NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY INFORMATION DOCUMENT International Secretariat September 1993 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION The North Atlantic Assembly is an interparliamentary organization which, since 1955, has acted as a forum for legislators from the North American and West European member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance to meet together to consider issues of common interest and concern. Recently, however, and in keeping with the major political changes which have occurred in the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe (C&EE) the Assembly has broadened both its membership and its mandate. Twelve newly democratic countries from the former communist bloc have been elected as associated delegations which means that they can participate in the Assembly's work and debates which, in turn, are now increasingly focusing on the security of Europe as a whole as well as on the specific economic, political, environmental, and cultural problems of the C&EE area. The Assembly is, also, through the "Rose-Roth Initiative", actively supporting the development of parliamentary democracy in these countries (see page 3). 2. THE ROLE AND WORK OF THE ASSEMBLY The North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 made no provision for the creation of a consultative parliamentary body but it was increasingly felt that there should be some kind of organized parliamentary interest in, and support for, NATO - the intergovernmental organization set up to serve the Alliance. The Assembly therefore has no formal role vis-a-vis NATO, but over the years it has developed a close and effective working relationship with the Organization. The primary purpose of the Assembly is educative and consensus building. It allows Alliance and (now) C&EE legislators to convey national preoccupations and concerns and to inform each other of the very different national and regional perspectives that exist on many key issues of mutual interest. The delegates to the Assembly are selected by their parliaments according to national procedures and the Assembly represents a broad spectrum of political opinion (see page 5). Since its foundation the Assembly has evolved a system of working procedures most convenient for national legislatures. Accordingly the Assembly meets twice a year in plenary session: a spring meeting of three days and an autumn meeting of five days. Meetings are held in national capitals on a rotational basis at the invitation of national parliaments. The Assembly functions through five Committees: Political, Defence and Security, Economic, Scientific and Technical, and Civilian Affairs, which are both study groups and major fora for discussion. These five Committees examine all the major contemporary issues arising in their respective fields of activity and when a Committee wishes to examine a specific subject in depth it creates a Sub-Committee to conduct fact-finding missions to gather information for the subject under study. These Sub-Committees meet regularly throughout the year. The reports that result from this work, and the debates and policy recommendations associated with them, are the centrepiece of the Assembly's work and provide the foundation for the Assembly's contribution to the policy-making process. Recent examples of Sub-Committee interests include the future of armed forces, defence and security co-operation between Europe and North America, East-West economic co-operation and convergence, the Southern region, technology and the environment etc. (see Annex 1). Committee views are normally reflected in recommendations or resolutions which, having been adopted, are then voted on by the entire Assembly in plenary session. A Recommendation is addressed to the North Atlantic Council urging certain action whereas a Resolution is more the expression of opinion and is addressed to member governments. Each year the Assembly in plenary session debates a theme of particular topical interest. >From time to time issues occur of such significance that Assembly members decide that they merit special high-level attention and scrutiny. Such was the case in 1980 when it was decided to create a Special Committee under the auspices of the Political and Military Committees and under the chairmanship of Senator Joseph Biden (United States) to monitor the implementation of the 1979 double-track decision and the consequent question of the future of American nuclear forces in Europe. This Special Committee was reconstituted in 1988 to address the question of the development by the Alliance of a Comprehensive Concept for arms control and disarmament and the related question of the future of nuclear and conventional forces in Europe. In November 1992 a Presidential Task Force on America and Europe was set up to examine the future of NATO and of the transatlantic relationship at this time of great change in relations between East and West. A unique dimension of the Assembly's activities is the transatlantic link it provides between North American and European legislators. The role of the United States Congress in the formulation of US foreign and defence policy, and also the persistence of the burden-sharing issue, has made this link an extremely important feature of the Assembly's work. The Assembly has devoted considerable efforts to strengthening its contacts with the relevant Congressional Committees. For example, for the past decade the Sub-Committee on Defence Co-operation has held regular meetings with the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on the question of improving Alliance co-operation in the development and procurement of armaments. More recently, a close