Text File

NATO handbook10 uploaded March 25, 1993

PART V

OTHER INTER- GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

92. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY

Alliance cohesion is substantially enhanced by the sup- port of freely elected parliamentary representatives. The North Atlantic Assembly (NAA) is the inter-parliamentary forum of the 16 member countries of the Alliance. It brings together European and North American legislators to debate and discuss issues of common interest and concern. The Assembly is completely independent of NATO but constitutes a link between national parliaments and the Alliance which encourages governments to take Alliance concerns into account when framing national legislation. It also acts as a permanent reminder that intergovernmental decisions reached within NATO are ulti- mately dependent on political endorsement in accordance with the due constitutional process of democratically elected parliaments.

Delegates to the North Atlantic Assembly are nomi- nated by their parliaments according to their national procedures on the basis of party representation in the parliaments. The Assembly therefore represents a broad spectrum of political opinion. It comprises 188 parlia- mentarians, the size of each country's delegation being mainly determined by the size of its population. The membership is drawn from different political parties but serving members of governments cannot act as delegates.

There are five Assembly officers elected each year by delegates in Plenary Session, namely the President, three Vice-Presidents and the Treasurer. A Secretary General is elected every two years by a Standing Committee com- posed of the heads of each delegation. The Assembly meets twice a year in Plenary Session. Meetings are held in national capitals on a rotational basis at the invitation of national parliaments. The Assembly functions through five committees, i.e. Political; Defence and Security; Economic; Scientific and Technical; and Civilian Affairs. These are both study groups and major forums for discussion. The committees study and examine all major contemporary issues arising in their respective fields of interest. They meet regularly throughout the year and report to the Plenary Sessions of the Assembly.

The primary purpose of the Assembly is educative and consensus-building. It allows Alliance 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. Similarly, members of the Assembly are able to use the experience and information gained through participation in its activities when exercising their roles within national parliaments, and thus ensure that Alliance interests and considerations are given maxi- mum visibility in national discussions. The Assembly also constitutes an important touchstone for assessing parlia- mentary and public opinion on Alliance issues and through its deliberations provides a clear indication of public and parliamentary concerns regarding Alliance policies. In this sense the Assembly plays an indirect but important role in policy formation. Recommendations and resolutions of the Assembly are forwarded to na- tional governments, parliaments, other relevant organisa- tions and to the Secretary General of NATO who formu- lates replies based on discussions within the North Atlan- tic Council.

Relations between the Assembly and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were placed on a formal basis in 1990 when parliamentary representatives from these countries were invited to participate in the full range of Assembly activities as ``Associate Delegates''. The Assembly has also organised a number of seminars in which representatives from other countries including Sweden, Finland, Austria, Yugoslavia and Switzerland have also participated.

The Assembly is developing a programme of specialised seminars aimed at assisting the development of parliamen- tary democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Commonwealth of Independent States. These will focus on areas where the Assembly has particular competence and experience or, as a multilateral forum, is uniquely placed to make an effective contribution, such as the question of parliamentary oversight and control of de- fence expenditure and of the armed forces. In addition, the Assembly is focussing its efforts and resources on other ways of assisting the development of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, including the creation of a Special Committee comprising Assembly members and Associate Delegates on an equal basis to discuss and exchange views on security requirements.

Further information on the North Atlantic Assembly may be obtained from its International Secretariat - Place du Petit Sablon 3, B-1000 Brussels. Tel.: 513.28.65.

93. THE ATLANTIC TREATY ASSOCIATION (ATA)

Voluntary associations affiliated to the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) support the activities of NATO and of individual governments to promote the objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The objectives of the Atlantic Treaty Association are:

(a) to educate and inform the public concerning the aims and goals of the North Atlantic Treaty Organis- ation;

(b) to conduct research in the various purposes and activities related to the Organisation;

(c) to promote the solidarity of the peoples in the North Atlantic area;

(d) to develop permanent relations and cooperation between its national member committees or associa- tions.

