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NATO
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NATO  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


February 2008, the US ambassador lectured on the needs of Europe, the US, the democratic world and the NATO for a stronger, more capable European defence capacity.  'An ESDP with only soft power is not enough. Effort have to be taken to strengthen European defense spending in order to upgrade European military capabilities'.

Thursday 23 October 2008 there was a briefing at NATO HQ on 'ORGANISATION and the POLITICAL AGENDA', organised by NGIZ. In an open atmosphere decision-making, missions, partnerships and the roles of the organization were discussed. Building consensus is what it is about, but decision making is heavy and stiff. After all, there are 28 member countries (some EU countries are not a NATO-member).

 

On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia formally acceded to NATO in what was the biggest enlargement round in the history of the Alliance. Since then, the seven countries, which represent much of NATO‘s eastern flank, have contributed extensively to the implementation of NATO‘s core tasks and policy priorities, and to this day remain among the most active and supportive members of the Alliance.

Since Lithuania hosted the NATO Summit in 2023 and the Netherlands are poised to host one in 2025, this event will provide a unique opportunity to combine an anniversary celebration and a focused discussion on the past, present and future of the North Atlantic Alliance. This event, therefore, will focus both on highlighting the impact of the 2004 enlargement, as well as the challenges NATO faces on its eastern flank and how the Alliance can face those.

The programme of this anniversary events consisted of two panels, one focusing primarily on the achievements of NATO related to the 2004 enlargement round, and a second one focusing on the current and future challenges that the Alliance faces, specifically on its eastern flank.
The first panel, moderated by Bob Deen, focused on the achievements and looked back on the period since the seven countries joined NATO. Panel experts highlighted NATO’s transformation from an expeditionary force into a defensive force, the evolving relationship with Vladimir Putin, and the impact of events such as the Russo-Georgian War (2008) and the Annexation of Crimea (2014). Additionally, the panel discussed NATO’s latest enlargement with Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as the prospect of future enlargements involving Ukraine and Georgia. Panel guests included former NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Ambassador-at-Large of Latvia and former NATO Assistant Secretary General Baiba Braže, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to NATO Andrej Benedejčič, and Permanent Representative of Romania to NATO Dan Neculăescu.

The second panel, moderated by Dick Zandee, addressed the challenges that NATO faces moving forward, particularly looking ahead to the upcoming NATO summits in Washington and the Netherlands. Discussions encompassed a range of topics, including hybrid challenges posed by Russia, the rise of China, tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the situation in the Black Sea. Panelists also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine and NATO’s role in the Western Balkans, as well as the future of the Atlantic partnership and the need for European strategic autonomy. Despite these formidable challenges, the panel composed of Permanent Representative of Slovakia to NATO Peter Bátor, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to NATO Nikolay Milkov, Deputy Minister of Defense of Lithuania Žilvinas Tomkus and Director of the Netherlands Atlantic Association Anna van Zoest expressed optimism regarding the future of the alliance. They underscored the resilience demonstrated by NATO in overcoming past challenges. e countries’ 2004 NATO accession.  

 

June 2012 the Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO emphasized during a speech as the result of the report "After the Chicago Summit: What Priorities for NATO?" the importance of the Chicago Summit. It was the largest gathering of foreign leaders that had ever come to the United States for a summit. No less than 61 countries were represented. The overall outcome of the Summit was positive. “NATO is fit for purpose, ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.” After this introduction, the four main issues from Chicago were discussed: Afghanistan, NATO’s capabilities, missile defense and the role of partnerships. The decisions at the NATO 2010 Lisbon Summit laid the framework for the agenda in Chicago. It was during this latest summit that the Lisbon vision was turned into reality.

A new NATO-role after the Cold War: more and wider tasks and cooperation with UN and EU. Article 5 (9/11) is in front, 'attack on one will be considered as an attack on all'. Besides, significance to get acquainted with each other, might not be underestimated. The NATO's North Atlantic Treaty operates within the framework of the United Nations Charter – including Article 51, which establishes the inherent right of individual or collective defence of all UN member countries.

Bilateral treaties of friendships comes to the front when conflicts appear. 'Bring them in' in a substantial environment is a strategy and that approach does increase chances to extent democracy and security.

There is still yet not sufficient communication with the EU; the Union has no legitimate representative (Article 42 (ex Article 17 TEU) | NATO Lisbon Summit Declaration, Nov.-2010). NATO does not support an 'EU-army' because there is just only one 'tool-box'. (In 2008, (a comment was received from Budapest).