GENEVA CENTRE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF
ARMED FORCES (DCAF)
“6TH NEW PARLIAMENTARIANS PROGRAMME”
Brussels, Belgium
10 until 15 July 2005
CONFERENCE REPORT
Members of parliament from NATO and partner countries participated in the 6th New
Parliamentarians Programme from 10 to 15 July. Some 50 legislators and staff from 9
member and 10 partner countries held meetings at NATO Headquarters, as well as at SHAPE
and the Council of the European Union. The programme, organised by the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly in co operation with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of
Armed Forces, is for members of parliament with international relations responsibilities, and
its main goal is familiarize them with NATO’s roles and activities.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer briefed the group on 12 July, outlining the
extensive agenda of the Alliance and stressing the need for NATO to constantly transform
itself, in order to meet current security threats, notably terrorism and weapons proliferation,
associated with the challenge of authoritarian or failed states. The Secretary General also
highlighted the need for parliamentarians to contribute actively to security by engaging in
democratic oversight of the security sector.
Participants were briefed by many other senior NATO officials, including ASGs Marshall
Billingslea, John Colston, Jean Fournet and Adam Kobieracki, as well as NAC Permanent
Representatives, including Ambassadors Pablo Benavides of Spain, Bogdan Mazuru of
Romania and Harri Tildo of Estonia. Discussions focussed on NATO’s wide-ranging
partnership and co-operation programmes, now aimed at projecting security from North Africa
to the Middle East, and from the Balkans to the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Legislators
were also able to learn in detail about the Alliance’s operations, including Kosovo and
Afghanistan, and about the recently agreed provision of support to the African Union’s
peacekeeping operations in Darfur.
The crucial relationship between NATO and the European Union was also discussed with
officials from both organisations, including NATO’s Deputy ASG Robert F. Simmons Jr. and
EU Council Deputy Director General Christoph Heusgen.
The programme also included briefings on a wide range of other topics such as NATO’s
partnerships with Russia and Ukraine, and Partnerships for Peace, the Mediterranean
Dialogue, the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative, nuclear policy, and civil emergency planning.
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Feedback from participants was extremely positive, despite have a relatively lengthy and very
packed programme.
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