OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier exchanged views with representatives of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs at a joint meeting of the Subcommittees on Security and Defence and on Human Rights in Brussels on 26 November 2012.

Zannier discussed co-operation between the OSCE and the EU on a wide range of issues, including the work towards a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community, implementation of human rights-related commitments, resolving protracted conflicts and addressing transnational threats, such as cybercrime, as well as strengthening good governance in the OSCE area.

Zannier commended practical co-operation between the OSCE and the EU in the field in Central Asia, South Caucasus and South-Eastern Europe.  He reiterated the importance of joining efforts with the OSCE Partners for Co-operation, including states in the Mediterranean as well as Afghanistan.

All 27 Member States of the EU are also participating States of the OSCE. Zannier underlined that the interaction with the European Parliament is a useful channel of the OSCE-EU dialogue, and said this meeting was especially relevant in the run-up to the OSCE Ministerial Council in Dublin on 6 and 7 December 2012.