and intense dialogue was established with the relevant Congressional Sub-Committee on the question of burden sharing. As stated earlier, although the Assembly is independent of NATO, relations with that organization have gradually developed a more formal nature and include: a considered response to Assembly recommendations by the Secretary General on behalf of the North Atlantic Council; a presentation by the Secretary General to the Assembly's autumn session; additional Committee meetings in Brussels each February to facilitate contact with NATO and SHAPE officials; and finally, following an initiative of the former Secretary General, Lord Carrington, meetings between leading members of the Assembly with Representatives of the North Atlantic Council for a mutual exchange of views. In a recent development the Assembly has been assisting in the creation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSCE (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe). The Assembly has been involved with early meetings of the new organization and has provided the administration and secretariat services for the security element of the CSCE's work. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS WITH CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Like NATO itself, the Assembly has had to examine its role in the light of the rapidly changing international environment. While the continued need for the Atlantic Alliance with its unique transatlantic relationship is not in doubt, the disappearance of a clearly defined and immediate threat has necessitated adjustment and adaptation. Above all, it has meant the development of security arrangements based on co-operation and dialogue rather than on confrontation. The Assembly has taken the lead at the legislative level in developing the basis for such security arrangements with the newly independent countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The Assembly began to develop contacts and relations with the C&EE countries in 1987 as democratically elected Parlliaments began to emerge. The Assembly's Political Committee created a Sub-Committee on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union which resulted in visits by the Sub-Committee to Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and the former GDR, and the participation of East and Central European officials and parliamentarians at various Assembly meetings. In July 1989 Assembly President Patrick Duffy led the first official visit of an NAA delegation to the Soviet Union, at the invitation of the Supreme Soviet. In February 1990 a delegation from the Supreme Soviet, led initially by Marshall Akromeyev and then by Ambassador Falin, made a reciprocal visit to Brussels. Relations were placed on a more formal basis when during the London Annual Session in November 1990 the parliaments of Bulgaria, the Federative Republic of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Hungary, Poland and the former Soviet Union were granted the status of "associate delegate". Romania was added in April 1991. At the Annual Session in Madrid in October 1991 the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were given "associate delegate" status and since that time the number of associates has risen to thirteen with the inclusion of the Russian Federation in April 1992, Ukraine and Belarus in May 1992 and Albania in May 1993 at the Berlin Spring Session. The importance of this status is that it allows the legislators from the new democracies to participate actively in the Assembly's activities (spring and autumn sessions, committee meetings, etc.). The Assembly has also initiated other activities as regards the C&EE countries. Under a bipartisan initiative sponsored by Assembly President, Congressman Charlie Rose (USA) in conjunction with Senator Bill Roth (USA), the Assembly is currently focusing considerable resources on helping the development of parliamentary democracy in the C&EE countries. This Rose-Roth Initiative specifically aims at facilitating the participation of East European legislators in the full range of Assembly activities, Committees and Sub-Committees alike; the creation of a Special Group comprising Assembly members and associate delegates on an equal basis to discuss the restructuring of European security; the holding of specialized seminars and conferences; and the employment at the International Secretariat on a short-term basis of staff from Eastern Europe. Financial assistance to help realize this initiative is being provided by the United States Agency for International Development Democratic Pluralism Initiative, and by other member parliaments. The main component of the Rose-Roth Initiative is the programme of seminars and conferences currently underway dealing with the specific problems of C&EE countries where Assembly members have competence and experience and where the Assembly, as a multilateral forum, is uniquely placed to make an effective contribution. To date (September 1993) 17 seminars have been held on the following subjects: - Parliamentary Oversight and Control of Defence Expenditure and the Armed Forces, Brussels, July 1991; - Baltic Security Requirements, Vilnius, Lithuania, December 1991; - Defence Conversion, Copenhagen, January 1992; - European Security and the CSCE, Brussels, February 1992; - Stability and Security in the Baltic Region, Riga, Latvia, April 1992; - Preventing Instability in Post Cold War Europe, The Hague, April 1992; - Minorities and Migrations in Europe, Bonn, June 1992; - Defence Conversion - the Nuclear Dimension, Moscow, July 1992; - Regional Stability in the Balkans, Athens, October 1992; - Stability in the Baltic Region, Tallinn, Estonia, October 