Bratislava, 30 May 2019 - Parliamentarians from NATO and partner nations gather in Slovakia this weekend to assess the military Alliance’s readiness to confront an assertive Russia and debate security implications of new communications technologies amid concern over China’s growing tech influence.
The May 31-June 3 NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session in Bratislava will also examine the looming demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and its impact on NATO’s deterrence posture.
Lawmakers will also weigh NATO’s fitness for purpose as the Alliance celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding Washington Treaty.
Another issue will be the effects on NATO’s democratic values of the changing political landscape across North America and Europe in the wake of last weekend’s European Parliament elections.
“During its 70 years, NATO kept the Cold War cold and then extended the warm hand of friendship to its former adversaries and promoted stability in the wider Europe. NATO’s 70th anniversary must be an opportunity to look ahead and to anticipate where the next challenges might come from and how our defence and NATO must continue to adapt going forward”, NATO PA President Madeleine Moon (United Kingdom) commented ahead of the meeting, adding “Our shared values, as always, will be the compass that guides our way forward and our protection from those who would wish to undermine our democratic way of life.”
Over the four days, senior Slovak officials will join experts and almost 250 delegates from the 29 NATO nations - plus 22 associate and observer countries.
NATO-Russia relations and Moscow’s destabilising effect in Ukraine will be the focus of several draft reports under debate. Ties have deteriorated significantly since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and subsequently launched disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining public trust in NATO countries.
An assessment by Canadian lawmaker Raynell Andreychuck predicts the Kremlin is unlikely to change tack as it pursues a “revisionist approach and wants to establish a different international order.”
Ukraine, meanwhile, is struggling to protect its territory and sovereignty. Two weeks after the inauguration of newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, deputies will also examine Ukraine’s domestic priorities, including implementation of vital democratically-oriented reforms and efforts to root out endemic corruption.
The hi-tech challenge posed by China will be up for debate as NATO Allies seek common ground on the role of Chinese companies in the roll out of 5G systems and the security implications of their growing influence on the development of communication infrastructure.
Other draft reports will focus on cyber threats to the Alliance and the proper collective response, as well as the opportunities and challenges of advances in artificial intelligence.
NATO PA President Madeleine Moon, Secretary General David Hobbs and Slovak Delegation head Martin Fedor will open proceedings on the eve of the Spring Session with a news conference in Bratislava Castle on Friday May 31 at 11am local time (CET).
NATO PA brings together national parliament members from Allies as well as partner countries, observers and organisations. It is an essential link between the Alliance and member parliaments - and therefore with citizens in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Photos of the session are public and can be found on the NATO PA Flickr account.
Follow the conversation @Natopapress | #NATOPABratislava
The 2011-2012 uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa raised high expectations for the democratisation of the region’s societies and for a greater respect of the fundamental rights of the populations. Ten years after the Arab revolutions, some progress – varying…
Committee Reports
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed global vulnerabilities to biological threats and refocused attention on the possibility of deliberate biological attacks. This draft report discusses the opportunities offered by biotechnology and other Emerging and Disruptive…
Committee Reports
The Mediterranean Sea has three strategic entry points, providing access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea which leads to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the Black Sea which leads to the Russian world. Thus, the Mediterranean connects all the world’s major…
Committee Reports
The longer-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the global economy are not yet fully apparent. National responses to the virus have differed as have the economic consequences. Public responses in many countries have reflected lessons learned from the global…
Committee Reports
Space technologies and space-based data and services are crucially important for the global economic and financial systems, communication, scientific progress, earth observation and natural disaster management, to name but a few. Not surprisingly, space has become a…
Committee Reports
For Allied societies, the COVID-19 pandemic has painfully demonstrated the importance of strengthening their preparedness and capacity to respond to crises. Faced with an increasingly complex security environment and the multiplication of military and non-military…
Committee Reports
In the almost two decades since the end of the large-scale use of force to change the territorial political reality in the Western Balkans, much has been accomplished. The majority of the states of the former Yugoslavia are now firmly entrenched in the Euro-Atlantic…
Committee Reports
The Alliance reacted swiftly and effectively to do its part to mitigate the impact of the spreading coronavirus early in 2020. It continues to contribute to the fight that will lead to its ultimate defeat. To date, NATO has coordinated well over 350 missions to…
Committee Reports
[...] Today, NATO’s DCB initiative is an integral part of the core of NATO’s cooperative security outreach with partners. The programme allows NATO Allies to focus on working very closely with select partners to make their defence institutions, forces and capabilities…
Committee Reports
In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced perhaps the most ambitious investment and infrastructure programme ever conceived. The ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) has since become the boldest expression yet of China’s global economic, diplomatic, and strategic…
