Info

Chapter 7: Policy and Decision-Making Consensus Politics and Joint Decision-Making Policy formulation and implementation, in an Alliance of independent sovereign countries, depends on all member governments being fully informed of each other's overall policies and intentions and the underlying considerations which give rise to them. This calls for regular political consultation, whenever possible during the policy-making stage of deliberations before national decisions have been taken. Political consultation in NATO began as a systematic exercise when the Council first met in September 1949, shortly after the North Atlantic Treaty came into force. Since that time it has been strengthened and adapted to suit new developments. The principal forum for political consultation remains the Council. Its meetings take place with a minimum of formality and discussion is frank and direct. The Secretary General, by virtue of his Chairmanship, plays an essential part in its deliberations and acts as its principal representative and spokesman both in contacts with individual governments and in public affairs. Consultation also takes place on a regular basis in other forums, all of which derive their authority from the Council: the Political Committee at senior and other levels, the Policy Coordination Group, Regional Expert Groups, Ad Hoc Political Working Groups, an Atlantic Policy Advisory Group and other special committees all have a direct role to play in facilitating political consultation between member governments. Like the Council, they are assisted by an International Staff responsible to the Secretary General of NATO and an International Military Staff responsible to its Director, and through him, responsible for supporting the activities of the Military Committee. Political consultation among the members of the Alliance is not limited to events taking place within the NATO Treaty area. Increasingly, events outside the geographical area covered by the Treaty have implications for the Alliance and therefore feature on the agenda of the Council and subordinate committees. The consultative machinery of NATO is readily available and extensively used by the member nations in such circumstances, even if NATO as an Alliance may not be directly involved. By consulting together they are able to identify at an early stage areas where, in the interests of security and stability, coordinated action may be taken. Neither is the need for consultation limited to political subjects. Wide-ranging consultation takes place in many other fields. The process is continuous and takes place on an informal as well as a formal basis with a minimum of delay or inconvenience, as a result of the collocation of national delegations to NATO within the same headquarters. Where necessary, it enables intensive work to be carried out at short notice on matters of particular importance or urgency with the full participation of representatives from all governments concerned. Consultation within the Alliance takes many forms. At its most basic level it involves simply the exchange of information and opinions. At another level it covers the communication of actions or decisions which governments have already taken or may be about to take and which have a direct or indirect bearing on the interests of their allies. It may also involve providing advance warning of actions or decisions to be taken by governments in the future, in order to provide an opportunity for them to be endorsed or commented upon by others. It can encompass discussion with the aim of reaching a consensus on policies to be adopted or actions to be taken in parallel. And ultimately it is designed to enable member countries to arrive at mutually acceptable agreements on collective decisions or on action by the Alliance as a whole. Regular consultations on relevant political issues also take place with Partner countries in the context of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council as well as with Russia, principally through the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC); with Ukraine through the NATO-Ukraine Commission; and with participants in NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, through the Mediterranean Cooperation Group. The principles which guide consultations in these forums are modelled on those which have long formed the basis for consultations within the Alliance itself and are conducted with the same openness and spirit of cooperation. The role of each of these institutions is described in more detail in the linked sections. Finally, there are provisions for NATO consultations with any active participant in the Partnership for Peace, if that Partner perceives a direct threat to its territorial integrity, political independence, or security. In making their joint decision-making process dependent on consensus and common consent, the members of the Alliance safeguard the role of each country's individual experience and outlook while at the same time availing themselves of the machinery and procedures which allow them jointly to act rapidly and decisively if circumstances require them to do so. The practice of exchanging information and consulting together on a daily basis ensures that governments can come together at short notice whenever necessary, often with prior knowledge of their respective preoccupations, in order to agree on common policies. If need be, efforts to reconcile differences between them will be made in order that joint actions may be backed by the full force of decisions to which all the member governments subscribe. Once taken, such decisions represent the common determination of all the countries involved to implement them in full. Decisions which may be politically difficult, or which face competing demands on resources, thus acquire added force and credibility. All NATO Member countries participate fully in the political level of cooperation within the Alliance and are equally committed to the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty, not least to the reciprocal undertaking made in Article 5 which symbolises the indivisibility of their security - namely to consider an attack against one or more of them as an attack upon them all. The manner in which the Alliance has evolved nevertheless ensures that variations in the requirements and policies of member countries can be taken into account in their positions within the Alliance. This flexibility manifests itself in a number of different ways. In some cases differences may be largely procedural and are accommodated without difficulty. Iceland, for example, has no military forces and is therefore represented in NATO military forums by a civilian if it so wishes. In other cases the distinctions may be of a more substantive nature. France, a founding member of the Alliance in 1949, withdrew from the Alliance's integrated military structure in 1966 while remaining a full member of its political structures. Spain joined the Alliance in 1982, but in accordance with a national referendum held in 1986 initially remained outside NATO's integrated military structure. At the 1997 Madrid Summit, Spain announced its readiness to participate fully in the Alliance's emerging new command structure, once this had been agreed. In December 1997, an agreement was reached on a new command structure as a whole, and in particular on the type, number and location of military headquarters. In their end of year communiqués, NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers welcomed Spain's announcement that it would join the new military structure and take part in the new command structure which had just been agreed. Distinctions between NATO member countries may also exist as a result of their geographical, political, military or constitutional situations. The participation of Norway and Denmark in NATO's military dispositions, for example, must comply with national legislation which does not allow nuclear weapons or foreign forces to be stationed on their national territory in peacetime. In another context, military arrangements organised on a regional basis may involve only the forces of those countries directly concerned or equipped to participate in the specific area in which the activity takes place. This applies, for example, to the forces contributed by nations to the ACE Mobile Force and to NATO's Standing Naval Forces.