OSCE’s Structures
The Ministerial Council is the highest decision-making body of the OSCE, and is composed by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the OSCE participating States. It is held annually in the capital of the OSCE participating State, which holds the Chairmanship.
The Permanent Council
The Permanent Council is the principal decision-making body for regular political consultations and for governing the day-to-day operational work of the OSCE between the meetings of the Ministerial Council. The Permanent Council meetings take place once a week in Vienna. The Permanent Council has wide decision-making powers, and can thus tackle crises and make decisions on a short notice.
The Secretariat
Under the direction of the Secretary General, the Secretariat provides operational support to the Chairmanship and the participating States. The Secretariat is based in Vienna.
OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly consists of parliamentarians from the OSCE participating States. They meet two times per year to discuss matters of political importance. The OSCE Among other tasks, Parliamentary Assembly plays an important role in relation to election observation. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is based in Copenhagen.