This video clip outlines the origin of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) as an instrument for political and military détente in Europe during the Cold War and its development in post-Communist Europe as an international organisation active mainly in the fields of crisis prevention and management, renamed ‘Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe' (OSCE) in 1995.

This video clip presents the origins and development of the Helsinki Process, from the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It outlines, in particular, the aims of the Conference when it was first established during the Cold War era, its influence as an instrument for détente between East and West and its conversion into an organisation with new tasks following the collapse of the Communist bloc.

General presentation of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): its composition, organisation and operation, goals, nature and areas of activity.

At the Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Four Powers (USSR, USA, France and the United Kingdom), held in Berlin from 25 January to 18 February 1954, the Soviet Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, submits a draft general Treaty on collective security in Europe and proposes that a conference of European States be convened with a view to its conclusion.

"European Security, Molotov-style' is the caption for this Austrian cartoon showing the Soviet Union taking hold of Europe with its sickle.

On 31 March 1954, in a note addressed to the French, US and British Governments, the Soviet Union announces its opposition to the establishment of military groupings of European States and renews its proposal regarding the General European Treaty of Collective Security, made at the Conference of the four Foreign Ministers, held in Berlin from 25 January to 18 February, accepting, on this occasion, the participation of the United States.

In its reply of 7 May 1954 to the note from the Soviet Government dated 31 March, the French Government rejects the Soviet proposal regarding the General European Treaty of Collective Security, defends the defensive groupings of Western States and calls on the Soviets to put an end to the causes of division in Europe, in particular by allowing the Austrian and German problems to be resolved.

On 14 February 1958, the Polish Government sends a memorandum to the representatives in Warsaw of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the USSR, as well as to the Swedish representative for forwarding to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), regarding its proposal for the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Central Europe.

On 28 February 1964, the Polish Government revamps its plan for the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Central Europe (the Rapacki Plan) and submits a proposal (the Gomulka Plan) aiming to freeze nuclear and thermonuclear weapons in Poland, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

On 20 January 1965, the Consultative Political Committee of the Warsaw Pact, opposed to the establishment of a NATO multilateral nuclear force, gives its support to the Rapacki II Plan of 1964 (the ‘Gomulka Plan’) and revives the idea of the convening of a Paneuropean Conference on security in Europe.

On 5 July 1966, in the statement on the strengthening of peace and security in Europe, the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Pact proposes the simultaneous dissolution of the two military blocs, the recognition of the existence of two German States, the development of agreements on disarmament in Germany and in Europe and the convening of a general European conference with a view to discussing the problems of ensuring security in Europe and of establishing general European cooperation.

Meeting in Karlovy Vary on 26 April 1967, the representatives of the European Communist and Workers’ Parties approve the Warsaw Pact proposal for the simultaneous dissolution of the two military alliances, call on all States to recognise the post-war territorial status quo and call for the establishment of a system of collective security based on the principles of peaceful coexistence between States with different social systems.

‘To get closer or not – is that the question?’ In 1967, the cartoonist, Hans Geisen, illustrates the implications of the meeting held from 24 to 26 April 1967 in Karlovy-Vary (Karlsbad) of representatives from Communist parties and workers within Europe, focussing particularly on a collective security system based on the principles of peaceful coexistence between states which have different social systems.

In December 1967, the Ministers of the North Atlantic Council approve the Harmel Report on the future tasks of the Atlantic Alliance. The report encourages the Allies to improve relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries and calls on them to use the Alliance in the interests of détente.

In this interview, Egon Bahr, former Head of the Policy Planning Staff in the German Federal Foreign Office under Willy Brandt, emphasises the support given by the German Government for the Harmel report on the future tasks of the Atlantic Alliance. The report encourages the Allies to improve relations with the Soviet Union and the countries of East Europe, and advocates commitment on the part of the Atlantic Alliance in favour of détente.

