Andorra Hosts 400+ from 51 OSCE States at Autumn Parliamentary Session

Andorra will host more than 400 participants from 51 OSCE member states at the 24th Autumn Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), scheduled for October 7 to 9 at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre.

Organised by the General Council under the theme "Emerging challenges, shared responses: Strengthening cooperation in the OSCE area," the event has confirmed accreditation for 407 attendees, including 321 parliamentarians from 51 of the 57 member states. Meritxell López, president of Andorra's OSCE PA delegation, highlighted the turnout as a key success during a recent press conference with delegates Carles Naudi of Ciutadans Compromès and Pol Bartolomé of Concòrdia. She attributed much of the interest to Andorra's effective hosting of the session in 2017, when several delegations voiced hopes to return.

The agenda includes a Standing Committee meeting, Parliamentary Conference, and Mediterranean Forum. The opening on October 7 afternoon will feature General Syndic Carles Ensenyat, OSCE PA President Pere Joan Pons, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioglu.

Debates during the Parliamentary Conference on October 7 and 8 will cover three core topics: parliaments' role in building trust and multilateralism, with input from University of Andorra Rector Juli Minoves and OSCE PA Vice-President Luis Graça; energy sovereignty, security, and sustainability, featuring US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and OSCE PA Economic Affairs Committee Vice-President Artur Gerasymov; and cybersecurity protections alongside risks from artificial intelligence and hybrid threats, with contributions from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya professor Ulises Cortés and OSCE PA AI Special Representative Federica Onori.

Naudi pointed out that autumn session talks frequently influence the resolutions passed in February. On October 8, representatives from small European OSCE PA states plan to align on priorities, building on Andorra's Memorandum of Understanding signed 15 days ago with the Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of Small European States.

Activities kick off October 6 with an OSCE PA Youth Parliamentarians Network workshop, led by Councillor Roger Padreny, who co-founded the network in 2021. It encompasses a session with Andorra Business on youth-led innovation, a Foreign Affairs ministry debate at the University of Andorra, and bilateral meetings with France, Spain, and Portugal delegations.

This will be Andorra's second time hosting the autumn session, marking the largest event of the current legislative term.