On Friday, May 20, the Atlantic Council, in partnership with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, held a public discussion on the role of diplomacy in the future of European security. This event included members of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project, which was established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Swiss Chairmanship in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea. The Panel of Eminent Persons has worked to restore a vision for security based on inclusive and constructive dialogue across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions.

Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe kicked off the session with welcoming remarks, and Dr. Adam Rotfeld, former Foreign Minister of Poland and a member of the Panel of Eminent Persons, introduced the panelists and their work on European security and diplomacy. The event’s panelists included OSCE Secretary H.E. Lamberto Zannier along with representatives of the Panel: President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Ambassador Ivo Daalder; Director of econcept, Inc,. Dr. Barbara Haering; Director of Georgia’s Reform Associates, Dr. Sergi Kapanadze; and President of International Crisis Group, Mr. Jean-Marie Guéhenno.

The panelists spoke on the need to expand diplomacy efforts to address underlying concerns in collective security across the OSCE region. The speakers emphasized that threats to peace extend far beyond the situation in Ukraine. They also analyzed the role that OSCE can play in conflict resolution, and offered recommendations for strengthening its role. In 2015, the Panel of Eminent Persons released a report, Back to Diplomacy: Final Report and Recommendations of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project.