OPCW’s Executive Council decides on its business continuity by consenus

In the summer of 2020, heavily marked by the impediments of the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany deliberated on how to ensure the functioning of the Executive Council in situations of crisis. It became obvious that a solution would be necessary, once meetings at the OPCW Headquarters would not be possible. Germany consulted widely, open to all suggestions, but making it always clear that the EC Rules of Procedures should not be amended. From the very beginning, there was large support to this initiative, which lead, more than 2,5 years later, to the adoption of the decision “Allowing the Convening of Executive Council Meetings or Sessions in Extraordinary Circumstances”. Only Russia dissociated itself from the consensus, which shows that also in difficult times, it is still possible to reach consensual solutions.