Senator Blumenthal Appointed to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

(Washington, DC) – Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced today his appointment by Majority Leader Harry Reid to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe:

“I am honored to be appointed to this distinguished commission. I have always been, and will continue to be, a strong advocate for protecting human rights and economic freedoms for all people, which is as important now as it was when the Commission was first formed. I look forward to working with the commissioners to maintain and improve our relationships with our allies.”

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, informally known as the Helsinki Commission, consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine members from the U.S. House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. The positions of Chair and Co-Chair are shared by the House and Senate and rotate every two years, when a new Congress convenes. The Commission resulted from the 1975 Helsinki Accords, a thirty-five nation, Cold War-era effort to improve East-West relations.  An independent U.S. government agency, the Commission is tasked with the purpose of monitoring and upholding the terms agreed to in Helsinki, including a broad range of issues such as economic and democratic development and the promotion of human rights.

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