The Swedish Embassy in Tallinn has been kind enough to post my thoughts on the future of the OSCE on its website ahead of the Lennart Meri conference in the end of April to which President Ilves also has invited me. 

So nice to go through Heathrow yesterday. Swift procedures in passport controls and wonderful train connection to Paddington. Great arrival in comparison to some earlier experiences.

Invited by the RUSI in London bringing together both experts and member states representatives to discuss EU positions ahead of the conference.

Totally disrespecting the national preoccupation with selecting a worthy candidate for the Eurovision song contest we went to see opera live on the cinema from the metropolitan yesterday. La Donna Del Lago by Rossini turned out to be one of the most impressive performances I have seen.

Cleaning the car suddenly worthwhile. Still a lot of dirty in the streets.

But the sun is shining.

Today I will meet with colleagues on the way ahead for the osce NGO network. Yesterday evening was filled with discussions about culture in our local community the smart city Hammarby Sjöstad.

Tour offered yesterday by Kent Härstedt brought back some memories. For instance from November 1966 when I was standing on the stairs of the older part of the parliament petitioning Tage Erlander, then Prime minister in his 20th year. There was a school teachers conflict on and I led 600 pupils in a rented special train from Göteborg.

Also remember seeing Olof Palme at the same occasion as a young cabinet member of the government stepping into as a remember a very small Fiat right outside the building. He later before becoming Prime minister was Minister of education with his office in the same building where we had our parliamentary conference yesterday. 

I will try to scan some pictures from the occasion later. 

Interesting discussion today with parliamentarians from a number of Osce participating States.

Kent Härstedt in the lead from the Swedish parliament. The event was organised in a competent way by the Swedish Insure of International Affairs.

My comments on the Osce comprehensive concept off security will be posted separately on this site.

My focus was on the need to focus on good governance in all the three baskets of the Osce.

Looking forward to listen to this eminent observer of in particular developments in Eastern Europe in our local cultural club. 

Still taken by the thoughts exchanged in Brussels yesterday on the situation in the European Neighborhood. So much worse now than in decades. 

3 interesting days in Brussels on behalf of SIPRI. Met a number of senior and middle management former colleagues in the European Council, the EEAS and the European Commission.