In this interview, Étienne Davignon, Head of Cabinet of the Belgian Foreign Minister, Pierre Harmel, from 1966 to 1969, outlines the reasons which led to the drafting of the Harmel Report on the future tasks of the Atlantic Alliance.

In this interview, Étienne Davignon, Head of Cabinet of the Belgian Foreign Minister, Pierre Harmel, from 1966 to 1969, outlines the attitude of the Member Countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), in particular the United States of America and France, towards the Harmel Report on the future tasks of the Atlantic Alliance.

Known as the ‘Reykjavik Signal’, the Final Communiqué of the Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic Council of 24 and 25 June 1968 reaffirms the intention of the Allies to continue to move toward détente and asks the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries to associate themselves with the process leading to balanced and mutual force reductions.

On 17 March 1969, in a message to all the countries of Europe, the Member States of the Warsaw Pact declare support for the establishment of good relations with the West and call for a pan-European conference on security in Europe.

Attended by 300 participants from various political and socio-cultural movements, the non-governmental Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Vienna from 29 November to 1 December 1969, calls for the convening, in 1970, in Helsinki, of a Conference of European States, in which the two German States would participate, as well as for the establishment of a collective security system which would make the existence of the two military blocs redundant.

At the Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic Council held in Brussels on 4 and 5 December 1969, the Allied Governments accept the possibility of shortly holding a general conference, or a series of conferences, on cooperation and security in Europe which will be attended by the North American members of the Alliance.

The Treaty between Germany and the USSR, signed in Moscow on 12 August 1970, launched German policy vis-à-vis Eastern Europe (Ostpolitik), paving the way for the normalisation of diplomatic relations and confirming the peaceful territorial status quo between the Soviet Union and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

At the Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic Council held in Brussels on 4 and 5 December 1969, the Allied governments declare themselves ready to enter into multilateral contacts with all interested governments to determine when it would be possible to convene a conference, or a series of conferences, on security and cooperation in Europe as soon as the talks on Berlin have reached a satisfactory conclusion and insofar as the other ongoing talks are proceeding favourably.

In an article published on 25 November 1971 in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, Professor Raymond Aron takes a critical look at the convening of a European Conference which, because of the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, does not fulfil the conditions for a balanced negotiation in a multilateral context.

The report on the political implications of the European Security Conference, presented on 30 November 1971 by Edmond Nessler on behalf of the General Affairs Committee of the Western European Union (WEU) Assembly, traces the history of the Soviet proposal regarding the convening of a conference on European security and considers that the current situation is such that its opening at a very early date may be envisaged.

In May 1972, the Allied governments, welcoming the progress made with regard to East–West relations and, in particular, the conclusion of significant agreements and arrangements, give the go-ahead to the opening of multilateral discussions linked to preparations for a conference on security and cooperation in Europe and accept the offer of the Finnish Government that these talks be held in Helsinki.

The Final Recommendations of the Helsinki Consultations, adopted during the diplomatic negotiations held in the Finnish capital from 22 November 1972 to 8 June 1973, define the rules of procedure of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

This article, published in the French daily newspaper Le Monde on 30 June 1973, analyses the positions taken and the agreements reached by the States participating in the preparatory multilateral consultations to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which were held in Helsinki from 22 November 1972 to 8 June 1973.

Organisation chart showing the three stages of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) which are held, successively, at Foreign Minister, expert and Head of State or Government levels, in Helsinki, Geneva and Helsinki from 1973 to 1975.

‘Helsinki - the summit of non-obligation.' According to the German cartoonist Köhler, the final stage of the Conference on security and cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which took place in Helsinki from 30 July to 1 August 1975, was a farce and with no solider foundations than a castle of playing cards.

The third and final stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held in Helsinki from 30 July to 1 August 1975, results in the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act by the Heads of State or Government of the 35 participating countries.

