Finnish Chairmanship welcomes 2008 OSCE budget approval

VIENNA, 7 March 2008 - The Finnish Chairmanship welcomed today's decision, reached at a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, to approve the Unified Budget for 2008, amounting to 164,168,200 euro.

"By adopting this budget, albeit with two months delay, the OSCE participating States have shown their commitment to this Organization", said Ambassador Antti Turunen of Finland, Chairman of the Permanent Council.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, also expressed his satisfaction with the outcome.

"With the budget finally adopted, we can now fully focus on the important work this Organization does and the challenges ahead," Kanerva said.

The Organization's 2007 agreed budget was 168,200,000 euro.

The Permanent Council is an OSCE decision-making body, chaired by the country holding the OSCE's annually rotating Chairmanship. The Forum of Security Co-operation is the other regular OSCE decision-making body, dealing specifically with military security.

Finland took over the Chairmanship from Spain on 1 January 2008.