President of OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration presents report to OSCE Permanent Council

On 2 October, Emmanuel Decaux, President of the OSCE’s Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, reported to the OSCE Permanent Council about the Court’s activities over the last year.

“The principle of peaceful dispute settlement has been at the heart of international relations for more than two centuries,” said President Decaux, outlining the legal framework provided by the Court to achieve this goal. “The Court is unique in that it is based on a multilateral treaty that has a life of its own and is designed to last.”

He recalled the 1957 European Convention for the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes and its relationship to the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE, which entered into force on 5 December 1994. Highlighting that the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration is now binding on 34 OSCE participating States, Decaux said that the Court’s mechanisms remain open, on a voluntary basis, to all OSCE participating States. He welcomed efforts made to ensure the Court’s place in the ‘OSCE toolbox’ available to all OSCE stakeholders.

Acknowledging the complexities and diverse perspectives of the current geopolitical challenges, Decaux emphasized the Court’s capability of setting up a conciliation commission or an arbitral tribunal. “For the Convention to prove its usefulness, it must be used by the States and institutions of the OSCE. It must not be merely a legal ideal, but a diplomatic reality,” he said.

President Decaux, whose term ends in November 2025, concluded his address with a farewell message and words of encouragement for the next Bureau of the Court.

Read the full address (delivered in French)