On 25 February 2009 the Head of the Centre for OSCE Research (CORE), Wolfgang Zellner, participated with a presentation on ‘European Arms Control: Old Problems – New Chances’ in a round table discussion dedicated to ‘Initial Thoughts on European Security’. The meeting was organized - for the first time in this format - by the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, the body in which the 56 OSCE participating States discuss, negotiate and take decisions on European security issues. Further presentations were given by Zdzislaw Lachowski from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and by the Director of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Camille Grand.

The fact that more than 20 delegations contributed to the two-hour debate clearly shows that disarmament – a concept that some have not been keen to use until recently – is back on the agenda. The discussion focused, among other things, on the fate of the adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (ACFE) Treaty, confidence-building measures and conceptual questions concerning European arms control beyond the ACFE.

Contact: Dr. Wolfgang Zellner