NATO Parliamentary Assembly

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly ( NATO-PA short, english NATO Parliamentary Assembly, shortly NATO PA, French Assemblée parlementaire de l' OTAN, short AP- OTAN, formerly the North Atlantic Assembly ) is an inter-parliamentary organization. Since 1955, it offers the legislatures of the NATO member countries a platform to exchange views on security issues of common interest.

NATO and NATO-PA are legally independent from each other. Without formal liaison with NATO both still maintain strong working relationships. The Assembly has exclusively consultative rights, but in the meantime established itself as an important discussion forum in the area of ​​security.

The meeting is funded directly by the parliaments and governments of the Member States and is therefore financially independent of NATO. The seat of the 30- person international secretariat of the Assembly is located in Brussels.

History

At its founding in 1949 the organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has waived a parliament. However, the need for a parliamentary instrument to accompany NATO was soon felt. So back in the early 50s was the idea of ​​a meeting of parliamentarians of the Alliance to discuss problems that NATO could face launched.

1955, the first annual conference of the NATO Parliamentarians took place. It was later institutionalized and from it was commissioned in 1966 the North Atlantic Assembly ( NAV) out. 1967 recommended that the North Atlantic Council (NAC ) the inclusion of informal relations between NATO and the NAV. Since then takes the NATO Secretary General after consultation with the NAC at the plenary sessions and in part adopted recommendations or resolutions. In return, the President of the NATO-PA uses the occasion of their summit gathered heads of state and government of NATO countries.

Due to the historic events at the end of the Cold War, the PV has expanded its mandate in 1991, Central and Eastern Europe awarded from that date a particular region and later most of the countries participating in the Partnership for Peace, the associate member status.

Composition

Currently, the legislatures of the 28 NATO member states and the 14 associated countries are represented. The delegates are mostly members of the parliamentary defense committees in their countries, so that the President and Vice President of the Defence Committees in their activities in the NATO-PA in contact with their counterparts.

President

  • United States Charles Grandison Rose (1990-1992)
  • Germany Karsten Voigt (1994-1996)
  • Spain Rafael Estrellaes (2000-2002)
  • United States Doug Bereuter (2002-2004)
  • France Pierre Lellouchefr, s (2004-2006)
  • Netherlands Bert Koendersel, s (2006-2007)
  • Portugal José Lello (2007-2008)
  • United States John S. Tanner (2008-2010)
  • Germany Karl A. Lamers (2010-2012)

Committees

The Assembly is made up of five committees for the central areas of safety together

  • Defence and Security Committee
  • Policy Committee
  • Committee Civil Dimension of Security
  • Science and Technology Committee
  • Economics and Security Committee

That have one or more sub-committees. On the basis of annual work programs, the committees and sub- committees hold several meetings per year in one of the Member States or Associated State, with presentations by high-level government and parliamentary representatives as well as scientists and experts.

The results of the committees are to be held twice yearly plenary sessions discussed ( a spring, an autumn meeting). Your reports will be brought Determined in the form of projects in the spring and then revised and discussion, amendment and adoption at the fall annual meeting to date.

At the annual meeting of the commissions due to develop strategic recommendations or resolutions. They are submitted to the general meeting to vote and, upon receipt, addressed to the North Atlantic Council and / or the governments of the Member States. At these meetings, attended by government representatives or experts ( representatives from the academic and scientific communities, NGOs or the press ), as well as the different subjects are discussed.

Other Committees and Groups

  • A Standing Parliamentary Committee NATO-PV/russisches Parliament.

This new committee, whose first meeting was held in November 2002, will meet " as a 27er group " because it is composed of the heads of delegation of the 26 Member States of the Assembly and its colleagues in the delegation of the Russian Federation. Under the direction of the President of the NATO-PA of this standing committee performs the relations between the NATO PA and the Russian parliament fundamental discussions on bilateral issues. It meets during the plenary sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly;

  • A joint monitoring group NATO-PV/russisches Parliament, which dates back to earlier and which continues its activities in two meetings per year, one in Brussels at the headquarters of NATO and one in Moscow;
  • A joint monitoring group NATO-PA - Ukrainian Parliament, which meets annually in Moscow or in Kiev to track the implementation of the NATO - Ukraine Charter of 1997 and talk about all aspects of relations between the two partners;
  • A special group Mediterranean, in session in the year.

Standing Committee

Is the governing body of the General Assembly. It is composed of

  • The Bureau of the Assembly (President, five Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer)
  • The heads of delegation of Member States and
  • The chairmen of the committees

It meets during the two assemblies and a third time during the year. The office establishes the general guidelines, coordinates the work of the committees, prepare the agenda of the meetings and controlled their finances. Its Secretary General heads the International Secretariat and ensures the implementation of the adopted by the Standing Committee 's policy objectives.

Current head of the German delegation is Karl A. Lamers (CDU ), its predecessor was since 1998 Markus Meckel (SPD).

Objectives

One of their old goals poison the creation of parliamentary mechanisms, practices and knowledge for the purpose of genuine democratic control of the armed forces. To this end, the NATO-PA works together with the ' Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces ' (DCAF ). Together they organized a series of seminars on various aspects of the relations between the civil and the military area.

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