At meeting on scales of contributions, OSCE Chairmanship’s Special Representative Parízek calls on States to translate words into concrete action

VIENNA, 15 February 2019 – At today’s second meeting of the Informal Working Group on Scales of Contributions of the OSCE, Special Representative of the Chairmanship Slovak State Secretary Lukáš Parízek, who chairs the Group, urged all participating States to focus above all else on management and finances of the OSCE.

Re-confirming Slovakia’s commitment to the OSCE Chairmanship, and to the sense of responsibility and respect that comes with the role of assuring the Organization’s good functioning, Parízek stated: “Slovakia took up the OSCE Chairmanship with humility, but also determination from the very beginning. We are ready to listen and to address all sensitive issues raised by the participating States.”

He continued by encouraging compromise and reminded all States that “putting the OSCE on a sound financial footing is a step the international community should be willing to take today.”

“The Chairmanship will not spare any efforts in finding a solution to the serious challenges we face today and which jeopardize the work of the OSCE and divert our attention from the core security issues we need to tackle,” he stressed.

Acknowledging that the issue of the expired OSCE Scales of Contributions is a long-overdue, contentious and polarizing topic, the Chair of the Informal Working Group asked all participating States to look forward instead of backwards and “translate verbal expressions of support for the OSCE into concrete steps of action.”

The OSCE Informal Working Group on Scales of Contributions aims to reach consensus on the long-standing and sensitive issue of the expired Scales of Contributions, which will define how much each of the 57 participating States annually pays for the Organization for the coming years.