The European Union has issued an interpretative statement deploring Russia's decision to limit the extension of the OSCE Mission to Moldova's mandate to six months instead of the standard one year, calling it an arbitrary and unsubstantiated position that imposes a heavy administrative burden on the mission. The statement was delivered at the OSCE Special Permanent Council No. 1570 in Vienna on 29 June 2026, and published by the EEAS on 30 June 2026.
The EU recalled that the 2006 Brussels OSCE Ministerial Council decision 18/06 reaffirmed that mandates for field operations should be of one-year duration when the host country concurs. The EU noted that the Republic of Moldova continues to face consequences from Russia's war against Ukraine, and that undermining the mission's functioning is unjustified. Despite its objections, the EU joined consensus to extend the mandate by six months, taking into account the host country's position and the importance of the mission's work in facilitating dialogue for a settlement of the Transnistrian conflict based on respect for Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The EU called on Russia to reconsider its position to allow resumption of one-year extensions. Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine aligned with the statement.