News and press releases

BISHKEK, 11 September 2014 – Twelve university students completed a three-month internship programme at the Parliament of Kyrgyz Republic today. The Parliamentary Internship program, in its third year, is managed by the American Councils for International Education (ACTR/ACCELS), and supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek...

PRAGUE, 10 September 2014 – With natural disasters more frequent and destructive, greater impetus and enhanced efforts are needed by States to work together to better prevent, mitigate, and respond to this threat, said senior officials and experts at the concluding meeting of the 22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, which opened in Prague today....

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKY, Russian Federation, 10 September 2014- The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flows remained steady at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The clear negative flow (more people exiting the Russian Federation (RF) into Ukraine) continued while the total number of border crossings increased, particularly after the ceasefire agreement entered into force. The OM observed considerable numbers of persons in camouflage clothing entering the RF from Ukraine, especially at Donetsk BCP. In general, people exiting the RF for Ukraine seem to be more relaxed than during previous weeks...

BELGRADE, 10 September 2014 – The OSCE Mission to Serbia, at the request of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and the Republican Electoral Commission, supported the translation into several minority languages of legislation related to the upcoming elections to the National Councils of National Minorities (NMCs)...

KORÇA, ALBANIA, 10 September 2014 – Judges in Korça have embraced today an OSCE-supported project aimed at reducing unreasonable delays in trials, following the positive results of the project in another court in Albania...

In Kharkiv, the SMM visited the Ukrainian Army military recruitment centre located in a residential area at Sokolova Street 7 in Kharkiv city, which was attacked at 04:30hrs on 8 September. Five smashed windows were observed and the device remnants were indicative of home-made pipe bombs...

Key challenges in creating an enabling legislative environment for associations were the focus of a roundtable discussion organized in Warsaw by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission) on 8 and 9 September 2014.