On 31 July 1975, the Finnish President, Urho Kekkonen, gives a speech in Helsinki to open the third and final stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

On 31 July 1975, in Helskinki, Urho Kekkonen, President of the Republic of Finland, holds a banquet in honour of participants in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Le 31 juillet 1975, prenant part à Helsinki à la phase finale de la Conférence sur la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (CSCE), Leonid Brejnev, premier secrétaire du parti communiste de l'Union soviétique, se félicite des compromis adoptés par la Conférence après des longues négociations.

The Soviet delegation benches at the third stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) which took place in Finlandia Palace, Helsinki, from 30 July to 1 August 1975. Amongst others: Leonid Brezhnev, First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party; to his left: Andrey Gromyko, Soviet Foreign Minister.

Photo taken during the third stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held in Helsinki from 30 July to 1 August 1975. From left to right: Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, Leonid Brezhnev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR, Gerald R. Ford, US President, and Andrei Gromyko, Soviet Foreign Minister.

Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (on the right) and Erich Honecker, Chairman of the Council of State of the German Democratic Republic (on the left), on 1 August 1975 in Helsinki during the closing sitting of the third stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

On 1 August 1975, in Helsinki, the Heads of State or Government of the 35 countries participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) sign the Final Act, in which they undertake to develop cooperation in areas that fall into three ‘baskets’: (1) security in Europe; (2) the field of economics, of science and technology and of the environment; and (3) humanitarian and other fields.

The Final Act of the Helsinki Conference, held on 1 August 1975, lays down ten principles that the States participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) undertake to respect and put into practice in their mutual relations.

In August 1975, after the conclusion of the third stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the French weekly magazine L’Express publishes a special supplement on the Helsinki Summit. Following the coverage of the event, several authors express their hopes and fears concerning this very controversial conference.

In this interview, Leo Tindemans, Belgian Prime Minister from 1974 to 1979, refers to the implications of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) which took place in three stages in Helsinki, Geneva and Helsinki again from 1973 to 1975.

Chronology of the meetings held by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) from 1972 to 1992, including the main follow-up meetings and the special inter-sessional meetings.

'A year on from Helsinki - Cheers! Here's to more success'. One year after the Conference on security and cooperation in Europe (CSCE), Fritz Behrendt is strongly critical of the easing of East-West hostilities.

‘Human rights are in the third basket …’ In 1977, at the first Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Belgrade, the cartoonist, Hans Geisen, considers the irreconcilable positions of the despondent Western countries and the ever-triumphant Soviet Union, which is ignoring its human rights commitments.

‘Operation successful, patient dead!' In February 1978, the German cartoonist, Horst Haitzinger, takes a critical look at the work of the first Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Belgrade. During the initial review of the implementation of the CSCE commitments, the Soviet Union succeeds in eradicating the ‘heart' of the Helsinki Agreements: the fundamental issue of human rights.

In the concluding document of the First Follow-Up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held in Belgrade from 4 October 1977 to 9 March 1978, the representatives of the participating States note the difficulties and obstacles encountered in implementing the provisions of the Final Act, as well as the lack of consensus on various proposals submitted to the meeting.

‘CSCE: the outcome.’ In March 1978, the German cartoonist, Walter Hanel, portrays the failure of the meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in Belgrade.

In an article published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro on 11 November 1980, the day of the opening, in Madrid, of the second CSCE Follow-up Meeting, Alain Ravennes, Secretary General of the Comité des Intellectuels pour l’Europe des Libertés (Committee of Intellectuals for a Free Europe — CIEL), criticises the lack of balance and reciprocity in the negotiations between the Soviets and the West and calls on the Western countries to demand that the Soviets comply in full with the Helsinki commitments before any talks can start.

This article, which was published on 18 November 1980 in the Spanish daily newspaper El País, one week after the opening of the second Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), comments on the differences of opinion between the Eastern and Western participating States during negotiations which resemble a dialogue of the deaf.

On 15 March 1981, more than six months after the start, in Madrid, of the preparatory work for the Second Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), Max Kampelman, Ambassador and Head of the US Delegation to the Conference, grants an interview to the Spanish daily newspaper El País.

