Study trip introduced the workings and policy-making of the OSCE

On 14-16 March, 18 students from the MA programmes of International Relations and Regional Studies (IRRS), EU-Russia Studies (EURUS) and Democracy and Governance (DG) visited Vienna for a study tour. 

The trip – led by Prof. Eiki Berg and Dr. Stefano Braghiroli – was centred around a visit to the OSCE headquarters, where the students had the opportunity to learn about the organization’s structure and activities. As a highlight of the day, the group was also able to observe a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council. 

In addition to visiting the OSCE, the agenda of the study trip included a talk by Prof. Gerhard Hafner at the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna, discussing the conflicting interpretations of international law in light of the annexation of Crimea. During a meeting at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s Regional Office for Cooperation and Peace in Europe, Dr. Reinhard Krumm and Dr. Alexandra Dienes gave an overview of the Office’s projects, providing insight about the particulars of policy advisory work. 

Rounding out the study trip was a visit to the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, where Ms. Genny Ghiarandon introduced the Academy and its study programmes, while Prof. Markus Kornprobst introduced his framework of elite judgments and decision-making in crisis situations, with a specific focus on the Ukraine crisis.

Overall, the short but intense study trip offered a good overview of how the OSCE operates, as well as enabled the group to explore some of the contentious issues dealt with by the OSCE in a more detailed manner. 

For more information, please contact Prof. Eiki Berg, IRRS programme manager, eiki.berg@ut.ee

Forwarded by: 
Heidi Mõttus
Marketing and Communications Assistant
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies 
University of Tartu
heidi.mottus@ut.ee