An Atlantic Education Committee (AEC) and an Atlan- tic Association of Young Political Leaders (AAYPL) are active in their own fields.

The following national voluntary organisations are members of the ATA:

BELGIUM The Belgian Atlantic Association 24 rue des Petits Carmes 1000 Brussels

LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg Atlantic Association BP 805 Luxembourg

CANADA The Atlantic Council of Canada 6 Hoskin Avenue Toronto Ontario M5S 1H8

NETHERLANDS Netherlands Atlantic Committee Laan van Meerdervoort 96 2517 AR The Hague

DENMARK Danish Atlantic Association Ryvangs Alle 1 Postbox 2521 DK-2100 Copenhagen 0

NORWAY Norwegian Atlantic Committee Fridtjof Nansens Plass 6 0160 Oslo 1

FRANCE French Association for the Atlantic Community 185 rue de la Pompe 75116 Paris

PORTUGAL Portuguese Atlantic Committee Av. Infante Santo 42, 6e 1300 Lisbon

GERMANY The German Atlantic Society Am Burgweiher 12 5300 Bonn 1

SPAIN Spanish Atlantic Association Fernaflor 6-5B. 28014 Madrid

GREECE Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation 160A Ioannou Drossopoulou Str 112 56 Athens

TURKEY Turkish Atlantic Committee Kuleli Sokak No: 44/1 Gaziosmanpasa 06700 Ankara

ICELAND Association of Western Cooperation PO Box 28 121 Reykjavik

ITALY Italian Atlantic Committee Piazza di Firenze 27 00186 Rome

UNITED KINGDOM The British Atlantic Commitee 154 Buckingham Palace Road London W5 4VB

UNITED STATES The Atlantic Council of the United States 1616 H. Street NW Washington DC 20006

>From October 1992 The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria has been associated with the Atlantic Treaty Association as an observer (Address: 29 Slavyanska Street, Sofia 1000).

Further information concerning the Atlantic Treaty Association may be obtained from the Secretary General of the ATA at 185, rue de la Pompe, 75116 Paris.

94. THE INTERALLIED CONFEDERATION OF RESERVE OFFICERS (CIOR)

The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit organisation. Known by its French acronym CIOR, the Confeder- ation was formed in 1948 by the Reserve Officers Associa- tions of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. All exist- ing national reserve officer associations of NATO- member nations now belong to the Confederation. It represents more than 800,000 reserve officers and aims to inculcate and maintain an interallied spirit among its members and to provide them with information about NATO developments and activities. It also aims to con- tribute to the organisation, administration and training of reserve forces in NATO countries and to improve their motivation, capabilities, interoperability and mutual con- fidence through common and exchange training pro- grammes.

The Confederation maintains close liaison with appro- priate national defence organisations and with NATO military authorities and develops international contacts between reserve officers. Its members are active in profes- sional, business, industrial, academic and political circles in their respective countries and contribute individually to the improvement of public understanding of NATO and the strengthening of public support for its policies.

The chief executive of the Confederation is an elected President who serves in that office for a period of two years. He is assisted by a Secretary General and an Executive Committee composed of delegates from all national member associations. The head of each national delegation is also a Vice-President of the Confederation.

The Interallied Confederation of the Medical Reserve Officers (CIOMR) is affiliated to the CIOR.