Committee Reports
The COVID-19 crisis has a significant short- and long-term impact on many aspects of the civilian dimension of security. This special report firstly examines the link between repressive policies and the aggravation of the health crisis. It shows that human rights…
Committee Reports
The rapid rise of the People’s Republic of China in the last part of the 20th century and early decades of the 21st century represents a paradigm shift in global affairs comparable in magnitude to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
…
Committee Reports
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic which was first identified in China in late 2019 has expanded to touch nearly every corner of the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) assessed COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The speed and the scale of the virus’ global spread have been…
Committee Reports
As 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the unanimous adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), this draft general report takes stock of the progress achieved in advancing the implementation of the resolution in the…
Committee Reports
“A global pandemic is not a question of if, but when and how bad”. Variations of this statement have over the years been repeated by countless health experts, yet when in late 2019 a novel coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, much of the world found…
Committee Reports
One of the highlights of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s March 2018 State of the Nation address was the presentation of two new nuclear delivery systems, which, he claimed, could evade US anti-ballistic missile defences. About 1 ½ years later, on 27 December 2019,…
Committee Reports
The Black Sea region is at once alive with economic potential and imperilled by division, rivalry and conflict ¬¬¬– all with implications for the international system as a whole. It is an area united by an important waterway that links the littoral countries and…
Committee Reports
Informing and educating the public about NATO, its structures, operations, objectives and the threats it protects the Euro-Atlantic populations from are essential to ensure understanding of and support for the organisation. Given the Alliance’s democratic nature and…
Committee Reports
The Gulf, like other parts of the Middle East, is both a source of friction and cooperation between Europe and the United States. This reflects both convergent and divergent interests in the region, but it is also emblematic of more enduring changes underway in the…
Committee Reports
As the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recession are transforming the global security landscape, the Gulf region finds itself in a particularly vulnerable situation. The region’s volatile security environment was already of significant concern to the Allies and the…
Committee Reports
The contemporary global liberal order, established in the aftermath of World War II, and the values of individual liberty, democracy, human rights and rule of law that underpin it have formed the foundation of the Alliance since its creation. Using its expanding…
Committee Reports
The relationship between NATO and the European Union (EU) – arguably the two most powerful multilateral bodies in modern history – is a recurring theme in international political debates, not only in Europe but also in NATO. Indeed, some members of the latter – not…
Committee Reports
The global community is currently undergoing the most consequential pandemic since the outbreak of Spanish influenza in 1918-19. Pandemics, however, are not as rare as many have thought. Indeed, there have been four major pandemics over the last 120 years when flu…
Committee Reports
Urbanisation is one of the most prevalent global trends of the 21st century. Already today an estimated 55% of the world’s population live in urban areas. According to the 2016 United Nations World Cities report, two-thirds of the global population will live in cities…
Committee Reports
Obtaining insights in Africa’s security dynamics related to the evolving security landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was the main focus of a NATO PA visit to Addis Ababa from 23 to 25 September 2019. The current state of cooperation between…
Mission Reports
This STC General report was adopted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by the Science and Technology Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
As every sphere of human society is becoming increasingly more…
Committee Reports
Five years after the Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine still faces tremendous challenges both in protecting its sovereignty in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression and in fulfilling its commitments towards reform. It is clear that there is frustration and…
Committee Reports
This PCNP report was adopted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by the Political Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
…
Committee Reports
This DSCFC report was adopted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by the Defence and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This DSCTC report was adopted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by the Defence and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This STC special report was adopted on Sunday 13 October 2019 by the Science and Technology Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
In recent years, Allies…
Committee Reports
This DSC report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Defence and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This PC General report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Political Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
Recent General Reports of the…
Committee Reports
This ESCTER report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Economic and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This ESCTD report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Economic and Security Committee at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This CDS general report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
This CDS Special report was adopted on Saturday 12 October 2019 by the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security at the 65th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London, United Kingdom.
