| Eastern European Group | |
| Type: | Regional group |
| Abbreviation: | EEG |
| Leader Title: | Head |
| Status: | Active |
| Region: | Europe |
The Group of Eastern European States (EEG) is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 23 Member States from Eastern, Central and Southern Europe.[1]
The Group, as with all the regional groups, is a non-binding dialogue group where subjects concerning regional and international matters are discussed. Additionally, the Group works to help allocate seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region.[2] [3]
See main article: United Nations Regional Groups. Prior to the creation of the Regional Groups in 1964, the United Nations Security Council had an Eastern European and Asian Seat, that was occupied between 1946 and 1964 by countries from Eastern Europe (including Greece and Turkey), as well as by members of the modern Western European and Others and Asia-Pacific Groups.
Since its creation, the Group has changed significantly due to the dissolution of various members: the Soviet Union in 1991, Yugoslavia between 1991-2006 and Czechoslovakia in 1993. Additionally, through the process of German reunification, the Group lost the German Democratic Republic as one of its member states.
The following are the current Member States of the Eastern European Group:[4] [5]
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Georgia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
UkraineThe Eastern European Group has two seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC); the permanent seat of Russia, and one elected seat, currently held by Albania. The Group further has 6 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 6 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is also eligible for having its nationals elected as President of the United Nations General Assembly in years ending with 2 and 7; most recently, Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia was elected to this position in 2017 and was the office holder of the Sixty-seventh session.
The Eastern European Group holds two seats on the Security Council, 1 non-permanent and 1 permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are:[6] [7]
| Country | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | ||
| 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2025 |
The Eastern European Group holds six seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[8] [9]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026 | |
| 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025 | |
| (Vacant) | |
| 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2024 | |
The Eastern European Group holds six seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[10] [11]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026 | |
| 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025 | |
| 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2024 | |
See main article: President of the United Nations General Assembly. Every five years in the years ending in 2 and 7, the Eastern European Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly.[1]
The following is a list of presidents from the region since its official creation in 1963:[12]
| Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 22nd | ||||
| 1972 | 27th | ||||
| 1977 | 32nd | Also chaired the 8th, 9th and 10th special sessions of the General Assembly | |||
| 1982 | 37th | ||||
| 1987 | 42nd | Also chaired the 15th special session of the General Assembly | |||
| 1992 | 47th | | |||
| 1997 | 52nd | | Also chaired the 10th emergency special and 20th special sessions of the General Assembly | ||
| 2002 | 57th | | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly | ||
| 2007 | 62nd | ||||
| 2012 |  | ||||
| 2017 | | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly | |||
| 2022 | Csaba Kőrösi | | |||
| Future | |||||
| 2027 | 82nd | TBD | TBD | ||
| 2032 | 87th | TBD | TBD | ||
As the Eastern European Group changed significantly over time, the number of its members had also changed.
| Years | Number of members | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–1973 | 10 | Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Soviet Union; Ukraine (as Ukrainian SSR) and Belarus (as Byelorussian SSR) were members on their own right (see here) | |
| 1973–1990 | 11 | German Democratic Republic being a member | |
| 1990 | 10 | German reunification | |
| 1991–1992 | 21 | Dissolution of the Soviet Union (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), breakup of Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia) | |
| 1993 | 22 | Dissolution of Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic, Slovakia) | |
| 2006–present | 23 | Dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro (Serbia, Montenegro) |
Montenegro
Poland