Welcome to the NATO summit webmodule

by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

NATO’s 60th anniversary is a remarkable achievement. An Alliance that started as fourteen short treaty articles has evolved into the world’s premier security organisation, and contributed to an unprecedented period of peace, freedom and prosperity for all its citizens.  When NATO’s Heads of State and Government meet on 3-4 April in France and Germany, in Strasbourg/Kehl and in Baden-Baden, for a major Summit meeting, they will have much to celebrate. 

But the Summit must be more than a celebration.  It must also deliver results in order for our Alliance to be able to meet current and future challenges.  Afghanistan must be set on the right course, through a strong and long-term involvement of NATO and the broader international community.  The NATO-Russia relationship must get back on track.  Our military forces must become more flexible and deployable. 

And there is much more.  The relationship between NATO and the European Union must be transformed into a true strategic partnership.  Our support for other organisations, such as the African Union, needs to be enhanced.  NATO’s partnerships with countries from across the globe must be further developed.  And Allies need to define NATO’s future role in meeting new 21st century threats such as cyber attacks, piracy, the disruption of energy supplies and the security implications of climate change.

This makes for a busy agenda – and for a substantial Summit.  The political constellations are favourable.  A new US Administration is keen to engage its Allies, France is taking its full place in NATO’s military structures, and NATO will welcome new members.  All this makes the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit the ideal moment to look at NATO’s longer-term evolution. By starting work on a new Strategic Concept, NATO can demonstrate its continuing relevance and vitality.

This web module will cover the road to the Summit as well as the Summit itself.  It will provide viewers with the opportunity to get a comprehensive view of how this event is being prepared, and offers information in many different formats – print, audio and video.  To benefit from these exciting opportunities, only one thing is required: curiosity.

I invite all of you to visit this module regularly and to explore its many different facets.  There is much to discover.  Come and find out.