Summary

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1. Definition and purpose 2. Evolution 3. NATO's cooperation with partners 4. Practical activities Joint missions, enhancing interoperability Defence reform Combating terrorism Tackling proliferation Action against mines and small arms Disaster response Scientific cooperation 5. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council 6. Partnership for Peace Trust Funds 7. NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) 8. Conclusions

1. Definition and purpose

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The Partnership for Peace (PfP) is a programme of practical bilateral cooperation between individual Partner countries and NATO. It allows Partner countries to build up an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for cooperation. Based on a commitment to the democratic principles that underpin the Alliance itself, the purpose of the Partnership for Peace is to increase stability, to diminish threats to peace and build strengthened security relationships between individual Partner countries and NATO, as well as among Partner countries. 2. Evolution The original objective of NATO's partnership policy was to break down barriers and to build security through dialogue and cooperation. Today, partner countries are engaged with NATO in tackling 21st century security challenges, including terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and failed states. November 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, signaling the end of the Cold War. Within a short period, the remarkable pace of change in Central and Eastern Europe left NATO faced with a new and very different set of security challenges. Allied leaders responded at their summit meeting in London, in July 1990, by extending a hand of friendship across the old East-West divide and proposing a new cooperative relationship with all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe . The scene was set for the establishment in December 1991 of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC), a forum to bring together NATO and its new Partner countries to discuss issues of common concern. Such was the pace of change in Europe at the time that the first meeting of the NACC itself witnessed a historic event: as the final communiqu was being agreed, the Soviet ambassador announced that the Soviet Union had dissolved during the meeting and that he now only represented the Russian Federation. This sea-change in attitudes was enshrined in a new strategic concept for the Alliance, issued in November 1991, which adopted a broader approach to security. While the defence dimension remained indispensable, more prominence could now be given to economic, social and environmental issues as a means of promoting stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic area as a whole. Dialogue and cooperation would be essential parts of the
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approach required to manage the diversity of challenges facing the Alliance. The key goals were now to reduce the risk of conflict arising out of misunderstanding or design and to better manage crises affecting the security of the Allies, to increase mutual understanding and confidence among all European states, and to expand the opportunities for genuine partnership in dealing with common security problems. In line with this, in the immediate post-Cold War period, NACC consultations focused on residual Cold War security concerns such as the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Baltic States. Political cooperation was also launched on a number of security and defence-related issues. The NACC broke new ground in many ways. However, it focused on multilateral, political dialogue and lacked the possibility of each Partner country developing individual cooperative relations with NATO. This changed in 1994 with the launch of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), a major programme of practical bilateral cooperation between NATO and individual Partner countries, which represented a significant leap forward in the cooperative process. And, in 1997, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) was created to replace the NACC and to build on its achievements, paving the way for the development of an enhanced and more operational partnership. The EAPC and the PfP programme have steadily developed their own dynamic, as successive steps have been taken by NATO and its Partner countries to extend security cooperation, building on the partnership arrangements they have created. As NATO has transformed over the years to meet the new challenges of the evolving security environment, partnership has developed. 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.
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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 are being increased by involving troop-contributing countries earlier in the decisionmaking process and providing more possibilities for political consultation. In addition, the Operational Capabilities Concept is being enhanced and Partners are being 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 NATOs 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. Two rounds of NATO enlargement have changed the balance between Allies and Partners. As of March 2004, there were more Allies than Partners and the remaining Partners are a very diverse group. They include Balkan countries still dealing with the legacies of their past, the strategically important but underdeveloped countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the Western European non-aligned states. While some are in the process of developing their defence structures and capabilities, others are able to contribute significant forces to NATO-led operations and to offer fellow Partner countries advice, training and assistance in various areas. Today, 23 Partners use the EAPC to consult regularly with the 26 Allies and to develop cooperation on issues encompassing many different aspects of defence and security. Their military forces frequently exercise and interact together; their soldiers serve alongside each other in NATO-led
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peacekeeping operations; and Allies and Partners are working together in common cause against the threat of terrorism. 3. NATO's cooperation with partners The essence of the PfP programme is a 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. The formal basis for the Partnership for Peace is the Framework Document, which sets out specific undertakings for each Partner country. Each Partner country makes a number of far-reaching political commitments to preserve democratic societies, to maintain the principles of international law, to fulfill 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 of Macedonia, Yugoslav Republic, made use of during the Kosovo crisis. Partner countries choose individual activities based on their ambitions and abilities. These are put forward to NATO in what is called 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 countrys 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.
