OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is the crucial reminder that the ideal of “peace by law” constitutes the cornerstone of European security, President Decaux says

The President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, Professor Emmanuel Decaux, addressed the Permanent Council on 19 May 2022 to present the Court’s activity report 2021.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Stockholm Convention, Decaux made an appeal to the States parties to use the mechanisms provided by the Convention. He reminded OSCE participating States that the Stockholm Convention was a common good for all members of the OSCE community and accessions to the treaty possible at any time, as well as ad hoc seizure by a bilateral agreement.

“We are reminded every day how fragile the law can be when faced with opposing, dominating power relations. In the dramatic context of today’s war in Europe, the foundations of peace and international security, implemented by the UN Charter and the framework of the OSCE, are called into question. By establishing the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE, the Stockholm Convention offered an institutional structure, with both jurisdictional and diplomatic features,” he said.

“These challenges and defeats make law even more precious and indispensable. I hope the anniversary of the Convention will be a wakeup call, to remind us that a peaceful settlement of disputes is preferable to violence and war. And, by its very existence, the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is the crucial reminder that the ideal of “peace by law” constitutes the cornerstone of European security,” Decaux concluded.

Decaux also highlighted that the Court’s Bureau has the capacity to set up, in a flexible and confidential manner, two different methods of procedures - namely conciliation commissions or arbitral tribunals.