Member associations of the CIOR:

BELGIUM Union Royale Nationale des Officiers de Reserve de Belgique (URNOR/KNVRO-BE) Rue des Petits Carmes 24 B-1000 Bruxelles

CANADA The Conference of Defence Associations of Canada (CDA) PO Box 893 Ottawa Ontario K1P 5P9

DENMARK Reserve officers Foreningen i Danmark (ROID) GL. Hovedragt Kastellet, DK-2100 Copenhagen

GERMANY Verband der Reservisten der Deutschen Bundeswehr (VdRBw) Pfarrer Byns Strasse 1 D-5300 Bonn - Endenich

GREECE The Supreme Pan-Hellenic Federation of Reserve Officers (SPFRO) 100 Solonos Street GR-10680 Athens 144

FRANCE Union Nationale des Officiers de Reserve France (UNOR/FR) 17 Avenue de l'Opera F-75001 Paris

LUXEMBOURG Amicale des Anciens Officiers de Reserve Luxembourgeois (ANORL) 124 A Kiem L-8030 Strassen

THE NETHERLANDS Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Reserve Officieren (KVNRO) Postbus 96820 NL-2509 s'Gravenhage

NORWAY Norske Reserveoffiserers Forbund (NROF) Oslo Mil. Akershus NO-0015 Oslo 1

SPAIN Federation of Spanish Reserve Associations (FORE) Aerodromo de La Nava Corral de Ayllon Segovia 28018

UNITED KINGDOM The Reserve Forces Association of the United Kingdom (RFA) Centre Block Duke of York's Headquarters Chelsea GB-London SW3 4SG

UNITED STATES The Reserve Officers Association of the United States (ROA) 1 Constitution Avenue NE Washington DC 20002

The CIOR and CIOMR have a liaison office at NATO Headquarters situated within the International Military Staff. Further information about the Confederations may be obtained from this office (CIOR/CIOMR Liaison Office, NATO/IMS/P&P, B-1110 Brussels).

95. THE EUROGROUP/

The EUROGROUP is a grouping of European govern- ments within the framework of NATO, open to all Euro- pean members of the Alliance. Its aim is to help strengthen the whole Alliance by seeking to ensure that the European contribution to the common defence is as strong and cohesive as possible. It provides a forum in which European Defence Ministers can exchange views on major political and security issues and foster practical cooperation through the work of specialist sub-groups on tactical communications, logistics, long-term concepts of operation, military medicine, and joint training.

Meetings of Defence Ministers take place twice a year, just before the regular half-yearly Ministerial session of NATO's Defence Planning Committee. They include a working dinner which provides an important opportunity for informal discussion. The chairmanship of the EURO- GROUP rotates each year. The work is overseen and Ministerial meetings prepared by an ad hoc committee of EUROGROUP Ambassadors at NATO Headquarters. For day-to-day affairs, the main working body is the Staff Group, which is composed of officials from the national delegations at NATO Headquarters. A Secre- tariat is provided by the United Kingdom.

The EUROGROUP regularly sends panels to North America in order to increase understanding of the scale of the European defence effort and arranges for North American legislators and journalists to see European defence forces at first hand. It also organises an annual conference in Washington and an annual seminar hosted by the chairing nation.

96. THE INDEPENDENT EUROPEAN PROGRAMME GROUP/

The Independent European Programme Group (IEPG), formed in 1976, is the forum through which all European member nations of NATO (except Iceland) discuss and formulate policies designed to achieve greater cooperation in armaments procurement. The Group meets at the level of Defence Ministers and National Armaments Directors and works through three Panels. Panel I, chaired by Norway, is responsible for the harmonisation of opera- tional requirements and the identification of opportunities for collaboration. Panel II, chaired by France, overseas research and technology cooperation and is chiefly con- cerned with managing the EUCLID programme (Euro- pean Cooperation for the Long-term in Defence). Panel III, chaired by Germany, is responsible for defence equip- ment market matters including the liberalisation of de- fence trade in Europe.

The Panels report to biannual meetings of National Armaments Directors, who report in turn to Defence Ministers. The latter meet at least once a year. The chairmanship of the IEPG rotates every two years be- tween member states. The current chair nation, Belgium, is due to be succeeded by Denmark at the beginning of 1993. The IEPG is not a formal body and apart from a small administrative Permanent Secretariat based in Lisbon, the work of the Group falls to the nations who share the duties between them.

/ The future roles of the Eurogroup and the IEPG are under discussion.