Security Days: From Confrontation to Co-operation - Restoring Co-operative Security in Europe

More than 200 participants representing governments of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, international and regional organizations, academia, civil society and the media engaged in a wide-ranging and dynamic debate. The full-day programme on 24 June was preceded by a night-owl session on protecting fundamental freedoms in times of crisis hosted by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in the Allianz-Forum on 23 June.

The main conference held in the premises of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung was structured into four sessions that focused on restoring stability and predictability in the politico-military sphere, ways to bridge economic integration processes, joint responses to global and transnational threats, and perspectives for returning to co-operative security in the OSCE area. The event generated a number of ideas and recommendations for rebuilding trust and confidence among the OSCE participating States and improving the prospects for joint action in the face of growing common security threats and challenges. The lively and interactive discussion underlined that European security faces a number of challenges that are too great for any one country or organization to tackle alone. It also showed that while there were different perceptions and divergent interpretations of the origins of the current impasse, there was also a growing realization that the current challenges to European security required all participating States to seek a convergence of interests wherever possible. The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and the German OSCE Chairmanship.