1992; - Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean Region, Granada, February 1993; - European Security and the CSCE, Brussels, February 1993; - Civil-Military Relations - the New Roles of Armed Forces; Parliamentary Influence over Defence, Salzburg, Austria, March 1993 (part 1) and Washington, D.C., April 1993 (part 2); - The New Baltic Security Environment: Trends and Challenges, Warsaw, May 1993. - Ukraine and Security in Europe, Kiev, Ukraine, June 1993 - Regional Security and Co-operation, Istanbul, September 1993 The Assembly also recruits research assistants from the C&EE countries for short-term stays (i.e. 3 to 6 months) at the International Secretariat. A training programme has also been organized to give experience of the workings of international organizations to parliamentary staff from C&EE countries. Taken together, these various activities mean that the Assembly has added an all-European focus to the traditional transatlantic dimension of its work. This undertaking also represents the recognition by Assembly members that the process of economic and political change in the East requires Western support and encouragement at all levels, particularly the parliamentary level. The existence of an effective legislature, capable of monitoring and controlling executive power is an essential component of any democratic system, accountability being a prerequisite of sound government. Legislatures in Eastern Europe have a real role to play in ensuring the success and the irreversibility of the political and economic reforms now under way and the emergence of genuinely pluralistic societies. In this respect the Assembly represents a fund of parliamentary experience, particularly in the areas of foreign affairs and defence. Parliamentary contacts will not of themselves solve the deep-rooted economic and social problems facing the countries of Eastern Europe, but they will help legislators in these countries to participate in, and contribute to, the reform process. The process of exploring and assessing parliamentary activity and influence could be mutually beneficial as it could highlight shortcomings in Western parliamentary practices and identify areas where things could be done better. However, the rationale behind this new orientation goes deeper than the sharing of parliamentary procedure and practice - important though this is. There is also the important psychological element of building a sense of genuine partnership and co-operation, of ensuring that in tackling the momentous tasks facing them the new parliamentarians do not feel isolated or excluded but rather that they are part of the Western Community. Finally, there is of course the larger question of contributing to security and stability in Europe. A more stable and secure Europe requires mutual understanding of problems, preoccupations and perspectives. Direct contact and dialogue at the parliamentary level will play an important role in achieving this understanding and confidence. Hence, while retaining the Atlantic dimension at its core, the Assembly will attempt to play a constructive role in the evolution of a new security order in Europe. For the moment, and for the foreseeable future, it will offer an immediate and manageable forum in which legislators can share their perspectives on the wide range of mutual problems facing them. Small steps, but nevertheless very important ones, in the construction of a more stable, secure and harmonious Europe. 4. DELEGATIONS AND OFFICERS OF THE ASSEMBLY (see Annexes) The membership of the Assembly is comprised of 188 parliamentarians. The size of each country's delegation is mainly determined by its population. The largest delegation is from the United States with 36 Senators and Representatives. France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom have 18 delegates each; Canada, Spain and Turkey have 12; Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal have 7 each; Denmark and Norway 5 each; and Iceland and Luxembourg 3 each. In addition to its full members, each country may nominate an equal number of alternate members who may participate in all Assembly activities but do not vote. Members of government cannot serve as delegates to the North Atlantic Assembly. The Associate Delegations of Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine participate in Committee meetings and sessions but do not have the right to vote. There are six Assembly officers, five of them being elected each year by delegates in plenary session (the President, three Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer), the sixth (the Secretary General), being elected every two years by the Standing Committee. The NAA is governed by the Standing Committee made up of the heads of each delegation. The International Secretariat of the Assembly, headed by the Secretary General, performs a dual function: on the one hand, it performs much of the research and analysis necessary for the substantive output of the Assembly's Committees; and on the other, it provides the administration and organization required for the sessions, Committee meetings and related activities of the Assembly. 