attack.

Just this past week, we have seen how Russia continues its attacks with full force. New bombings are carried out time and again against Ukrainian cities, energy supplies, and civil infrastructure. Every day, people are killed. Every day, families are forced to flee. It reminds us of something that we in Europe long took for granted: that peace can never be taken for granted. War in Europe is not history. It is happening here and now.

That is why the support for Ukraine, both from the Swedish OSCE delegation and from Sweden as a whole, must continue – politically, economically and militarily. A Russian victory project in Ukraine would not only be a defeat for Ukraine but a defeat for the entire European security order and for the principle that countries' borders shall not be able to be moved by force.

Madam Speaker! In this darkness, it is simultaneously important not to lose faith in the power of democracy. During the year, I have participated in election observation in Hungary, a country where the development over a long period has been characterized by democratic regressions, more corruption, increased control over the media, and a hardening political climate.

Just for that reason, it gives hope that the opposition succeeded in winning the election and has gathered significantly stronger support. Hopefully, it can also contribute to a more democratic and Europe-oriented Hungary, which will have effects not least in the view on the support for Ukraine and Europe's common security. It also shows something important: that democratic change is possible even when the development has long gone in the wrong direction.

Madam Speaker! At the same time, the developments in Georgia continue to move in a very worrying direction. We see how the regime in Georgia is moving step by step away from democratic principles and closer to an authoritarian social model. Civil society is being pushed back, oppositionists and journalists are subjected to pressure, and legislation is used to restrict free society.

I have personally visited Georgia and met people who feel great concern about the developments, people who still believe in democracy, openness and a European future for their country but who at the same time see how the space for free voices is becoming increasingly smaller.

Against this background, the activation of the so-called Moscow Mechanism regarding Georgia was important. The Moscow Mechanism is one of OSCE's sharpest tools for examining serious violations of human rights and democratic principles. The Mechanism makes it possible for independent experts to investigate the situation and report on abuses and rule-of-law deficiencies.

The international community must not turn a blind eye to the developments in Georgia. We must continue to support Georgian civil society and the people who are still fighting for democracy, freedom, and human rights.

Madam Speaker! OSCE's work is also about people's right to live openly and safely regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In several places in the OSCE region, we now see how the rights of LGBTQI persons are being pushed back through legislation, threats, and propaganda. Pride events are stopped or opposed, and people are subjected to harassment simply for being themselves.

Not least, this has occurred in Hungary with the example of Budapest Pride. In a few weeks, I will myself go along with party friends to West Pride here in Gothenburg. That right is not taken for granted everywhere. We see how authoritarian forces use precisely the rights of minorities as targets to divide societies and shift the focus from other problems.

Therefore, the struggle for the rights of hbtqi persons is also part of the struggle for democracy and human rights in general. A society where people are not allowed to live openly and freely is not either a fully democratic society.

Madam Speaker! An important part of OSCE's work is election observation and parliamentary dialogue. During my years in the delegation, I have participated in election observations in, among others, Ukraine, USA, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Georgia and Hungary. Even here, the Swedish delegation has taken up a lot of space during the past mandate period. Several of the delegation's members have led various election observations. From my own party, among others, Carina Ödebrink and Linnéa Wickman have led election observations in North Macedonia and Moldova.

That work plays a major role, not least in a time when authoritarian forces are growing stronger and democracy is being challenged. Democracies rarely disappear overnight. Often it happens step by step – a little less press freedom, slightly weaker courts, a little harder pressure against the opposition and civil society. Therefore, it is so important that the international community continues to scrutinize, observe, and stand up for democratic principles.

In conclusion, I would like to extend a warm thank you to Sweden's OSCE delegation for the past parliamentary term. I would also like to thank the Riksdag's International Office for their professional and committed work during this parliamentary term.

The challenges are great. Precisely for that reason, OSCE is needed, and precisely for that reason, a strong Swedish commitment to democracy, human rights, and international cooperation is also needed.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Björn Söder (SD)

Madam Speaker! When we now here today consider the Committee on Foreign Affairs' report on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, I, as the chair of the Swedish delegation in the parliamentary assembly, would like to briefly account for our activities.

The year has largely been characterized by a deteriorated security situation in Europe. Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine continues to cast a long shadow over the entire OSCE region and affects both the political work and the organization's conditions fundamentally. It is noticeable in the discussions and in the priorities, but also in the organization's finances. Let me therefore begin with a question that is of absolutely crucial importance for the organization's continued work, namely its financial situation.

Since Russia, in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, has ceased to pay its membership fees to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the organization has faced recurring financial deficits. Russia's fee corresponds to approximately 6 percent of the total budget, and the outstanding payments now amount to over 1 million euro in total. To manage the situation, funds have been taken from the Assembly's reserves over several years. This is naturally not a long-term sustainable solution. On the contrary, it has created a situation where the need for structural measures is acute.