On 27 February 1982, a year and a half after the start, in Madrid, of the preparatory work for the Second Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), Leonid Ilichev, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Soviet Delegation to the Conference, gives his country’s views on the progress of the negotiations in an article published in the Spanish daily newspaper El País.

The Concluding Document of the Second Follow-Up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held in Madrid from 11 November 1980 to 9 September 1983, notes serious deficiencies in the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act and reaffirms the commitment of the participating States to respect the principles which govern their mutual relations, with particular regard to the peaceful settlement of disputes, disarmament and human rights.

Published in the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir on 4 November 1986, the day of the opening, in Vienna, of the third CSCE Follow-up Meeting, this article traces the history of the Helsinki Process and comments on the context in which the next stage of negotiations will be carried out.

This article, published in the Netherlands daily newspaper De Volkskrant on 4 November 1986, the day of the opening, in Vienna, of the Third CSCE Follow-up Meeting, gives an account of the Helsinki Process and comments on the context in which the negotiations will be conducted. The opening of the negotiations is marred by the failure of the Reykjavik Summit on nuclear disarmament, held from 10 to 12 October between the United States and the USSR.

On 14 April 1987, at the end of the second session of the Third CSCE Follow-up Meeting which began in Vienna on 4 November 1986, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the scepticism of the participants as to the possibility of meeting the deadline established for the drafting of the final document because of the controversies between East and West in the areas of human rights and disarmament.

In the Concluding Document of the Third Follow-up Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held in Vienna from 4 November 1986 to 19 January 1989, the participating States note progress in mutual relations, deem the implementation of some of the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act and other CSCE documents — with particular regard to human rights — to be inadequate and decide to strengthen their cooperation with regard to CSCE follow-up activities.

In early March 1990, in its memorandum on the enshrinement of the unification of the two German States in the unification process for the whole of Europe, the Foreign Office of the GDR calls for German reunification to be achieved as part of the process of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) as well as for the establishment of a new series of CSCE structures.

Le 19 novembre 1990, en marge du sommet de la CSCE à Paris, les 22 États membres de l'Organisation du traité de l’Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et de l'Organisation du traité de Varsovie déclarent solennellement qu'au début d'une nouvelle ère dans les relations européennes ils établissent de nouvelles relations de partenaires et s'engagent à collaborer avec les autres États participants à la CSCE pour renforcer la sécurité et la stabilité en Europe.

‘The breakthrough.’ On 20 November 1990, commenting on the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Austrian cartoonist Ironimus depicts the establishment of new partnerships between the Eastern and Western blocs by emphasising the role played by Austria in the process of political and economic rapprochement.

Meeting in Paris from 19 to 21 November 1990, the Heads of State or Government of the countries participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) undertake to achieve the objectives of democracy, peace and unity in a new, post-Cold War Europe. In particular, they recognise the need to develop the structures of the CSCE through the establishment of permanent institutions.

The Charter of Paris for a New Europe, a new political commitment based on the consensus of the participating states, is signed in Paris on 21 November 1990 at the second CSCE Summit.

On 21 November 1990, the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) decides on how to institutionalise the CSCE and adopts the Paris Charter for a New Europe.

In an article published in April 1991 in the NATO Review, Victor-Yves Ghebali, Professor at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales (Graduate Institute of International Studies), Geneva, analyses the major changes in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) after the 1990 Paris Summit and emphasises the benefits of the Helsinki process — its global make-up, its comprehensive mandate and its institutional flexibility — for the new Europe emerging after the collapse of Communism.

In an article published in April 1992 in the NATO Review, Christopher Anstis, Director of the International Security Policy and CSCE Affairs Division at the Canadian Department of External Affairs, analyses the changes in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) after the 1990 Paris Summit, with particular regard to its structures and its composition, and draws attention to the difficulties involved in the introduction of the CSCE’s own crisis management and conflict prevention mechanism, which would entail, among other things, the establishment of a ‘consensus minus one’ procedure.

