This page provides a broader audience of security experts and the general public with regular information of Conventional Arms Control (CAC) and Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBMs).

The information is provided by the Coordinators of Arms Control and CSBMs of the OSCE-Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions:

Hans-Joachim Schmidt (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt/Main, PRIF) and Iztok Prezelj (Faculty of Social Sciences/University of Ljubljana).

We aim to keep our readers up to date with news, planned events, publications and documents in these fields of arms control. The aim of this page is to expand and deepen knowledge on CAC and on CSBMs, as well as to provide the opportunity for further political and academic discussion in order to promote Conventional Arms Control and CSBMs in Europe and beyond.

Latest News can be found under https://twitter.com/LatestNewsonCAC.

All users are very kindly invited to contribute to the information provided here. Please inform the Coordinators Iztok Prezelj and Hans-Joachim Schmidt about your news, upcoming events, publications and documents in the fields of CAC and CSBMs in and for Europe.

2019

• 24 October 2019: Members of the drafting group of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions will present the results of their report "Reducing the risks of conventional deterrence in Europe" at Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in Moscow.

• End of October 2019: 11th meeting of the Like Minded Group in Berlin. Date and topics are still in discussion.

• 16 October 2019: In cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Foundation, members of the drafting group of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions will present the results of their report "Reducing the risks of conventional deterrence in Europe" in Brussels.

• 24 September 2019: Members of the drafting group of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions will present the results of their report "Reducing the risks of conventional deterrence in Europe" at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) in Washington D.C..

• 20 September 2019: 5th Military expert meeting within the Structured Dialogue in Vienna. 

• 19 September 2019: 9th Structured Dialogue in Vienna will go ahead with discussions on risk reduction (collection of best practices and a possible code of conduct on risk reduction) and some other topics still to be determined.

• 10 May 2019: 11th meeting of the Like Minded Group of 24 States in Berlin. They have discussed the methods and means of a modern conventional arms control regime and how it can be adapted to new political and military-technological developments. They also initiated a consolidated collection of ideas for new conventional arms control approaches.

• 7 May 2019: 4th Military expert level workshop within the Structured Dialogue. It openly and thoroughly discussed methods and conditions for improving the level of transparency leading to trust, practical suggestions for reducing risks stemming from certain military activities including SNAP exercises, current mechanisms for the prevention and management of military activities that could lead to incidents, and best practices to reduce the possibility of incidents.

• 6 May 2019: 8th Structured Dialogue in Vienna discussed transparency, risk reduction and incident prevention and counter-terrorism. The discussions in the Structured Dialogue have led to qualitative improvements in the exchange of data on conventional arms control.

• 14-15 March 2019: International Conference of the German Federal Foreign Office on: 'Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control in Berlin. Further information is provided under the following link: https://rethinkingarmscontrol.de/programme/.

• 12 February 2019: During a power breakfast in Vienna, members of the Drafting Group of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions presented the results of their report about ‘Reducing the Risks of Conventional Deterrence in Europe’.

• 1 February 2019: Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the OSCE, Jeroen Boender, became the new chairmen of the Informal Structured Dialogue for 2019.

• 23 January 2019: 10th meeting of the Like Minded Group in Berlin. The Group discussed its achievements and the current status of conventional arms control in Europe. Albania and Slovenia joined the Group, expanding it to a total of 24 member states.