All members have an equal right to express their views and share in the consensus on which decisions are based. Decisions are agreed upon on the basis of unanimity and common accord. There is no voting or decision by majority. This means that policies decided upon by the North Atlantic Council (NAC) are supported by and are the expression of the collective will of all the sovereign states that are members of the Alliance and are accepted by all of them.
What are its tasks and responsibilities?
The NAC has effective political authority and powers of decision. It is the only body that was established by the North Atlantic Treaty, under Article 9, invested with the authority to set up "such subsidiary bodies as may be necessary" for the purposes of implementing the Treaty. It is the principal decision-making body and oversees the political and military process relating to security issues affecting the whole Alliance. The Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group have comparable authority for matters within their specific areas of competence.
Items discussed and decisions taken at meetings of the Council cover all aspects of the Organisation's activities and are frequently based on reports and recommendations prepared by subordinate committees at the Council's request. Equally, subjects may be raised by any one of the national representatives or by the Secretary General.
Who participates?
Representatives of all member countries of NATO have a seat at the NAC. It can meet at the level of Permanent Representatives (or Ambassadors), at the level of Foreign and Defence Ministers, and at the level of Heads of State and Government. It is chaired by the Secretary General.
In the absence of the Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General chairs the meetings. The longest serving Ambassador on the Council assumes the title of Dean of the Council. Primarily a ceremonial function, the Dean may be called upon to play a more specific presiding role, for example in convening meetings and chairing discussions at the time of the selection of a new Secretary General. At ministerial meetings of Foreign Ministers, one country's Foreign Minister assumes the role of Honorary President. The position rotates annually among members in the order of the English alphabet.
The Ambassadors sit round the table in order of nationality, following the English alphabetical order. The same procedure is followed throughout the NATO committee structure.
How does it work in practice?
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) meets at least every week and often more frequently, at the level of Permanent Representatives; it meets twice a year at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, as well as at the level of Ministers of Defence, and occasionally at the Summit level with the participation of Prime Ministers and Heads of State and Government. Its decisions have the same status and validity at whatever level it meets.
Permanent Representatives act on instruction from their capitals, informing and explaining the views and the policy decisions of their governments to their colleagues around the table. Conversely they report back to their national authorities on the views expressed and positions taken by other governments, informing them of new developments and keeping them abreast of movement toward consensus on important issues or areas where national positions diverge. Each country represented at the Council table or on any of its subordinate committees retains complete sovereignty and responsibility for its own decisions.
Preparing the NAC's work
The work of the Council is prepared by subordinate committees with responsibility for specific areas of policy. Much of this work involves the Senior Political Committee (SPC), consisting of Deputy Permanent Representatives, sometimes "reinforced" by national experts. In such cases it is known as the SPC(R).
The Council has an important public profile and issues declarations and communiqués explaining the Alliance's policies and decisions. These documents are normally published after ministerial or Summit meetings. The Senior Political Committee has particular responsibility for preparing such documents and meets in advance of ministerial meetings to draft the texts for Council approval. A similar role is played by the Defence Review Committee and the Nuclear Planning Staff Group on behalf of the Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning Group.
Other aspects of political work may be handled by the regular Political Committee, which is composed of Political Counsellors or Advisers from national delegations. Depending on the topic under discussion, the respective senior committee with responsibility for the subject assumes the leading role in preparing Council meetings and following up Council decisions.
When the Council meets at the level of Defence Ministers, or is dealing with defence matters and questions relating to defence strategy, senior committees such as the Executive Working Group may be involved as principal advisory bodies. If financial matters are on the Council's agenda, the Senior Resource Board, the Civil or Military Budget Committees, or the Infrastructure Committee, may be responsible to the Council for preparing relevant aspects of its work.
Support to the Council is provided by the Secretary of the Council, who ensures that Council mandates are executed and its decisions recorded and circulated. A small Council Secretariat ensures the bureaucratic and logistical aspects of the NAC's work, while committee secretaries within the Divisions of the International Staff support the work of committees reporting to the NAC.