NATO HQ, Brussels 23 Nov. 2001

Pilot Paper on South East Europe Comparative Study of National Security Strategies (SEESTUDY) Introduction SEESTUDY would be the first concrete follow-up of SEECAP (South East Europe Common Assessment Paper on regional security challenges and opportunities) and a logical continuation of its aims. SEECAP is a unique joint regional achievement in which all SEE and other participating countries agreed on the challenges to regional security and on strategies for overcoming these challenges. SEECAP's follow-up will be pursued mainly through SEEGROUP, a steering group of countries from the region and interested NATO Allies and Partners, which coordinates security-related projects and initiatives in South East Europe. SEEGROUP is the initiating body of the SEESTUDY and will help manage its further development. The countries of the region strongly support this initiative as a common SEEGROUP project. Aim The Study will aim to undertake a comparative study of national security strategies in South East Europe, addressing both their content and the process that produces them, as well as national mechanisms for implementing these strategies. The Study should enable participating countries to review and improve their capacities for risk assessment, early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management, defence and civil emergency planning, and national security strategy formulation and implementation, including through identification of best practices and sharing of expertise. At the same time, it could facilitate regional cooperation, connectivity, and information exchange on these issues, thus supporting the development of an enhanced regional security sector reform community. The Study should also identify areas in which SEE countries have developed particularly strong capacities and/or expertise, to provide for more complementary national security strategies in which certain specialized military capabilities could be shared. Principles Integrative view: The Study should not be limited to national particularities but rather should focus on how these national strategies interconnect with each other in the regional and Euro-Atlantic context. Institutional Focus: The Study should factor in the ministries, agencies, and other domestic institutions - whether on the national, regional, or local level -which participate in the formulation and/or implemention of national security strategies. Evolutionary Perspective: The Study should address briefly the development of national security strategies over the last decade and provide some perspective on the effectiveness of those strategies. Dynamic approach: The Study should reflect the on-going transformation of the global security situation, including in light of the September 11 attacks, and relevant updates of national security strategies in SEE. Euro-Atlantic perspective: The Study should account for the paramount role of NATO and the EU in shaping security strategies and building defence capabilities in the region, particularly through their respective integration and cooperation processes. The Study should also assess the impact of enhanced stability in SEE on the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region as well as the potential impact of global, trans-regional and other challenges on the stability of the SEE. Synergy: The Study should build upon the SEECAP process and take into account ongoing work within other regional initiatives, such as the Stability Pact WT III, particularly the ongoing work on security sector reform and the Initiative on Transparency of Defence Budgeting, and the Southeast Europe Defence Ministerial process (SEDM). Concrete results: The Study should have a practical orientation so as to be a useful tool for governments in the region as they work to improve and update their respective national security documents and arrangements. One of the outcomes should be specific recommendations on implications of SEECAP and SEESTUDY for reforms in the security sector field. Modalities The role of SEEGROUP will be to supervise the work on SEESTUDY - as political coordinator - and to facilitate national support for this initiative. Given the envisaged impact of the Study on defence and security issues in SEE, the SEEGROUP Facilitator would be asked to continue his advisory role at all stages in the development of this Study. An independent academic institute, think-tank or NGO from a NATO country, with strong expertise in Euro-Atlantic security and defence issues, should be selected as the lead implementor of this Study. The work on the Study should be carried-out by a collective taskforce, under the coordination of the lead implementor. This taskforce will involve, on a voluntary basis, experts from countries participating in the SEESTUDY and international donors. National defence colleges in the region, workshops, and seminars should be used to ensure the broadest possible input and discussion, including NATO/EAPC/PfP/SEEl workshops in which these bodies could play a valuable role. The lead implementor could undertake first a preliminary paper to establish the scope of the SEESTUDY and recommend the best working modalities. Otherwise, specific working modalities could be established at an initial planning meeting of the task force.