 | |
| Abbreviation | EEG |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1964; 61 years ago (1964) |
| Type | Regional group |
| Legal status | Active |
Region | Europe |
 Politics portal | |
TheGroup of Eastern European States, orEEG, is one of the fiveUnited Nations regional groups composed of 23 Member States fromEastern,Central andSouthernEurope.[1][2]
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.[3][4]
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 (includingGreece andTurkey), as well as by members of the modernWestern European and Others andAsia-Pacific Groups.
Since its creation, the Group has changed significantly due to the dissolution of various members: theSoviet Union in 1991,Yugoslavia between 1991-2006 andCzechoslovakia in 1993. Additionally, through the process ofGerman reunification, the Group lost theGerman Democratic Republic as one of its member states.
The following are the current Member States of the Eastern European Group:[5][2]
Czechoslovakia (1966–1993)
SFR Yugoslavia (1966–1992)
East Germany (1973–1990)The Eastern European Group has two seats in theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC); the permanent seat ofRussia, and one elected seat, currently held bySlovenia. The Group further has 6 seats on theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council and 6 seats on theUnited Nations Human Rights Council. It is also eligible for having its nationals elected asPresident of theUnited Nations General Assembly in years ending with 2 and 7; most recently,Csaba Kőrösi ofHungary was elected to this position in 2022 and was the office holder of the Seventy-seventh session.[6]
The Eastern European Group holds two seats on theSecurity Council, 1 non-permanent and 1 permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are:[7][8]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 Russia | Permanent |
 Slovenia | 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2025 |
The Eastern European Group holds six seats on theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[9][10]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 Poland | 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026 |
 Slovakia | 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025 |
| Slovenia | |
| (Vacant)[note 1] | |
 Armenia | 1 January 2025 – 31 December 2027 |
 Azerbaijan |
The Eastern European Group holds six seats on theUnited Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[11][12]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 Albania | 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026 |
 Bulgaria | |
 Georgia | 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025 |
 Romania | |
| Czechia | 1 January 2025 – 31 December 2027 |
 North Macedonia |
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:[13]
| Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 22nd | Corneliu Mănescu |  Romania | |
| 1972 | 27th | Stanisław Trepczyński |  Poland | |
| 1977 | 32nd | Lazar Mojsov | Yugoslavia | Also chaired the 8th, 9th and 10th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 1982 | 37th | Imre Hollai |  Hungary | |
| 1987 | 42nd | Peter Florin | German Democratic Republic | Also chaired the 15th special session of the General Assembly |
| 1992 | 47th | Stoyan Ganev | Bulgaria | |
| 1997 | 52nd | Hennadiy Udovenko |  Ukraine | Also chaired the10th emergency special and 20th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 2002 | 57th | Jan Kavan | Czech Republic | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
| 2007 | 62nd | Srgjan Kerim | Macedonia | |
| 2012 | 67th | Vuk Jeremić |  Serbia | |
| 2017 | 72nd | Miroslav Lajčák | Slovakia | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
| 2022 | 77th | Csaba Kőrösi | Hungary | Also chaired the11th emergency special |
| 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 (asUkrainian SSR) andBelarus (asByelorussian SSR) were members on their own right (seehere) |
| 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 and Herzegovina,Macedonia) |
| 1993 | 22 | Dissolution of Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic,Slovakia) |
| 2006–present | 23 | Dissolution ofSerbia and Montenegro (Serbia,Montenegro) |
