France’s Voisin appointed OSCE PA Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs

COPENHAGEN, 29 January 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) has appointed French parliamentarian Michel Voisin to serve as the Assembly’s Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs.

The position will strengthen the Mediterranean dimension of the Assembly’s work, including through closer contacts with the OSCE’s six Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation – Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia – as well as through increased co-operation with relevant OSCE structures. 

“The OSCE’s founding document, the Helsinki Final Act, identified the close link between security in the Mediterranean region and the overall security of Europe and beyond. Recent dramatic events have again proven that to be true,” President Kanerva said.   

“The Parliamentary Assembly has worked to strengthen our Mediterranean component through our annual Mediterranean Forum, among other activities. Now, we once again have a Special Representative to sharpen our focus and to support collaboration with the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partners. I welcome Mr. Voisin’s leadership.” 

In accepting the appointment, Voisin said:

“I have long been convinced that the Mediterranean region is of cardinal importance to the overall peace and development of the OSCE region and that its dynamics should be at the heart of our debates and consideration. Today, more than ever, the region is confronted with fundamental challenges, including the crisis of migrants and refugees, the threat of terrorism and more. In the coming years, will the Mediterranean Sea be a link between Europe, Africa and the Middle East, or a dividing line? It is up to the women and men of our generation to act so that the region remains a space of civilization, peace, justice and prosperity. 

"I am honored by this appointment and look forward to working closely with all States involved in Mediterranean issues so that effective solutions can be collectively proposed.”

The mandate of the OSCE PA Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs is to: 

•    Enhance the Mediterranean dimension of the Assembly’s work, given that European security is directly linked to security and stability in the Mediterranean region; 
 
•    Maintain contacts with the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation and participate in events related to supporting relations between the Mediterranean area and the OSCE; 

•    Encourage meetings and exchanges with the OSCE Contact Group with the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, participate in the OSCE’s annual Mediterranean Conference on behalf of the Assembly and conduct ad hoc visits when possible to Mediterranean Partner countries;

•    Consider ways to strengthen the role of the Assembly’s Mediterranean Forum;

•    Report regularly on developments in the region, including on opportunities for improved co-operation.

Voisin currently serves as Head of the French Delegation to the PA and has been a member of the Assembly for more than two decades. He also held the position of Special Representative on the Mediterranean in the early 2000s, helping to establish the PA’s Mediterranean Forum. Voisin has also served as Special Representative for Afghanistan. 

The Assembly’s most recent Mediterranean Forum was held during the 2015 Winter Meeting and included the participation of Partner for Co-operation countries Algeria, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia. Topics discussed included migration, threats posed by violent extremism, enduring challenges of the Arab Spring and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There are currently nine other OSCE PA Special Representatives. Each holds a mandate pertaining to a specific issue within the Assembly’s work or to a specific geographical area represented in the Assembly.

Click here for a full listing.