ACTIVITY AND STRUCTURE OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

The inception date of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is considered to be 18 July 1955 when 158 parliamentarians from the fourteen member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance gathered into the Conference of Members of NATO Parliaments. This name was later changed into the Conference of NATO Parliamentarians and into the North Atlantic Assembly in 1966. The organisation has borne the official name of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 1 June 1999.
The NATO PA is an institution separate from NATO. However, the NATO PA maintains a close working relationship and regular contacts with the North Atlantic Alliance, while NATO responds to all recommendations and resolutions adopted by the Assembly.
The NATO PA provides the critical forum for parliamentarians from NATO member countries and associate members to exchange opinions and ideas and to find common solutions on an array of Euro-Atlantic security issues. The NATO PA pays considerable attention to the Alliance enlargement issues and to the relations with Russia and the Ukraine.
The NATO PA unites 214 parliamentarians from 19 NATO member countries and 73 parliamentarians from 17 Associate members. Only representatives of national parliaments may become members of the Assembly. Associate members do not vote in the Assembly. Members of the executive government may not be delegated to the Assembly.
The Standing Committee is the governing body of the Assembly. The Standing Committee consists of the leader and one alternate member from each member delegation. The Standing committee also consists, ex officio, of the President, four Vice-Presidents, and Treasurer of the Assembly as well as the Chairmen of the Committees, but they may only vote when they are at the same time representing their delegations in the Standing Committee.
The Standing Committee prepares the agenda for the sessions, approves the draft Assembly budget submitted to the session, co-ordinates the work of the Committees, ensures that the North Atlantic Council (NATO decision-making body) takes into account the recommendations and resolutions adopted by the Assembly, appoints the Secretary General etc.
The Assembly’s “Bureau” – the President, four Vice-Presidents and Treasurer – is elected every year in the autumn. The President and Vice-Presidents may be re-elected once, and the Treasurer may be re-elected twice. Vice-Presidents must be representing different member countries, also at least one member of the Bureau must be a representative of either the Canadian or US Delegation.
The Assembly elects its President each year. The President represents the Assembly and decides upon the main issues in between the sessions of the Assembly or the meetings of the Standing Committee or the meetings of the Bureau.
The NATO PA meets twice a year in plenary session – a spring meeting and an autumn annual meeting. Sessions take place in different countries each year. There are five committees in the Assembly:
The Political Committee;
The Defence and Security Committee;
The Economics and Security Committee;
The Civilian Affairs Committee;
The Science and Technology Committee.
The Committees also create Sub-Committees and Working Groups. The Committees produce reports for consideration and amendment by the spring session and voting by the autumn session of the Assembly. The Committees also meet several times a year on fact-finding missions designed to gather information on the topic or area of utmost importance to that Committee.
The Assembly may express its position through policy recommendations and resolutions.
To strengthen the development of parliamentary democracy in Central and Eastern European countries and the relations between these countries and the Assembly, the Rose-Roth seminars and conferences were launched in 1990 on the initiative of then President of the Assembly, Congressman Charlie Rose and Senator Bill Roth. 41 seminar has been arranged since in various countries.
The official languages of the Assembly are English and French.
The activities of the Assembly are financed from the contributions by the governments of the member countries. These contributions are based on the criteria used with respect to the NATO civil budget.
The International Secretariat of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is based in Brussels. The Secretariat co-ordinates the work of the Assembly, organises visits, seminars and training, collects and analyses information related to the Assembly’s work. The Secretary General appointed by the Standing Committee oversees the staff of the International Secretariat.

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NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY: THE BUREU

President

Mr Rafael ESTRELLA (Spain)

Vice-Presidents

Mr Wim van EEKELEN (Netherlands)
Mr Markus MECKEL (Germany)
Mr George PROUD (Canada)
Sen. Giulio Mario TERRACINI (Italy)

Treasurer
Rt. Hon. Sir Geoffrey JOHNSON SMITH (United Kingdom)

Secretary-General
Mr Simon LUNN

Who’s Who at the NATO-PA.

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NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY AND LITHUANIA

Lithuania is an associate member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This status was granted to Lithuania during the 1991 annual autumn session in Madrid.

Since Lithuania became an associate member of the NATO PA, two Rose-Roth Initiative seminars have been arranged in Vilnius, Lithuania:

Security Needs of the Baltic States (December 1991);
Security of the Baltic Region (October 1995).

Committee Visits to Lithuania

8 – 12 June 1998, the Defence and Security Sub-Committee on Northern Security Issues visited Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It was the first time that Lithuania, together with Latvia and Estonia, had the possibility to make contributions to a report. The report discussed the security situation of and prospects for the Baltic States after the Madrid Summit (Report on European Security: the Baltic Contribution).
17 – 18 June 1999, the Economic Sub-Committee on East-West Economic Co-operation and Convergence visited Lithuania.
21 – 23 June 2000, the Political Sub-Committee on Central and Eastern Europe visited Bratislava and Vilnius.
31 August – 10 September 2000, the Assembly went on the Annual Tour of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for the first time visiting non- NATO member countries.

Committee Reports and Resolutions

In 1996, the Defence and Security Committee produced the Report on the Security of the Baltic Region: a Challenge to a New Europe AN 233 DSC/NC (96) 4.
22 – 26 May 1998, the Barcelona spring session discussed the draft Report on European Security: the Baltic Contribution (AR 272 DSC/ NC (98) 5). It was supplemented after the Sub-Committee visits to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and submitted to the autumn session in Edinburg on 8 – 13 November 1998. This Report was supported by the members of the Defence and Security Committee and later by the Plenary. The Committee Rapporteur was assisted by Mr Audronius Aþubalis, member of the Delegation of the Lithuanian parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
The Defence and Security Committee also discussed the draft Resolution on NATO and the Baltic States (RESOLUTION 281) presented by the Committee Rapporteur Mr Jan Hoekema (Netherlands). The Lithuanian Delegation proposed seven amendments to the draft Resolution, six of which were supported. This Resolution was also supported by the Plenary.
In 1999, the Secretariat produced the Report on the Economic Situation in Lithuania.
In 2000, the Secretariat produced the Report on the Annual Tour. 17 – 21 November 2000, during the Annual Session in Berlin, the Political Committee discussed the draft Resolution on NATO Enlargement (presented by Mr Bert Koenders, Netherlands). It was proposed for the first time to indicate the countries – namely, Slovenia, Slovakia and Lithuania – who should be invited to the NATO accession negotiations during the Summit meeting in 2002. US Senator Mr William Roth, former President of the Assembly, proposed this amendment to the Resolution. His proposal stirred heated debate, but was finally supported by the Committee. However, the Plenary voted in favour of the amendment tabled by the Turkish, Bulgarian and Romanian parliamentarians, proposing not to indicate specific countries.

Presidential Visits

9 –10 September 1999, Mr Javier Ruperez, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (elected during the 1998 autumn session in Edinburg), and Mr Simon Lunn, Secretary General, visited Lithuania.

September 1994, Mr Loic Bouvard, President of the Assembly, and Mr Peter Corterier, Secretary General, visited Lithuania.

During the 1998 spring session in Barcelona, the Standing Committee considered the candidatures for hosting the 2001 sessions. Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia, Bulgaria and Lithuania applied for it. The Standing Committee decided in favour of Lithuania: the spring session 2001 will take place in Lithuania on 27 –31 May.

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