Delegation of Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
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Ademović, Kemal
Chair
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Pendeš, Marina
First deputy Chair
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Petrović, Obren
Second deputy Chair
| CHAIR: | Ademović, Kemal |
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| FIRST DEPUTY CHAIR: | Pendeš, Marina |
| SECOND DEPUTY CHAIR: | Petrović, Obren |
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Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO PA)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an inter-parliamentary organization founded in 1955 that gathers parliamentarians from 30 member states and 14 associated member states of NATO, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NATO PA member countries are as follows: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Croatia, Iceland, Italy, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United States of America, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and Great Britain.
In addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the associated members of NATO PA are Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Finland, Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
The working languages of NATO PA are English and French.
NATO PA goals can be defined as follows:
- encouraging dialogue among parliamentarians on the main security issues,
- familiarization of NATO and NATO member governments with the opinion of the parliamentarians,
- ensuring greater transparency of NATO policy and a greater degree of collective responsibility,
- strengthening the transatlantic relationship,
- providing assistance in the development of parliamentary democracy by integrating parliamentarians from non-member countries into the work of the Assembly,
- providing direct assistance to parliaments actively seeking membership in the Assembly,
- improving cooperation with the countries of the Caucasus and the Mediterranean,
- providing assistance in the development of parliamentary mechanisms for efficient democratic control of the armed forces.
NATO PA holds two plenary sessions a year - in the spring and in the fall.
The Assembly has a Bureau consisting of the president, five vice-presidents and the head of finance and a Standing Committee consisting of one member of each delegation of member countries and the president, five vice-presidents and the head of finance.
NATO PA has five committees and eight subcommittees. The committees prepare reports and recommendations related to NATO, which are then discussed at the plenary session. After adoption, the recommendations are sent to the parliaments and governments of the member states and associated members, NATO and other international organizations.
All commissions hold their sessions during the spring and autumn sessions of PSNATO. The Committee on Defence and Security, the Committee on Economy and Security and the Committee on Political Affairs also meet every February in Brussels with senior NATO and EU officials.
Within the committees, there are subcommittees that deal with special issues in more detail. The sub-committees meet several times a year and visit different countries in order to become familiar with the situation on the ground and prepare a report on it for their committees and NATO PA.
NATO PA committees and subcommittees are as follows:
1.Committee for the Civil Dimension of Security
- Subcommittee for Democratic Governance
2. Committee for Defence and Security
- Subcommittee for Transatlantic Cooperation in the Field of Defence and Security
- Subcommittee on Future Capabilities in Security and Defence
3. Committee for Economy and Security
- Subcommittee for East-West Economic Cooperation
- Subcommittee on Transatlantic Economic Relations
4. Committee for Political Affairs
- Subcommittee on Transatlantic Relations
- Subcommittee for NATO Partnerships
5. Commission for Science and Technology
- Subcommittee on issues of proliferation of military technology
Every year, NATO PA organizes three Rose-Roth seminars and two Mediterranean Dialogue seminars, as well as a program for parliamentarians in which new members of parliament participate. The Assembly also hosts an annual Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum in the United States of America, where NATO PA members discuss transatlantic perspectives on a range of NATO-related issues with American experts.
Since May 25, 2007, the PA BiH delegation to NATO PA, consisting of three members, has the status of an associate member.
The PA NATO International Secretariat is a body that performs administrative and organizational tasks. There are about 30 experts and specialists who are engaged according to the organizational chart. The Secretary General appointed by NATO PA is the Head the International Secretariat.
Relations between NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Partnership for Peace - (PfP)
NATO members are determined to leave NATO's doors open for partners from the Western Balkans who want to join the Alliance, those who are ready to share the values of the Alliance and willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations that membership brings. Euro-Atlantic integration – membership in NATO and the European Union – is recognized as the best way to achieve long-term, sustainable security and stability in the region. This "open door" policy is reflected in the fact that all countries in the region were offered the opportunity to join NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program and that they accepted the offer.
In 2003, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) launched an intensive defines reform program in partnership with NATO, and since December 2006 it has been a member of the PfP.
PfP is a framework for practical bilateral cooperation between partner countries and NATO, tailored to individual needs and implemented jointly at the level and pace chosen by the partners themselves, with a focus on democratic, institutional and defines reforms. PfP members also discuss issues of mutual interest within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, in which all NATO members and partner countries sit. PfP activities include a number of areas, including defines reform, defines policy and planning, civil-military relations, education and training, military cooperation and training, emergency and disaster planning, and science and environmental cooperation.
BiH participates in the following three central PfP programs:
- Individual Partnership Program (IPP)
- Planning and revision process
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP)
Regarding aspirations towards membership and relevant reforms, Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO signed the Security Agreement, which defines the exchange of confidential information between our country and NATO, as well as the Agreement on the Status of Forces, which regulates the stay of visiting forces from NATO and PfP countries in BiH, as well as the presence of guest forces from BiH in NATO and PfP countries.
Intensified dialogue
In addition to the above, since April 2008, BiH has been active in the Intensified Dialogue with NATO, which NATO offered to our country at the summit in Bucharest. Namely, the Intensified Dialogue is established with a member state of the Partnership for Peace that is leading in fulfilling its obligations on military-political issues and crisis management.
Membership Action Plan (MAP)
The next step in the relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO is represented by the Membership Action Plan (MAP). MAP is a program of advice, assistance and practical support, tailored to the specific needs of countries aspiring to NATO membership. It is a multi-phase process of political dialogue and military reforms that the countries that have been approved for the MAP should harmonize with NATO standards, with the final goal of joining NATO. In June 2009, the BiH Presidency made a decision to submit an application for the participation of our country in the MAP.
At the NATO Summit in Tallinn, which was held on April 22 - 23, 2010, the foreign ministers of the NATO member states agreed to accept Bosnia and Herzegovina into the MAP, but they tied its implementation to certain conditions. NATO has defined that it will accept the first annual reform plan of BiH to the MAP only when Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfills the condition of recording immovable prospective military property, which would be used by the Ministry of Defense of BiH.
In this regard, on April 18, 2012, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina passed a Decision on the size, structure and locations of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which defined 63 prospective military locations for the needs of the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The process of booking these locations is ongoing.
Otherwise, participation in the MAP does not prejudge the decisions of the Alliance regarding future membership.