At their meeting of 25 and 26 June 1990 in Dublin, the Heads of State or Government of the Twelve emphasise the exceptional importance for the future of Europe of the Paris Summit, to be held in November 1990, on the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

On 9 October 1990, with a view to the Paris Summit to be held on 19, 20 and 21 November, the European Parliament adopts a resolution on participation by the Twelve in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), better known as Helsinki II.

In his editorial of 16 November 1990, three days before the opening of the Paris Conference on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Emanuele Gazzo, Director of Agence Europe in Brussels, is sceptical about the implications of the meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

On 19 November 1990, during the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the 22 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Warsaw Treaty Organisation sign the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).

On 19 November 1990, François Mitterrand, President of France, delivers the opening address and outlines the implications of the Summit held in Paris, from 19 to 21 November, attended by the 34 Heads of State or Government of the countries taking part in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

Le 19 novembre 1990, à l'occasion du sommet de la Conférence sur la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (CSCE) à Paris, les chefs d'État ou de gouvernement des pays membres de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et de l'Organisation du traité de Varsovie se déclarent prêts à établir de nouvelles relations de partenariat et à œuvrer ensemble pour le désarmement en Europe.

On 20 November 1990, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Paris, the German Federal Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, outlines the CSCE’s new tasks.

‘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.

Following the collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Empire, the Paris Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) adopts, on 21 November 1990, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe. This Charter welcomes the end of the era of confrontation and division in Europe and makes particular reference to the values of peace and the inviolability of territorial borders.

On 21 November 1990, François Mitterrand, President of France, gives an assessment of the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) held in Paris and answers questions posed by journalists on the nature of the new relationship between East and West.

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.

On 22 November 1990, the Soviet daily newspaper Pravda speculates as to whether the Charter of Paris for a New Europe provides the necessary guarantees to avoid further wars on the continent.

On 23 November 1990, commenting on the conclusions of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit held in Paris from 19 to 21 November, the French daily newspaper Le Monde speculates on the challenges awaiting the new Europe born of the end of East–West confrontation.

On 2 December 1994, on the eve of the CSCE Conference in Budapest, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit analyses the economic and political situation in Moldova and Transnistria, regions of the former Soviet Union.

On 5 December 1994, in Budapest, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), François Mitterrand, President of France, delivers an address in which he questions the usefulness of the CSCE and discusses the new implications of security policy in Europe.

On 5 December 1994, in Budapest, at the Summit Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland, delivers an address in which he weclomes the new era of cooperation in north-eastern Europe.

Acknowledging the fact that the CSCE is no longer simply a Conference, the Budapest Summit of 5 and 6 December 1994 changes its name to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). This gives the Organisation a new political impetus, while also reflecting its institutional development since the end of the Cold War.

On 5 December 1994, in Budapest the Summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) opens at which the decision is taken to change its name to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

On 6 December 1994, with the opening of negotiations at the CSCE Summit in Budapest the previous day, the French daily newspaper Le Monde analyses the differences of opinion between the Western countries and Russia regarding the probable evolution of the CSCE’s structures and its future relations with NATO and the UN.

On 8 December 1994, the Russian daily newspaper Pravda refers to the CSCE Summit in Budapest and comments on the situation of Russia, caught between China and Japan on one side and NATO on the other.

On 20 and 21 March 1995 in Paris, the Final Conference on the Stability Pact in Europe, convened on the initiative of the European Union on the basis of a proposal from France, is attended by the representatives of the OSCE Member States. The Council of Europe is represented by its Secretary General. At the end of the Conference, the participants adopt a political declaration and integrate into the Stability Pact all the agreements and arrangements for cooperation and good neighbourly relations that they have concluded. The Stability Pact, which is monitored by the OSCE, serves as a model for other joint initiatives on preventive diplomacy.

In 1995, Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, draws lessons from the transitional period that followed the end of the Cold War and refers to the need to establish an effective collective security system within the framework of a European ‘Common Home’.

In 1995, Andrey Kozyrev, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, sets out Moscow’s position on the role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in maintaining and strengthening European security.

On 2 and 3 December 1996, the Belém Cultural Centre hosts the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit, at the end of which a ‘Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century’ is adopted.

On 2 December 1996, at the summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Lisbon, Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, delivers an address in which he outlines the implications and tasks of the organisation.

Meeting in Lisbon on 2 and 3 December 1996, 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.

Table showing the allocation scheme relating to large-scale missions and projects established by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

On 22 September 1998, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recommends the Committee of Ministers to promote better coordination between the activities of the Council and those of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

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.

In early 1991, Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, writes a first draft of the Declaration which will inaugurate the Visegrad Group. After common agreement with his counterparts Josef Antall, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, the three sign the final text of the Visegrad Declaration on 15 February 1991.

On 15 February 1991, the French Communist daily newspaper L’Humanité comments on the efforts made by Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary to speed up the dissolution of the Warsaw Treaty, a prerequisite for the development of tripartite regional cooperation.

On 15 February 1991, Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, Josef Antall, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, establish the Visegrad Group (named after a town near Budapest) by signing a ‘Declaration on cooperation between the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Hungary in striving for European integration'.

On 15 February 1991, Václav Havel, President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, Josef Antall, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, establish the Visegrad Group (named after a town near Budapest) by signing the ‘Declaration on cooperation between the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Hungary in striving for European integration'.

At the end of their first joint meeting, held in Luxembourg on 5 October 1992, the Foreign Ministers of the Twelve and their counterparts in the three countries of the Visegrád Group adopt a joint statement with a view to the progressive integration of those three countries into the European Community.

In October 1992, the French monthly newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique comments on the birth of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on 1 January 1993 as it effects the efforts to achieve regional integration in Central and Eastern Europe.

