News and press releases

The 2024 European Parliament elections were genuinely competitive, with fundamental freedoms respected. The elections were run professionally and effectively, and the bodies administering them enjoyed a high level of confidence. Aspects of electoral legislation needing further review related primarily to insufficient efforts to involve under-represented groups to form a fully inclusive parliament, differences in voting and candidacy rights across Member States that created unequal conditions for universal suffrage, disinformation and instances of political violence and threats during the campaign both against politicians and journalists, an absence of provisions allowing both citizen and international observers to access the process, and limited transparency and scope of campaign finance regulations.

Croatia’s 2024 early parliamentary elections were competitive, offering voters a broad range of political choices. The legal framework generally provided a sound basis for holding democratic elections, and the election administration enjoyed full confidence in managing all stages of the process. While the media landscape is diverse, concerns remain about the concentration of media ownership and the political affiliation of many media outlets, including the public broadcaster, as well as the high volume of pending litigation against journalists.

WARSAW, 27 November 2024 – An 18-month joint project to support the integration of migrants and refugees in Poland, which has demonstrated the power of collaboration in addressing one of society’s most pressing challenges, ended today with a closing event to celebrate its achievements.

VALLETTA, 25 November 2024- Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, OSCE Chair-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg called on participating States to increase efforts and resources to combat all forms of violence experienced by women and girls, including online violence.

Representatives of more than 30 international election observation organizations from around the world, which have committed to upholding the highest methodological standards and ethical practices, concluded a three-day meeting today in Gdansk, Poland, hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Over 100 criminal justice experts and representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as from international organizations met in Astana from 20 to 21 November 2024 for the Ninth Expert Forum on Criminal Justice for Central Asia, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan.

WARSAW, 15 November 2024 – Making the bias motivation behind all hate crimes visible and ensuring they are prosecuted correctly is essential to protect the rights of victims and at the same time ensure effective policies to prevent and address hate crime, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on launching its annual hate crime report ahead of the 2024 International Day for Tolerance