The Helsinki Final Act at 50: Lessons for European Security

On 23 June 2025 the ISFH hosted an expert roundtable at its Berlin office to reflect on the enduring significance of the Helsinki Final Act fifty years after.
Five decades after the signing of the CSCE Helsinki Final Act, deterrence and defence dominate European security. There is broad consensus that the Final Act’s ten guiding principles remain valid and must be upheld—especially in light of a revisionist Russia.

Chaired by Dr. habil. Cornelius Friesendorf (IFSH), the discussion featured three panellists: Professor Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni (University of Cambridge), Dr. Ingo Peters (Free University Berlin), and Dr. Johanna Ketola (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland). Together with a dozen participants from academia and practice, they explored the relevance of the Helsinki process for today’s European security order and the OSCE. Central themes included strategies to protect the Helsinki principles from Russia and how to cope with the contradictions inherent in the Final Act’s ten principles (the Decalogue). 

Further information on OSCE-related research can be found here.