The Assembly's total budget amounts to approximately 4.4 million euros, and Sweden contributes just over 3 percent. It can be stated that the room for further deficits is, in practice, exhausted. Therefore, we must now ensure a balanced budget. This means that difficult prioritizations need to be made and that efficiencies and savings, not least on administrative costs, may become necessary. This year's audit has also been clear in its recommendations. The budget needs to be restructured and the financial management strengthened to ensure long-term stability.

Madam Speaker! Despite these internal challenges, the assembly has continued to be active and relevant in its core mission to promote security, democracy, and cooperation in the region. An important area for the Swedish delegation's work during the year has been to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia. Within the framework of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation, we have taken the initiative for an intensified exchange of knowledge with Central Asian delegations. This has been materialized in bilateral meetings, among others with Uzbekistan's delegation, where issues regarding energy, sustainable development, and equality have been on the agenda.

Alongside this, participation in OSCE's field activities, such as the visit to Tajikistan, has given us valuable insights into the organization's practical work on the ground. It concerns efforts to strengthen rule-of-law institutions, manage cross-border challenges, and contribute to stability in a region of great strategic importance, not least from a broader security policy perspective.

Madam Speaker! At the same time as cooperation is developing in some parts of the region, we see in other parts a clear and worrying democratic regression. The situation in Belarus remains very serious. The opposition appears to be under strong repression. Political opponents are imprisoned, and the space for civil society is severely restricted. The issue of political prisoners has therefore been recurring in the assembly's work, as has the need for continued international support for democratic forces.

In this context, it is also important to highlight the developments in Georgia. During the year, an ever-growing concern has emerged regarding the political developments in the country. The ruling government, led by the Georgian Dream party, has taken measures that have weakened fundamental democratic structures. This concerns, among other things, the position of the rule of law, the conditions for media freedom, and the space for civil society to operate.

The developments in Georgia have not gone unnoticed in the OSCE's parliamentary assembly. During the summer session in Porto, the situation was clearly highlighted, and in the adopted Porto Declaration, calls were directed to Georgia to safeguard democratic freedoms and rights and to live up to the commitments that follow from membership in the OSCE. It is an important marking. The OSCE's strength lies ultimately in its norms and principles, and these must be upheld consistently.

Madam Speaker! Parallel to the formal work, the Swedish delegation has also been active in arranging seminars and so-called side events. These constitute important platforms for in-depth dialogue and knowledge exchange.

During the summer session in Porto, we organized, for example, a seminar on elections and digitalization together with ODIHR, where questions regarding how new technology affects the legitimacy of electoral processes were discussed.

We also organized a seminar on disinformation together with the Ukrainian delegation. It is an area that has become increasingly central in today's security policy landscape.

In addition, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, we organized a high-level meeting in the Riksdag regarding the Ukrainian children who have been taken away by Russia. This meeting gathered parliamentarians, experts, and civil society representatives and contributed to further highlighting one of the war's most serious humanitarian issues.

Madam Speaker! Election observation is one of OSCE's most concrete and significant activities. During the year, the Assembly has observed several elections, and the Swedish delegation has participated actively in three of these. Swedish parliamentarians have held prominent roles, among others in Albania and Moldova, where they also had assignments as leaders of election observation missions. In Albania, it was I who was given the opportunity to lead OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly's election mission.

Through election observation work, OSCE contributes to ensuring that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner in accordance with commonly agreed norms. At the same time, the observations result in concrete recommendations on how electoral processes can be improved. It is important work to strengthen democracy in practice.

Madam Speaker! In summary, the year has been both challenging and eventful. The Assembly has had to manage a deteriorating security situation, significant economic challenges, and a worrying democratic development in parts of the region. At the same time, the work has continued with high activity and clear focus. In a time characterized by increased contradictions, diminished trust, and questioned democratic norms, the need for functioning parliamentary dialogue is greater than it has been in a long time. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly constitutes such a platform.

The Swedish OSCE delegation will continue to contribute actively to strengthening the organization's relevance, ensuring a sustainable economy, and defending the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law that form the basis of the entire cooperation. I would like to thank the delegation's members for a constructive cooperation and a good collaborative climate. I would also like to thank the delegation's officials for their efforts in supporting us members in our work. After four years as chair of the delegation, and now that the mandate period is nearing its end, I can state that we have had a fantastic time together and have truly been active, constructive, and proactive in developing the organization.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ulrik Nilsson (M)

Madam Speaker! It has surely not escaped anyone that the atmosphere on the international scene has changed in recent years. OSCE came into being in the shadow of the Cold War, but at that time, one could agree on the principles that were subsequently guiding when walls fell, democracies gained ground, and we actually achieved a positive spirit in Europe and the whole world.

Now we are in a situation where security is once again on the agenda, where war prevails in our immediate vicinity and where threats of war are used as a means to achieve other purposes – that is to say, precisely that which the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was set to prevent.