… Committee Reports
Azerbaijan has emerged as a key strategic partner for Europe. The much-anticipated completion of the Southern Gas Corridor in 2020 will mark a major step in diversifying the energy supply base of southern Europe. That project will bring significant quantities of gas from Azerbaijan’s massive…
Mission Reports
Committee Reports
Committee Reports
Committee Reports
Committee Reports
United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) encourages member states and international organisations to involve women and integrate a gender perspective in national and multilateral security initiatives such as…
Other Documents
The report provides a brief overview of the security environment in the Western Balkans. It argues that NATO and the European Union need to remain engaged to encourage the countries of the region to continue their reform process, providing assistance when necessary…
Committee Reports
The report focuses on the rapidly shifting parameters of global space markets. These were once dominated by large countries with important military and scientific space programmes. Commercial market players today, however, are no longer supplying governments with…
Committee Reports
Science and Technology Committee (STC) noted its worry “that NATO’s technological edge is eroding”. As a consequence, the STC is redoubling its efforts to identify the challenges in meeting Alliance goals and to lend political support to rectify any shortcomings. Most…
Committee Reports
18 November 2018 - Civil protection occupies an important place in NATO’s comprehensive approach to security. This report will focus on two regions where this aspect of security has become particularly acute in recent years: the High North and the Mediterranean.In the…
Committee Reports
This report argues that Russia’s meddling in elections and referenda is a threat to the Alliance and its members. The Rapporteur reviews…
Committee Reports
This report discusses the challenges posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) - commonly known as North Korea- to regional and international security. It begins with a review of North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear weapons…
Committee Reports
24 September 2018 - Human rights watchdogs indicate that democracy around the world deteriorated to the lowest point in more than a decade. For the Alliance, an organisation underpinned by liberal democratic values, this erosion has severe consequences. The report…
Committee Reports
18 November 2018 - “Hybrid warfare” became a buzzword in the international political discourse following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. This report focuses specifically on the Kremlin’s use of hybrid tactics because the…
Committee Reports
This report reviews the main security challenges in NATO’s southern neighbourhood and their impact on NATO Allies. After providing a brief update on recent developments in Syria and Iraq, the report analyses the key drivers promoting instability in North Africa. To…
Committee Reports
NATO is implementing ambitious new adaptations to its defence and deterrence posture in response to a rapidly evolving international security environment. In parallel there is a rising expectation all NATO Allies must do more to invest in the success of these…
Committee Reports
The strength of encryption today has had a positive effect for groups which need protection from governments or law enforcement, for example whistle blowers or journalists operating in repressive countries. However such technologies can also hide terrorist activities…
Committee Reports
Saturday 26 May 2018 [ 24 CDS 18 E]
Meeting Summaries
97th ROSE-ROTH SEMINAR REPORT
Batumi, Georgia
23-25 April 2018
18 April 2018 - Qatar is a small country roughly the size of Montenegro. 2.7 million people live in the country, of which only 12% are Qatari citizens. The country has the highest per capita GDP in the world and is the world’s third largest gas producer and third…
Mission Reports
From 9-12 January, 32 members of parliament from 15 NATO member countries visited Abu Dhabi to discuss the broad geopolitical situation in the Gulf, the foreign and defence policy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to participate in a…
Mission Reports
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
US policymakers delivered a loud and clear message to a delegation from the Defence and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly: The United States is increasing its commitment to NATO, and it expects increased investments in parallel…
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Japan will support the efforts by US President Donald Trump to negotiate a denuclearisation of North Korea but will continue to pursue a cautious approach toward the regime of the Democratic People’s Republic of…
From 15 to 19 October, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee (STC) visited San Diego and Silicon Valley. STC Chairperson Maria Martens (Netherlands) led the delegation, consisting of 19 members of parliament from 15 Allied countries.
…
The space realm is evolving rapidly, and as it does, new commercial vistas are opening up that will transform the global economy. France has emerged as a leading player in space and is a driving force in Europe’s collective quest both to derive benefits from these…
Mission Reports
96th ROSE-ROTH SEMINAR
SUB-COMMITTEE ON TRANSITION AND DEVELOPMENT (ESCTD)
LJUBLJANA,…
Rose-Roth Seminar Reports (SEM)
Over the last two years, the Science and Technology Committee (STC) has focused extensively on technological risks and opportunities and on how NATO must adapt to an era of rapid technological change. As part of this renewed focus, 13 members of parliament from eight Allied states and two…
Mission Reports
Coping with the complex security problems arising in the MENA region requires multi-faceted approaches for the simple reason that the challenges themselves are highly complex and resist simple solutions.
