Panel of Eminent Persons, in Brussels, discusses the crisis in and around Ukraine and future of European security

The security implications of the crisis in and around Ukraine and broader issues of European security were the focus of a roundtable discussion held during a visit to Brussels by members of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project on September 15.

The event was jointly organized by the OSCE, the Egmont Institute, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

The work of the Panel of Eminent Persons and its interim report that was published in June 2015 were presented by its members Malcolm Rifkind, Sergey Karaganov and Vaira Vike-Freiberga. The participants then discussed how the situation in and around Ukraine has challenged the fundamental principles of international order and European security and aggravated the emerging East-West divide.

Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairperson of both the Munich Security Conference and the Panel of Eminent Persons said in his opening remarks that the developments in Ukraine present “the most serious risk to the European security since the end of the Cold War.”

“The task now is to propose ways to make the system of the European security more resilient and more capable of preventing an outbreak of a future crisis,” Ischinger said.

Secretary General of the European External Action Service Alain Le Roy underlined a close co-operation between the EU and the OSCE on a number of crucial issues in European security.

He noted that “the role of the OSCE in Ukrainian crisis is irreplaceable and the European Union strongly supports in particular the work of the Special Monitoring Mission and Trilateral Contact Group.”

Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre Marcel Peško said that the OSCE’s work is based on the shared commitments of all 57 States.

Peško stressed the need “to address the differences and to help participating States understand each other’s concerns.” He also noted the importance of the Panel of Eminent Persons as a platform to discuss such issues.

Robert Cooper noted that in the past it was a fear of war that usually led to important agreements that safeguarded peace in Europe. He said that the main problem of the European security nowadays is lack of fear and too many actors that want to challenge the status quo.

The discussion was concluded by Barbara Haering, Swiss member of the Panel of Eminent Persons, and Ian Lesser from the German Marshal Fund of the United States.

The event was attended by more than 170 participants from a number of institutions, including the EU, NATO, diplomatic community in Brussels and academia.  

The Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project, launched by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in December 2014, consists of 15 eminent personalities with long-standing practical experience in European security in all its dimensions from across the OSCE region.