Add to that the fact that liberal democracy, where things are discussed and where opinions clash, more and more often has to step back for authoritarian regimes. Sure, there are positive parts. The election in Poland was one such. The election in Hungary was another. But there are also countries with the tendencies I just described.

Add to that the fact that we face challenges with new technology. This concerns, in particular, the possibility of using social networks supported by artificial intelligence. This means that we need to reinvent the kind of institutions that OSCE describes.

We can therefore state that in today's OSCE, which we need, there are also problems. The economy has been mentioned. It has not been mentioned that there have been some problems with handling certain regimes. How should one view a regime in Georgia after an election that perhaps has not fulfilled all our principles when it simultaneously concerns a country that is a member?

Just that span – how to handle OSCE as both an arena where one should be able to meet and a clear sender of messages for what we stand for – I believe is our very greatest challenge alongside the economy today. We have a choice. Shall we be a place where people forgive and meet to create dialogue, or shall we take the chance to declare?

I believe it is important that we who stand on the side of democracy clearly mark the value of democracy, the value of exchange and discussion, and the value of a rules-based world order.

Madam Speaker! I believe we are in a situation where parliamentary diplomacy, as it is sometimes called, is needed more than it has been in a very long time. But that also presupposes that we do the right things and that we do not just have the institutions and let them slip away.

It is clear that we must stand up for the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and a rules-based world order. It also means that we must not back down when it is questioned.

I myself had a proposal for the previous decision-making meeting in the OSCE, the summer meeting, which meant that one should take a position after our election observations in order to be able to state that we were not satisfied or, for that matter, that we were satisfied. Most often, however, it is about wanting to raise criticism and be able to say "You must tighten up," because otherwise it has no value. When it is taken with a shrug of the shoulders, it becomes nothing.

It is important that we stand for the basic values. It is important that we can conduct observations and that they can lead to something. The discussions that are held between states within OSCE are worth having. One always learns something when someone else speaks and when one listens to new perspectives and arguments.

I believe that OSCE has a significant role as a meeting place where we can meet and discuss specific issues and where we can possibly also help to resolve knots that exist between states. Therefore, it is worrying that the economy is weak, and therefore it is worrying that we sometimes tend not to take the fight for democracy.

OSSE was needed more than ever in situations with precisely what I began by describing: increased risk to our security, a situation where war is used as a threat, authoritarian states that are growing stronger and challenges in the form of new technology.

Madam Speaker! Let me express my thanks to my colleagues in the OSCE delegation – naturally for the opinions and naturally for the cooperation, but also because the friendship shows exactly what is the strength of democracy. One can disagree on the issues but respect each other for who we are. That applies to us among ourselves for the opinions we hold. It also needs to apply between states.

Let me also express my thanks for the support that we receive from our civil servants.

With that said, Madam Speaker, I move for the approval of the Committee on Foreign Affairs' proposal in Report 11, which is the annual report from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

(Applause)

In this speech, Gustaf Göthberg and Boriana Åberg (both M) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carina Ödebrink (S)

Madam Speaker! To begin with, I move for the approval of the committee's proposal in the report.

Several of the previous speakers have touched upon that: We live in a time that is dark, gloomy, and very restless. In that situation, an organization like OSCE was needed more than ever. OSCE was built together with other international organizations on the ruins of World War II. They were established because people then felt it in their very bones: Never again war.

OSSE is a consensus organization, and that naturally entails some challenges. We need to agree on almost everything. Several of the previous speakers have touched upon the challenges and problems we see regarding economy and election observations.

I would like to highlight one further challenge that we have discussed in the delegation. It concerns how we follow up on the decisions we make at our annual meetings. The upcoming meeting will, moreover, be in the Netherlands. What follow-ups do we perform? We do speak of our declarations and refer to them, but how do we follow up on that we actually realize what the declarations contain?

Democracy has been at stake several times, and it is more important than ever. Seven out of ten people on this earth live in countries that are not fully democratic. We see increased nationalism and right-wing extremism. We see more and more authoritarian leaders who use democracy to destroy democracy.

I have had the privilege of being rapporteur for democracy and human rights. There is a growing problem. Women's rights are being pushed back. We see misogyny and that rights for hbtqi-persons and for religious and ethnic minorities are being pushed back. We see the situation for media and journalists who are imprisoned and subjected to heavy pressure in many of the countries that are member states in OSCE.

In the autumn, I was appointed as a special envoy for the deported Ukrainian children. Within a month, I will present my second report on the children in Ukraine. It is not only about the children who have been deported, but it is also important to see that 1.5 million children live in Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine today. Their rights are not being met. They are exposed to militarization, Russification, propaganda, and indoctrination.

We have many challenges, Madam Speaker, but there are also bright spots. I want to mention the election observation in Hungary. Many of us were on site to observe the election. The result of that was pleasing and unexpected. But pleasing was also the incredibly high voter turnout. So there are also bright spots, Madam Speaker.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 3 June.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)