This was one of the central insights of a Joint Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary…
Special Report of the Defence and Security Committee [164 DSC 17 E bis]
In his February 9, 2017 testimony before the United States Congress, General John W. Nicholson, Jr., Commander of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) and of US Forces in Afghanistan (USFOR-A), told…
Report Title: Tackling the Challenges from the South
Rapporteur: Julio MIRANDA CALHA (Portugal)
Year: 2017
Violent conflict and instability, particularly in Syria and Iraq, continue to destabilise the Middle East and North Africa (…
Report of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defence and Security Cooperation [163 DSCTC 17 E rev.1 fin]
Efforts to strengthen the breadth and depth of NATO-EU cooperation have a long, relatively unfruitful…
Report Title: Social Media Revolution: Political and Security Implications
Rapporteur: Jane CORDY (Canada)
Year: 2017
The rise of social media is one of the most recent and far-reaching manifestations of the digital computing and communication…
Report Title: The State of Europe’s Defence Industrial Base
Rapporteur: Jean-Marie BOCKEL (France)
Year: 2017
Whereas the members of the Alliance reaffirmed in Warsaw their commitment to devote 2% of their respective GDP on defence, while dedicating at…
Report Title: Russia – From Partner to Competitor
Rapporteur: Rasa JUKNEVICIENE (Lithuania/Lituanie)
Year: 2017
NATO-Russia relations are currently at their lowest since the end of the Cold War. Moscow’s provocative stance and actions towards NATO, and…
Report Title: Advancing stability in the Black Sea Region
Rapporteur: Ulla SCHMIDT (Germany)
Year: 2017
Once on the periphery of European consciousness, in recent years the Black Sea region reappeared on policymakers’ radar. Regional geopolitics are…
Report Title: Maintaining NATO’s Technology Edge: Strategic Adaptation and Defence Research & Development
Rapporteur: Thomas MARINO (United States)
Year: 2017
The transatlantic Alliance finds itself in a new and dynamic strategic…
Report Title: Burden sharing revisited
Rapporteur: Ojars Eriks KALNINS (Latvia)
Year: 2017
Since its founding, NATO has served as a transatlantic forum for political dialogue and consultation to define common political positions and adopt diplomatic…
Report Title: Food and Water Security in the Middle East and North Africa
Rapporteur: Maria MARTENS (the Netherlands)
Year: 2017
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has descended into turmoil since 2010/2011 – a period that also coincided with…
Report Title: NATO and Security in the Arctic
Rapporteur: Gerald E. CONNOLLY (United States)
Year: 2017
The Arctic region, or High North, ranked top of the security agenda during the Cold War due to its strategic importance. Its significance was largely…
The Western Balkans remains an area of special concern for NATO, which first engaged militarily in the region during the early stages of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 and later during the Kosovo conflict. There has been a sustained effort to the support the…
Committee Reports
Report Title: Assessing and Mitigating the Cost of Climate Change
Acting Rapporteur: Lilja ALFREDSDOTTIR (Iceland )
Year:2017
This report explores a range of challenges linked to climate change and considers recent international efforts to cope with…
Report Title: The Space Domain and Allied Defence
Acting Rapporteur: Madeleine MOON (United Kingdom)
Year: 2017
Governments and private agencies continue to hone their abilities to utilise the space domain at a rapid pace. Long-range satellite…
Report Title: Ballistic Missile Defence and NATO
Rapporteur: Joseph A. DAY (Canada)
Year: 2017
Alongside conventional and nuclear capabilities, ballistic missile defence (BMD) is now considered a core NATO capability. The current framework for NATO BMD…
Report Title: The Internet of Things: Promises and Perils of a Disruptive Technology
Rapporteur: Matej TONIN (Slovenia)
Year: 2017
The Internet of Things (IoT) has rightly been a technology buzzword for several years: it has the potential to disrupt…
During the four-day visit to London and York, NATO Parliamentarians received briefings on, inter alia, the challenge posed by Daesh, instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, counter-terrorism, as well as UK civil protection and emergency relief…
Mission Reports