EPP & like-minded Group chair calls for stronger parliamentary diplomacy, more substantive debate and a united commitment to peace and security. The European People’s Party (EPP) announces Dr. Gudrun Kugler, chair of the EPP & like-minded Group in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as its candidate for President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly at its Annual Session in Belgrade in 2027. The group nominated her unanimously on Oct 8^th, 2026. The elections will take place at the OSCE PA’s annual meeting in Belgrade in July. An Austrian Member of Parliament, Kugler brings extensive experience in parliamentary diplomacy and international cooperation. Within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, she has served as Vice-President, Special Representative on Demographic Change and Security, and three times as Rapporteur of the Second Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment. The focus of the 49-year-old mother of four has covered energy security, artificial intelligence, scientific cooperation, migration and demographic change. She has participated in election observation missions and field visits involving migration, women's shelters in Tajikistan, earthquake relief in Gaziantep and refugee camps in Greece. Kugler’s candidacy centres on strengthening the Assembly’s relevance and its role in building peace and freedom through parliamentary diplomacy. She aims to foster dialogue across political and geographical divides, strengthen cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE’s executive structures. A key priority is to make Assembly sessions more participatory and debate-oriented, moving beyond a succession of individual statements towards substantive exchanges in which parliamentarians can respond to one another and help shape reports and resolutions. Kugler also intends to maintain the Assembly’s strong support for Ukraine, including its reconstruction, and to advance its fight for good governance and against corruption and human trafficking. Her priorities include addressing affordable energy and responding to demographic change. She also proposes voluntary introductory seminars for new members twice a year, enabling parliamentarians to engage more effectively with the OSCE’s work from the beginning of their mandates. “Even the best institution depends on good people. We must bring our experience together, listen to one another and work across divides to strengthen the Assembly’s contribution to peace, freedom and security. This is parliamentary diplomacy, which is vitally necessary in this new era,” Kugler said.