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| Updated: 02-Feb-2006 | NATO On-line library |
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Security through Partnership Essential mechanisms
Steps have been taken to further deepen cooperation between Allies and Partners at successive summit meetings in Madrid (1997), Washington (1999), Prague (2002) and Istanbul (2004). These initiatives were based on the shared values and principles that underlie cooperation, and demonstrated the continued commitment to the pursuit of the basic objective of the Partnership: to strengthen and extend peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. Milestones in Partnership 1991 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council brings together NATO members and Partners, currently a total of 46 countries, in a multilateral forum for regular dialogue and consultation on political and security-related issues. It also serves as the political framework for the individual bilateral relationships developed between NATO and countries participating in the Partnership for Peace. The decision, in 1997, to create the EAPC reflected a desire to move beyond the achievements of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council to build a security forum for a more enhanced and operational partnership.The new forum was set up to match the increasingly sophisticated relationships being developed with Partners under the PfP programme and in the context of the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where troops from 14 Partner countries had deployed in 1996 to serve alongside Allied counterparts. This complemented steps taken in parallel to enhance the role of the Partnership for Peace by increasing the involvement of Partner countries in decision-making and planning across the entire spectrum of Partnership activities. The establishment of the EAPC also opened the Partnership framework, originally developed to engage former Warsaw Pact countries, to include non-aligned Western European countries. In addition to short-term consultations in the EAPC on current political and security-related issues, longer-term consultation and cooperation takes place in a wide range of areas. These include, but are not limited to, crisis-management and peace-support operations; regional issues; arms control and issues related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; international terrorism; defence issues such as planning, budgeting, policy and strategy; civil emergency planning and disaster-preparedness; armaments cooperation; nuclear safety; civil-military coordination of air-traffic management; and scientific cooperation. The EAPC has at its disposal a range of options, depending on the subjects under discussion, which allows for meetings among all Allies and Partners, or in smaller but open-ended working groups. This flexibility is key to its success. Most Partner countries have established diplomatic missions at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, which facilitates regular communications and enables consultation to take place whenever there is a need for it. Meetings of the EAPC are held monthly at the level of ambassadors, annually at the level of foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of defence, as well as occasionally at summit level. As of 2005, a new high-level EAPC Security Forum will meet annually to discuss important security issues and look at how NATO and Partner countries can best address them together. Based on the practical cooperation and commitment to democratic principles that underpin the Alliance itself, the purpose of the Partnership for Peace is to increase stability, diminish threats to peace and build strengthened security relationships between individual Partner countries and NATO, as well as among Partner countries. The essence of the PfP programme is the partnership formed individually between each Partner country and NATO, tailored to individual needs and jointly implemented at the level and pace chosen by each participating government. Through the Partnership for Peace, a comprehensive tool kit has been developed to support the implementation of PfP aims and objectives, and to translate ideas into action. The instruments and initiatives that have been developed, described below, provide a framework for both bilateral and multilateral actions, offering Partners effective and transparent programmes to support their engagement with NATO. The formal basis for the Partnership for Peace is the Framework Document, which sets out specific undertakings for each Partner country. Each Partner makes a number of far-reaching political commitments to preserve democratic societies; to maintain the principles of international law; to fulfil obligations under the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Helsinki Final Act and international disarmament and arms control agreements; to refrain from the threat or use of force against other states; to respect existing borders; and to settle disputes peacefully. Specific commitments are also made to promote transparency in national defence planning and budgeting to establish democratic control over armed forces, and to develop the capacity for joint action with NATO in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The Framework Document also enshrines a commitment by the Allies to consult with any Partner country that perceives a direct threat to its territorial integrity, political independence or security – a mechanism which, for example, Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* made use of during the Kosovo crisis. Partner countries choose individual activities based on their ambitions and abilities. These are put forward to the Allies in a Presentation Document. An Individual Partnership Programme is then jointly developed and agreed between NATO and each Partner country. These two-year programmes are drawn up from an extensive menu of activities, according to each country’s specific interests and needs. Cooperation focuses in particular on defence-related work, defence reform and managing the consequences of defence reform, but touches on virtually every field of NATO activity, including defence policy and planning, civil-military relations, education and training, air defence, communications and information systems, crisis management, and civil emergency planning. Significant initiatives were launched at the Washington Summit in April 1999 to increase the operational focus of the Partnership for Peace and the involvement of Partner countries in PfP decision-making and planning. These included the introduction of an Operational Capabilities Concept and a Political-Military Framework. A Training and Education Enhancement Programme was also launched to help reinforce the operational capabilities of Partner countries through training and education of their militaries. The Operational Capabilities Concept has been developed to improve the ability of Alliance and Partner forces to operate together in NATO-led PfP operations. The aim is to provide increased flexibility in putting together tailored force packages to mount and sustain future NATO-led PfP operations. The mechanism focuses on