On 9 December 1994, the French daily newspaper Le Monde publishes an article by Raymond Barre, former French Prime Minister, and Bronislaw Geremek, Polish historian and politician, in which they particularly focus on the driving role of the Visegrad Group in the integration of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) into the European Union.

On 5 December 2001, the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Benelux and the Visegrad Group meet at the Kirchberg Conference Centre in Luxembourg to discuss the future of Europe in general and to consider in particular the strengthening of cooperation between the two regional groups.

On 5 December 2001, the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Benelux and of the Visegrad Group meet at the Kirchberg Conference Centre in Luxembourg. The future of Europe is the main theme of this first meeting between the two regional cooperation bodies.

On 5 December 2001, at the press conference held after the first Summit meeting between Benelux and the Visegrad Group, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister, sets out his vision and ideas on the process of constitutionalisation of the Union and the dialogue between the governments and citizens on European matters. From left to right: Viktor Orbán, Jean-Claude Juncker, Wim Kok and Guy Verhofstadt.

Map depicting the establishment of the Visegrad Group on 15 February 1991 as well as its development up to 2015.

On 12 May 2004, Vladimír Špidla, Czech Prime Minister, Péter Medgyessy, Hungarian Prime Minister, Marek Belka, Polish Prime Minister, and Mikuláš Dzurinda, Slovak Prime Minister, issue a joint declaration on the cooperation objectives of the Visegrad countries following the accession of their countries to the European Union on 1 May.

Signed on 21 December 1992 in Krakow by the founding members of the Visegrád Group, the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) seeks to promote the harmonious development of trade between its signatory countries through the ‘intensification of mutually beneficial trade relations’ and to prepare, in the long term, for their accession to the European Union.

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, nine countries in south-east Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo sign the agreement on the amendment of and accession to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, after seven months of intense negotiations, nine countries of South-East Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) sign the agreement on the amendment and enlargement of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, at the official signing of the agreement to amend and enlarge the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, welcomes the ability of the signatory countries to overcome their differences and praises their determination to build a prosperous future.

Map showing how the Central European Free Trade Agreement came into force in 1992 and its development up to 2015.

On 8 December 1988, Marcelino Oreja, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, outlines the new tasks of the Council of Europe on the eve of the 40th anniversary of its foundation.

On 1 March 1989, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considers a report on the role of the organisation in future developments relating to European integration.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, discusses the implications of the plan for a European Confederation first proposed by François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, on 31 December 1989 in the hope of extending, alongside the Council of Europe, the European area within an institution fostering dialogue and cooperation among all the democratic nations of the continent.

On 2 October 1990, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approves Hungary’s accession to the Council of Europe.

On 2 October 1990, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considers Poland’s application for accession to the Council of Europe.

On 26 November 1991, Catherine Lalumière, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, grants an interview to the French daily newspaper Le Monde in which she sets out her views on the future of the European continent and outlines the new political role of the Council of Europe.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, describes this institution’s political revival following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the democratisation of the countries of the former Communist bloc.

On 12 May 1992, commenting on the collapse of the Soviet Union, the French daily newspaper Le Monde outlines the new tasks of the Council of Europe.

On 16 June 1992, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considers a report on the enlargement of the Strasbourg organisation and lays down terms for accession and the institutional and geopolitical implications thereof.

On 1 October 1992, Catherine Lalumière, French Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, gives a progress report on its new pan-European imperatives and on its new activities.

On 3 February 1993, in preparation for the accession of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expresses its wish to involve closely in the Council of Europe’s work those CEECs that have converted to democracy.

On 30 June 1993, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe submits to the Committee of Ministers a recommendation on adapting the role and responsibilities of the organisation to the new international situation in Europe.

On 29 September 1993, Catherine Lalumière, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, emphasises to the Parliamentary Assembly the importance of the Vienna Summit to be held on 9 October and emphasises the role of the Council of Europe on the international stage.

On 9 October 1993, the Heads of State or Government of the member states of the Council of Europe, meeting in Vienna, adopt a Declaration which confirms the organisation’s pan-European vocation and sets out new political priorities, including the protection of national minorities and the fight against all forms of racism, xenophobia and intolerance.

On 26 January 1994, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe comments on the decisions adopted on 9 October 1993 in Vienna by the Heads of State or Government of the member states of the organisation.

On 11 May 1994, Catherine Lalumière, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, analyses the institutional and political repercussions of the gradual enlargement of the Council of Europe to include the countries of Eastern Europe now operating under a democratic system of government.

On 25 January 1996, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe gives its verdict on Russia’s accession to the Council of Europe.

On 2 February 1996, Daniel Tarschys, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, gives a progress report on the negotiations for the accession of the Russian Federation to the Council of Europe and lays down the terms for and financial implications of such enlargement.

On 28 February 1996, the Russian Federation becomes a full member of the Council of Europe. From left to right: Daniel Tarschys, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, congratulates Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Prime Minister.

On 27 September 1996, the Council and the European Commission adopt a joint text relating to cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe in all the areas covered by the Community treaties and the Maastricht Treaty.

On 28 January 1997, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considers a report which deplores the continued implementation of capital punishment in Russia despite its accession to the Council of Europe.

As a defender of human rights and the rule of law, the Council of Europe has made a significant contribution to nurturing the aspirations held by civil society in the Eastern bloc countries to adopt these same prerogatives.

List of the Secretaries General of the Council of Europe since 1949.

Jacques F. Poos, former Luxembourg Foreign Minister and former President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, outlines the past and present role of the Council of Europe now that it has been enlarged to include Russia.

Interactive map showing the 10 founding members of the Council of Europe in 1949, as well as the subsequent accessions that determined the present composition of the organisation.

In this personal account, Bronislaw Geremek, Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2000, outlines the changing role and influence of the Council of Europe.