The Organization for European Security and Cooperation (OSCE) fears a significant increase in corruption and human trafficking because state institutions are overwhelmed by the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Criminals are quickly adapting to the weaknesses of the system caused by the Covid crisis," warned the Secretary General of the OSCE, Thomas Greminger.
Greminger told the APA agency that the OSCE expects to see much more corruption in the coming months, especially when it comes to the large funds used to revive the economy.
"We also fear that human trafficking will increase," he said, adding that border authorities have become very overburdened after the introduction of border controls within Schengen.
Speaking about the pandemic crisis, Gremminger criticized the tendency towards "very national reflexes, independent actions and unilateral isolationist approaches".
He said that he had hoped, which is obviously naive, that the crisis would make the OSCE member countries show more solidarity.
"The fact is that the OSCE does not yet have a budget for the current year," warned Greminger.
He said that cooperation is the only real approach to overcome such a transnational threat.
Gremminger also warned against conflict regions, such as Ukraine, being lost sight of during other crises.
"It would be very dangerous to reduce conflict management and not consistently apply measures to establish trust and security," he said.
He expressed satisfaction that the OSCE was able to continue its work even during the coronavirus crisis.
"We are among the first international organizations that moved very quickly to online work. We are currently doing everything online," Greminger explained.
Thus, the weekly meetings of the ambassadors of the 57 OSCE member states are held even during the coronavirus, but via video conference, and decisions are made online.
"When a decision is requested, longer pauses are required. 60 seconds are given for a reaction," explained the current way of working.
He said that it is planned to re-hold the sessions of the Permanent Council of the OSCE in Vienna's Hofburg Palace, but probably in a smaller format.
It is announced that the annual conference of heads of diplomacy, which takes place at the end of the year, will probably be in a smaller format.
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