UK Delegation to OSCE

The UK Delegation (UKDEL) represents the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. It is an independent mission, sharing the same building as the bilateral Embassy and the UK Mission to the United Nations in Vienna. The Delegation is currently headed by Dominic Schroeder, the new Ambassador, who took up his post in August 2011.

The UK Delegation works in two main areas:

• The political side, which covers the OSCE Permanent Council, the regular operational body for political consultation and decision making on all OSCE issues.
• The arms control side, which covers the Forum for Security Co-operation, the main negotiating body for conventional arms control, including small arms and light weapons (including MANPADS), ammunition stockpiles, and confidence- and security-building measures.

The UK Delegation also represents the UK at regular coordination meetings with NATO and the EU; the Joint Consultative Group (JCG), which is the body responsible for the implementation and adaptation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty; and the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC), which deals with issues relating to the Open Skies Treaty.

In the framework of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the Member States of the European Union speak with one voice in many multinational fora, including the OSCE. Statements are made by the rotating EU Presidency on behalf of the EU at OSCE meetings, such as the Permanent Council. Recent EU statements on various OSCE issues can be found on the UK’s EU Presidency website. For details visit our OSCE links page.