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Now the OSCE has 57 participating states from Europe, Central Asia, and North America, and its area spans from Vancouver to Vladivostok. 1st August, 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Since the signing of this agreement, the relevance of the OSCE in the European security architecture has only increased.
That being said, the current paper seeks to picture how it functions, how it is perceived today by the participating states and what their key issues with regard to the organization are. It describes the various institutions within the OSCE, but also its political emancipatation. The most provoking part may be a forecast about its future and the gaps to be filled. The text is complemented with some official documents.

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Contents
Introduction
The History and Significance of the OSCE
- Origins
- On the Way to the Helsinki Final Act of 1975
- The Ratification of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975
- The Importance of the Helsinki Final Act
- The Follow-on of the Helsinki 1975 & Impact of the CSCE
- The Uniqueness of CSCE
- The CSCE becomes the OSCE
The Institutions and Structures of the OSCE
- The Decision-making Bodies
- The Operational Institutions
- Field operations
The OSCE of Today
Possible Future Developments of the OSCE
Recommendations (from "Reviving Co-operative Security in Europe through the OSCE", contribution of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions to the Panel of Eminent Persons, submitted on p0.2015, edited by Teija Tiilikainen)
Annexes
- Conference on Security and Co-Operation in Europe Final Act
- Charter of Paris for a New Europe
- Rules of Procedure of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation In Europe
- European Parliament resolution of 11 November 2010 on strengthening the OSCE - the role of the EU
About the Authors

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