Meeting in Helsinki on 9 and 10 July 1992, the Heads of State or Government of the States participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) are concerned about the new conflicts which threaten the stability of the new Europe and decide further to develop the structures which concern crisis prevention and crisis management in the CSCE area.

Mauno Henrik Koivisto (on the right), President of the Republic of Finland, chairs the third Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held on 9 and 10 July 1992 in Helsinki.

At the third Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), held on 9 and 10 July 1992 in Helsinki, the Heads of State or Government of the participating states decide to develop the structures for conflict prevention and crisis management in the CSCE region, particularly through the creation of the post of High Commissioner on National Minorities.

In an article published in August 1992 in the NATO Review, Victor-Yves Ghebali, Professor at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales (Graduate Institute of International Studies), Geneva, welcomes the progress made by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) as a result of the Helsinki Document of July 1992, with particular regard to the strengthening of its institutions, the assigning of operational functions with new powers in the areas of peacekeeping, conflict prevention and disarmament, and the development of activities relating to the human dimension, which are now linked with conflict prevention.

Meeting in Budapest on 5 and 6 December 1994, the Heads of State or Government of the States participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) decide to give the CSCE a new impetus by renaming it the ‘Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe' (OSCE) and by providing it with new resources. Their object is to refashion the CSCE as a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management in the region.

Meeting in Budapest on 5 and 6 December 1994, the Heads of State or Government of the States participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) decide to change the name of the CSCE to the ‘Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe' (OSCE).

This article, published in the Spanish daily newspaper El País on 30 November 1996, on the eve of the OSCE Summit in Lisbon, analyses the clash between the United States and Russia resulting from their differing opinions over the Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century. The dispute gives an advantage to the alternative proposal from the European Union on the establishment of a platform for cooperative security.

Meeting in Lisbon on 2 and 3 December 1996, the Heads of State or Government of the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) adopt the Lisbon Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century and emphasise the importance of the work of the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC) with regard to arms control.

Photo taken at the Summit of Heads of State or Government of the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held in Lisbon on 2 and 3 December 1996.

Meeting in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November 1999, the Heads of State or Government of the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcome the organisation’s ability to develop its operational capabilities quickly and efficiently and undertake to intensify their efforts to prevent conflicts or to resolve them by peaceful means in cooperation with other international organisations and institutions.

Group photo taken at the Summit of Heads of State or Government of the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November 1999.

In an article published in 2000 in the quarterly publication Helsinki Monitor, Hans van Santen, Head of the Security and Defence Policy Division at the Netherlands Foreign Ministry, summarises the main benefits of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit, held in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November 1999.

In an article published in 1999 in the quarterly publication Helsinki Monitor, Walter A. Kemp, Senior Adviser to the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), outlines the main reasons for the lack of knowledge about the organisation on the part of the general public and the media.

On 19 July 2000, on the 25th anniversary of the decision to launch the third and final stage of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in Helsinki, which led to the adoption of the Final Act on 1 August 1975, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir considers the origins and development of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

This article, published in the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on 30 June 2005, the day that the report by the ‘Group of Eminent Persons’ on the improvement of the efficiency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was submitted to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, considers the reasons behind such a plan for reform which relate to the major difference of opinion between the countries of the West and Russia regarding the Organisation’s role and fields of activity.

Address given in Helsinki on 1 August 2005 by Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, at the opening of the seminar on the 30th anniversary of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

Address given in Helsinki on 1 August 2005 by Mary Kaldor, Professor and Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Governance of the London School of Economics and Political Science, at the opening of the seminar on the 30th anniversary of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

This article, published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro on 6 December 2005, the final day of the 13th Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held in Ljubljana, considers the main issue over which the United States and Russia continue to clash, 30 years after the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, and which is preventing them from reaching an agreement on the Organisation’s mandate, namely respect for democracy and human rights in the former Soviet Republics.