EU Statement in response to the report by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov

EU Statement in response to the report by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov

OSCE Permanent Council No. 1557, Vienna, 12 March 2026

The European Union welcomes Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov to the Permanent Council and thanks him for his comprehensive report. We reaffirm our appreciation for OCEEA's activities, which constitute an integral part of the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security. We remain committed to advancing the agenda of the Economic and Environmental Dimension in line with OSCE principles and commitments.

We hope that consensus will be reached on the decision on the 32nd Economic and Environmental Forum and thank the Swiss Chairpersonship for its ongoing efforts in this regard. We use this opportunity to reiterate the importance of holding all mandated events across all three dimensions.

We remain gravely concerned about the acute environmental and economic impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, with negative consequences felt across the wider region, including in the Black Sea. The deliberate targeting and destruction of agricultural land, energy and water infrastructure, railway infrastructure, and port facilities blatantly violate international humanitarian law, have immense economic impact, and accelerate environmental degradation. In this context, we commend the Economic and Environmental Chair's efforts so far to address the multi-faceted impact of the war, including on environmental and maritime security and on one of the most concerning emerging trends, namely the rise of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet".

We welcome all efforts within the OSCE to assist Ukraine addressing the consequences of the war, including the Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU). We also underline the need to assess the damage caused, which makes essential the project on "Assessment of environmental impacts of the war against Ukraine and options for remediation".

We commend the OCEEA's efforts to address security risks across the OSCE area, notably on tackling corruption and money-laundering risks linked to virtual assets, transboundary water management, connectivity, transport and trade facilitation, identifying cross-border climate solutions, promoting sustainable energy and energy security, and disaster risk reduction.

Climate change remains a risk multiplier with direct implications for peace, stability, and security. In line with the 2021 Stockholm Ministerial Council Decision, we appreciate OCEEA's practical initiatives to strengthen climate adaptations and resilience and address cross-border climate risks. We commend the ongoing projects on strengthening responses to climate-related security risks across the OSCE area, including through a new ExB project in 2026, as well as the workshop for all OSCE field operations, including SPU, on climate change and security last December.

We also support the activities on combating corruption and money laundering as well as illegal activities with the use of virtual assets in Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, across South Caucasus and Central Asia. We welcome the new whole-of-OSCE anti-corruption programming strategy 2025-2027, launched during last year's International Anti-Corruption Day Conference.

We further welcome the activities aimed at promoting cross-border connectivity, improving trade, transport facilitation, and regional economic cooperation in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

The EU remains fully committed to the economic empowerment of women and youth in societies, and to integrating a gender perspective in all OSCE activities. We therefore welcome OCEEA's continued programmatic activities to increase economic participation of women and youth and its commitment to mainstream gender equality and youth perspectives. The European Union also attaches great importance to a human rights-based approach and to the protection and meaningful participation of environmental human-rights defenders.

The EU reiterates its appreciation for the OCEEA's vital contribution to the implementation of the OSCE commitments. We look forward to continuing our close and constructive cooperation in the year ahead.

Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.