the forces and capabilities potentially available for such operations. The enhanced peacetime working relationships developing progressively between Partner and Alliance headquarters and staffs, and between Allied and Partner formations, facilitate the integration of these forces into NATO-led forces. At the Istanbul Summit, it was stipulated that, as a part of implementing the Operational Capabilities Concept, interoperability standards and related assessments will be harmonised with respective NATO mechanisms. The Political-Military Framework sets out principles, modalities and other guidance for Partner involvement in political consultations and decision-making, in operational planning and in command arrangements. At Istanbul, the need to involve Partners earlier in the decision-shaping process was emphasised. The provisions of this framework document are being implemented in all NATO-led operations with Partners and are also used as general guidance for Partner contributions to other NATO activities, such as exercises and PfP Trust Funds. To integrate Partner countries better in the daily work of the Partnership, PfP Staff Elements, manned by officers from Partner countries, have been established at several NATO headquarters. A Partnership Coordination Cell at NATO’s Operational Command, which is based at Mons in Belgium, helps coordinate PfP training and exercises. Moreover, an International Coordination Centre provides briefing and planning facilities for all non-NATO countries contributing troops to NATO-led peacekeeping operations. To ensure that Partner forces are better able to operate with NATO militaries in peacekeeping operations, guidance on interoperability or capability requirements is provided under a PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP). This process has contributed significantly to the close cooperation of Partner countries in NATO-led peace-support operations in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. The PARP mechanism is modelled on NATO’s own force planning system and offered to Partners on an optional basis. Planning targets, or Partnership Goals, are negotiated with each participating country and extensive reviews measure progress. Over the years, the PARP’s requirements have become more complex, demanding and linked to the capability improvements that Allies have set themselves.The PARP is also used by Partners to develop effective, affordable and sustainable armed forces and to promote wider defence reform efforts. This mechanism has, for example, played a central part in Ukraine’s comprehensive defence reforms. A number of Partnership initiatives help Partners manage the consequences of defence reform, most notably the PfP Trust Fund policy, which offers practical support for the safe destruction of anti-personnel mines and surplus weapons, as well as for the retraining of military personnel and the conversion of military bases. Deepening cooperation Further steps were taken at the Prague Summit in November 2002 to deepen cooperation between NATO and Partner countries. A comprehensive review of the EAPC and the Partnership for Peace recommended strengthening the political dialogue with Partners and further enhancing their involvement in the planning, conduct and oversight of activities in which they participate. A new cooperative mechanism, the Partnership Action Plan, was introduced at Prague. The first to be developed was the Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. Another new initiative was the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which, rather than drawing from a menu of activities, allows the Alliance to tailor its assistance to interested Partner countries which have asked for more structured support for domestic reforms, particularly in the defence and security sector, according to their specific needs and circumstances. Building on progress made at Prague, more steps were taken at the Istanbul Summit in June 2004 to strengthen the Euro-Atlantic Partnership and further tailor it to tackle key thematic issues and address individual Partners’ needs and capabilities. A Partnership Action Plan on Defence Institution Building was launched to encourage and support Partners in building effective and democratically responsible defence institutions. The opportunities for Partners to enhance their contributions to NATO-led operations will be increased by involving troop-contributing countries earlier in the decision-making process and providing more possibilities for political consultation. In addition, the Operational Capabilities Concept will be enhanced and Partners will be offered the opportunity of representation at Allied Command Transformation, which is responsible for promoting and overseeing the continuous transformation of Alliance forces and capabilities. This will help promote greater military interoperability between NATO and Partner country forces and the transformation of defences in keeping with NATO’s own evolving operational roles and capabilities. A decision was also taken to put special focus on engaging with Partner countries in two strategically important regions, namely the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). NATO has assigned a special representative for the two regions as well as two liaison officers. Their role is to assist and provide advice in implementing relevant aspects of Individual Partnership Action Plans, where appropriate, as well as the Partnership Action Plans on Defence Institution Building and against Terrorism, and cooperation focused on the PARP mechanism. Further information: Individual Partnership Action Plans Launched at the November 2002 Prague Summit, Individual Partnership Action Plans (IPAPs) are open to countries that have the political will and ability to deepen their relationship with NATO. Developed on a two-year basis, such plans are designed to bring together all the various cooperation mechanisms through which a Partner interacts with the Alliance, sharpening the focus of activities to better support their domestic reform efforts. An IPAP should clearly set out the cooperation objectives and priorities of the individual Partner, and ensure that the various mechanisms in use correspond directly to these priorities. NATO will provide focused, country-specific advice on reform objectives. Intensified political dialogue on relevant issues may be an integral part of an IPAP process. IPAPs will also make it easier to coordinate bilateral assistance provided by individual Allies and Partners, as well as to coordinate efforts with other relevant international institutions. Objectives covered fall into the general categories of political and security issues; defence, security and military issues; public information; science and environment; civil emergency planning; and administrative, protective security and resource issues. In November 2004, Georgia became the first country to have an IPAP with NATO. IPAPs with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are currently under development. Armenia has also expressed interest in developing such a plan. *Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name 
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