Would all the members support Lajcak as the new Secretary General of the OSCE?

The election process for the new Secretary General of the OSCE is currently stalled, and media have proclaimed Miroslav Lajcak as someone who, according to unofficial diplomatic sources, is willing to run for the position. He has not commented on this topic, although analysts believe that the Slovak diplomat, whose role as a mediator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is nearing its end, could have a clear path to this role and a new office in Vienna.

By: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

German Helga Schmid completed her four-year term as Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on September 3. Since no consensus has been reached among the 57 member states, which all enjoy equal status in this organization and where decisions are made by consensus, Kate Fearon has been serving as the acting Secretary General since September 4. Fearon is the Director of the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre and Deputy Head of the OSCE Secretariat. Interestingly, she once worked on the implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan in Kosovo.

If the information from diplomatic sources about Lajcak’s interest in succeeding Schmid proves true, and if consensus is reached on his appointment, a career diplomat who currently represents the European Union in the implementation of various agreements from the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue will assume the leadership of the OSCE.

However, the OSCE is structured in such a way that its Secretariat, under the leadership of the Secretary General, provides operational support to the organization and assists the Chairmanship in its activities by offering expertise, analyses, and decision-making support, while the Permanent Council serves as the main decision-making body, managing the day-to-day operations of the OSCE between meetings of the Ministerial Council.

Lajcak is well acquainted with all of this, as he chaired the OSCE in 2019 while serving as Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs.

One of the more serious candidates for the position of OSCE Secretary General during the summer was Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, but since he was not approved by all 57 OSCE member states from Europe, Central Asia, and North America, negotiations on this and several other positions within the organization, led by Malta as the 2024 Chairmanship, are ongoing. The goal is to reach a consensus by the annual Ministerial Council meeting to be held in Valletta in December, when Lajcak will practically be at the end of his extended mandate, which, according to the latest decision of the EU Council, expires on January 31, 2025.

"Given Miroslav Lajcak's previous experience, it seems that his election as Secretary General of the OSCE would bring to that position a person who is very familiar with the processes and mechanisms that the OSCE implements in its member states and missions around the world," said Stefan Vladisavljev, Program Coordinator at the BFPE Foundation for a Responsible Society, in a statement for Kosovo Online.

However, as he points out, until Lajcak’s candidacy, which is currently only speculated about in the media, becomes official, everything remains in the realm of conjecture.

Vladisavljev notes that Lajcak is a diplomat with considerable experience in competing for high positions within international organizations and, should he enter the race for OSCE Secretary General, he would undoubtedly be a serious contender.

"In light of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, his potential election as the head of the OSCE would mean that he would no longer serve as the EU Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, and someone else would take his place. The process of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is entirely under the EU's jurisdiction, and the OSCE does not play a significant role in the technical process. That’s why it will be interesting to see who will replace Lajcak. Various names are being mentioned as possibilities, including former Slovenian President Borut Pahor. It remains to be seen whether it will be him or someone else who steps into Miroslav Lajcak’s shoes. Whoever it is, they will face a complex and certainly challenging task," says Vladisavljev.

According to Nemanja Nestorovic, Deputy Director of the NGO "Community Building Mitrovica," the chances of the Slovak diplomat being elected as the new Secretary General of the OSCE are high, given his many years of diplomatic experience in the Western Balkans.

"Moreover, in 2019, he held one of the leadership positions within the OSCE. His experience in the Western Balkans, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, makes him a qualified candidate, and his role as the EU Special Envoy for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina adds to his qualifications for the position of OSCE Secretary General," Nestorovic told Kosovo Online.

He points out that all OSCE member states must agree on a single candidate, with each having its own personal interests.

"Among others, there are also the United States and Russia. Russia will de facto support his candidacy, as will Serbia, because Lajcak is from Slovakia, which has not recognized Kosovo's independence. However, some other countries within the OSCE might oppose this precisely because of the differing views on Kosovo," our interlocutor explains.

If consensus is reached on the election of the Slovak diplomat, the question of Lajcak’s successor as the EU Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue would then arise, he adds.

"His selection and appointment might lead to some new political momentum in the dialogue, which is de facto dead. However, all of this requires additional time, and there is no dialogue or progress. On the other hand, the appointment of a new EU envoy for the dialogue would further prolong the lack of dialogue, or maintain this status quo, or a 'dead dialogue' if we can call it that," says Nestorovic.

Besfort Recaj, a professor at the Department of International Law at the University of Pristina, told Kosovo Online that the position of OSCE Secretary General is primarily administrative, as decisions are made by other bodies within the organization. However, if Miroslav Lajcak were elected to this position, Recaj believes his vast experience could help those making decisions by providing them with advice.

"The process of selecting such an important figure in the OSCE is done by consensus of all member states, and this can lead to difficulties, especially when we consider the security situation around the world. We know that the OSCE includes states from Asia, mainly Central Asia, which may have their own preferences and influences that reflect the current global security situation. Therefore, there could be issues in the election of the OSCE Secretary General," Recaj believes.

In addition to Hasani, the candidates for the new Secretary General included Jan Bratu (Norway), Kristof Kamp (Netherlands), John MacGregor (Canada), Marcel Pesko (Slovakia), and Feridun Sinirlioglu (Turkey).