5. FINANCING The work of the Assembly is financed exclusively by contributions from the parliaments or the governments of member countries. These contributions are based on the criteria used for the NATO civil budget. To cover part of the cost of its yearly sessions, NATO also provides the Assembly with an annual subsidy. The Treasurer is responsible for the financial management of the Assembly. He submits the annual budget estimates, the balance sheets and the accounts to the Standing Committee and the Assembly in plenary session. He is assisted by an auditor nominated by the Standing Committee. ANNEX 1 SUB-COMMITTEES, WORKING GROUPS Political Committee 43 members * Sub-Committee on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union Sub-Committee on the Southern Region Working Group on the New European Security Order Defence and Security Committee 42 members * Sub-Committee on Defence and Security Co-operation between Europe and North America Sub-Committee on the Future of the Armed Forces Working Group on Northern Security Issues Economic Committee 35 members * Sub-Committee on East-West Economic Co-operation and Convergence Civilian Affairs Committee 31 members * Sub-Committee on the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) Sub-Committee on the Mediterranean Basin Scientific and Technical Committee 31 members * Sub-Committee on Technology and the Environment *The number of members may increase by 1 or 2 as Iceland and Luxembourg, with 3 delegates each, place these delegates into any three of the five Committees. Annex 2 OFFICERS OF COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES BUREAU President Mr. Loic Bouvard (France, UDC) Vice-Presidents Mr. Douglas BEREUTER (United States, Republican) Mr. Panayotis SKANDALAKIS (Greece, New Democrat) Mr. Karsten VOIGT (Fed. Rep. of Germany, SPD) Treasurer Mr. Robert LAUCOURNET (France, Socialist) Secretary General Mr. Peter CORTERIER (Fed. Rep. of Germany) COMMITTEE AND SUB-COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN CIVILIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Chairman Mrs Brigitte SCHULTE (Fed. Rep. of Germany, SPD) Sub-Committee on the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe Chairman Lord LUCAS OF CHILWORTH (United Kingdom, Conservative) Sub-Committee on the Mediterranean Basin Chairman Mr. Cavit KAVAK (Turkey, Motherland Party) Committee Director Mrs Catherine GUICHERD (France) DEFENCE AND SECURITY COMMITTEE Chairman Mr. Karsten VOIGT (Fed. Rep. of Germany, SPD) Sub-Committee on Defence and Security Co-operation between Europe and North America Chairman Mr. Jos LELLO (Portugal, Socialist) Sub-Committee on the Future of the Armed Forces Chairman Mr. Umberto CAPPUZZO (Italy, Christian Democrat) Working Group on Northern Security Issues Chairman Mr. Anders C. SJAASTAD (Norway, Conservative) Committee Director Mr. Martin McCUSKER (United Kingdom) ECONOMIC COMMITTEE Chairman Sir Jerry WIGGIN (United Kingdom, Conservative) Sub-Committee on East-West Economic Co-operation and Convergence Chairman Mr. Grard GAUD (France, Socialist) Committee Director Mr. Michael Kirst (United States) POLITICAL COMMITTEE Chairman Mr. Charlie ROSE (United States, Democrat) Sub-Committee on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union Chairman Mr. Jan PETERSEN (Norway, Conservative) Sub-Committee on the Southern Region Chairman Mr. Jaime GAMA (Portugal, Socialist) Working Group on the New European Security Order Chairman Mr. Maarten van TRAA (Netherlands, Labour) Committee Director Mr. John BORAWSKI (United States) SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Chairman Mr. Lothar IBRGGER (Fed. Rep. of Germany, SPD) Sub-Committee on Technology and the Environment Chairman Mr. Earl HASTINGS (Canada, Liberal) Committee Director Mr. David HOBBS (United Kingdom) Co-ordinator of the Rose-Roth Initiative and the Special Group Deputy Secretary Mr. Simon LUNN (United Kingdom) General ANNEX 4 PRESIDENTS OF THE ASSEMBLY SINCE 1955 1955-56: Sen. Wishart McI. Robertson (Canada) 1956-57: Mr. Wayne L. Hays (United States) 1957-59: Mr. J.J. Fens (Netherlands) 1959-60: Gen. Antoine Bthouart (France) 1960-61: Mr. Niels Langhelle (Norway) 1961-62: Mr. Pietro Micara (Italy) 1962-63: Lord Crathorne (United Kingdom) 1963-64: Mr. Georg Kliesing (Federal Republic of Germany) 1964-65: Mr. Henri Moreau de Melen (Belgium) 1965-66: Mr. Jos Soares da Fonseca (Portugal) 1966-67: Mr. Jean-Eudes Dub (Canada) 1967-68: Mr. Matthias A. Mathiesen (Iceland) 1968-69: Mr. Kasim Glek (Turkey) 1969-70: Mr. Wayne L. Hays (United States) 1970-71: Mr. Romain Fandel (Luxembourg) 1971-72: Mr. Terrence Murphy (Canada) 1972-73: Sir John Peel (United Kingdom) 1973-74: Mr. Knud Damgaard (Denmark) 1974-76: Mr. Wayne L. Hays (United States) 1976-78: Sir Geoffrey de Freitas (United Kingdom) 1978-80: Mr. Paul Thyness (Norway) 1980-82: Mr. Jack Brooks (United States) 1982-83: Mr. Peter Corterier (Federal Republic of Germany) 1983-85: Sir Patrick Wall (United Kingdom) 1985-86: Sen. Charles McC. Mathias (United States) 1986-88: Mr. Ton Frinking (Netherlands) 1988-90: Mr. Patrick Duffy (United Kingdom) 1990-92: Mr. Charlie Rose (United States) 1992- : Mr. Loic Bouvard (France) _______________________ NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Meets in Plenary twice yearly Spring and Annual Sessions NATIONAL DELEGATIONS 16 member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance 188 parliamentarians Number of seats related to the population size No voting rights ASSOCIATE DELEGATIONS from Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine BUREAU STANDING COMMITTEE Elected every year Heads of National Delegations President, 3 Vice-Presidents One vote per country Treasurer, Secretary General Meets three times a year COMMITTEE MEETINGS 5 Committees: Civilian Affairs Defence & Security Economic Political Scientific & Technical Prepare, discuss and vote on Reports and Policy Recommendations Create Sub-Committees to study specific issues Fact-finding missions PLENARY SESSIONS Vote on Policy Recommendations from the 5 Committees and the Budget Debate on theme of current concern Addressed by Guest Speakers Participation of Guest Delegations OTHER ACTIVITIES Annual Tours Seminars and Roundtables within the Rose-Roth Initiative