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4. Practical activities NATO and its Partner countries hold regular consultations on a wide range of issues. Their forces exercise together and serve alongside each other in NATO-led operations. And they are working together against terrorism. They also cooperate in areas such as defence reform, countering the proliferation of weapons, curbing the threat posed by landmines and stockpiled munitions, disaster preparedness, and scientific research. Through the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO and Partner countries engage in regular consultations on a wide-rage of security and defence-related issues. These range from general political discussions, for example on crisisresponse missions and regional issues and tensions, to more technical exchanges on issues such defence reform, budgeting and planning. 4.1. Joint missions, enhancing interoperability Partner countries have made and continue to make signficant contributions to the Alliance s operations and missions, from the Balkans to Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfur . In order to ensure that partner forces are capable of participating actively in NATO-led operations, they regularly take part in NATO exercises and training programmes. 4.2. Defence reform With the end of the Cold War, mass armies and huge stockpiles of weapons and munitions were no longer needed. However, carrying out defence reforms is neither cheap nor easy. One of the most important contributions of NATOs cooperation with Partner countries are programmes to share expertise and provide assistance in tackling the extensive problems of defence reform, as well as managing its economic and social consequences. A key priority is to promote the development of effective defence institutions that are under civilian and democratic control. 4.3. Combating terrorism Meeting at very short notice a day after the September 11 2001 attacks against the United States, ambassadors from NATO and Partner countries unconditionally condemned the attacks and pledged to undertake all efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism.
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At the 2002 Prague Summit, NATO and its Partners launched a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. This is leading to improved intelligence-sharing and cooperation in areas such as border security, terrorism-related training and exercises, and the development of capabilities for defence against terrorist attack or for dealing with the consequences of such an attack. 4.4. Tackling proliferation Through consultations with its Partner countries, the Alliance seeks to increase common understanding and information-sharing on proliferationrelated issues. Several seminars and workshops have looked at specific problems. Subjects have included in-depth discussions on Anthrax lessons learned which identified some of the key contingency planning points to emerge from the experience of autumn 2001 in the United States and elsewhere. Another topic has been problems associated with environmental industrial hazards and other medical-operational challenges. 4.5. Action against mines and small arms The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council has set up an Ad Hoc Working Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Mine Action to provide a forum for exchanging information on how best to control the transfer of such weapons, for example, through national export controls and enforcement mechanisms. In addition, NATOs Partnership for Peace programme promotes training in stockpile management and secure storage, disposal and destruction of surplus stocks, as well as weapons collection and destruction during peacekeeping operations. In 2000, a special Trust Fund was established to support the destruction of anti-personnel landmines, surplus munitions and small arms and light weapons. 4.6. Disaster response In order to ensure an effective international response to natural or man-made disasters, NATO and Partner Countries have developed and continue to refine procedures for joint disaster response operations. These are regularly rehearsed in exercises and at training seminars. Already on a number of occasions NATO and Partner countries have worked together to rescue, protect and bring relief to victims of disasters. 4.7. Scientific cooperation
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Two distinct NATO programmes bring together scientists and experts from NATO and Partner countries on a regular basis to work on problems of common concern. The NATO Security through Science programme concentrates its support for collaboration on research topics related to defence against terrorism or countering other threats to security. The programme of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society deals with problems of the environment and society by bringing together national agencies to collaborate on short and long-term studies in these areas. 5. The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) brings together 50 NATO and Partner countries for dialogue and consultation on political and security-related issues. It provides the overall political framework for NATOs cooperation with partners and the bilateral relationships developed between NATO and individual partner countries within the Partnership for Peace programme. 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 rage of areas. These include, but are not limited to, crisis-management and peacesupport 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 is made up of the 26 NATO member countries (Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States) and 24 partner countries (Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan). Most Partner countries have established diplomatic missions at NATOs Headquarters in Brussels, which facilitates regular communication and enables consultations to take place whenever there is a need for them.
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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 meets to discuss important security issues and look at how NATO and Partner countries can best address them together. The decision, in 1997, to create the EAPC reflected NATOs desire to move beyond the achievements of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (created in 1991) 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 Partner countries under the Partnership for Peace 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. 6. Partnership for Peace Trust Funds Individual Allies and Partners support practical demilitarization projects and defence reform projects in Partner countries through individual Partnership for Peace Trust Funds. One key objective is to assist with the safe destruction of stockpiles of surplus and obsolete landmines, weapons and munitions. Another priority is to help Partner countries manage the consequences of defence reform through initiatives such as retraining of former military personnel and the conversion of military bases to civilian use. The Trust Fund policy is an integral part of NATOs Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme of practical security cooperation. Any Partner country may request assistance. Use of Trust Funds has been extended to countries of the Mediterranean and broader Middle East region, which participate in NATOs Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, as well as to Afghanistan. Between 2000 and 2008, some 40 million have been contributed to Trust Fund projects. These projects have helped destroy 105 million small arms ammunition; more than 4 million landmines; 2 million hand-grenades; 270 000 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO); over 160 000 small arms and light weapons; 8 700 tonnes of munitions; 1 500 tonnes of chemicals, including rocket fuel; 1 000 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS); 530 high-altitude anti aircraft missiles. Between 2005 and 2008, some 5 000 former military personnel have received retraining assistance from Trust
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Fund projects supporting defence reform. Trust Fund projects directly employed more than 400 people in Albania, Azerbaijan, Serbia and Ukraine between 2005 and 2007. The destruction of surplus stockpiles of arms and munitions reduces the threat to individual Partner countries as well as the wider region. It also ensures that such materials are put beyond the reach of terrorists and criminals. Trust Fund projects are funded by voluntary contributions from individual Allies and Partner countries. They typically involve close cooperation with other relevant organizations. Projects may be initiated by either NATO member states or Partner countries. Each project is led on a voluntary basis by a Lead Nation, which is responsible for gathering political and financial support for the project as well as selecting the Executing Agent for the project. There can be several Lead Nations, and a Partner country can also take that role. The beneficiary Partner country is expected to provide maximum support to the project within its means. Informal discussions with the NATO International Staff help determine the scope of the project. Project proposals set out in detail the work to be undertaken, the costs involved and the implementation schedule. The formal launch of a project is the trigger to start raising funds. Subject to completion of formal legal agreements, work can start once sufficient funds have been received. Trust Fund projects seek to ensure adherence to the highest environmental, health and safety standards, and recycling of materials is an integral part of many projects. Local facilities and resources are used to implement projects, where possible, so as to build local capacity in the Partner countries concerned, ensuring sustainability. NATO cooperates actively with other international organizations and other relevant actors on Trust Fund projects to ensure coherence and effectiveness, as well as to avoid duplication of efforts. For example, NATO has to date cooperated closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) which acts as the Executing Agent for the retraining Trust Fund projects in the Balkans; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the European Commission (EC); and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 7. NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA)

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The Luxembourg-based NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) plays an essential role in the development and implementation of Trust Fund projects. It offers technical advice and a range of management services. NAMSA has often been appointed to act as the Executing Agent for demilitarization projects by Lead Nations. This involves overseeing the development of project proposals as well as the competitive bidding process to ensure transparency and value for money in the execution of projects. Once the project proposal is agreed by the Lead Nation and the Partner country concerned, it is presented to the Political-Military Steering Committee. This body serves as a formal forum to discuss the project and attract potential support and resources. The Trust Fund policy was established in September 2000 to assist Partner countries in the safe destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel landmines. It provided the Alliance with a practical mechanism to assist Partners to meet their obligations under the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and their destruction. Initial success in the safe destruction of anti-personnel landmines led to an extension of the policy to include conventional munitions, as well as small arms and light weapons. In recent years, the scope of the Trust Fund policy has been further expanded to support wider defence reform initiatives. 8. Conclusions Entering PfP initiative in 1994 has given a new dimension to the relationship between NATO and its partner, by allowing development of military practice in accordance with the interests and possibilities of different participating countries. The programmes aim is to improve skills and capacity of peacekeeping through joint planning, preparedness exercises and, in doing so to increase interoperability military forces of partner countries with NATO. He also aims to facilitate transparency in the national defense planning and budget planning and to have democratic control over the armed forces. PfP programme focuses on cooperation related to the defense field, but undertakes more than a dialogue and cooperation to foster a real partnership. PfP has become an important and permanent feature of the European security that helps to expand and intensify political and military cooperation in Europe.
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The programme helps to increase stability, to diminish the threats to peace and builds security enhanced relationships based on practical cooperation and commitment to support democratic principles, stated by the Alliance. Overall, the programmes objectives are: to facilitate transparency in the national defense planning and budget planning; to ensure democratic control over armed forces; to maintain the capacity and preparedness to contribute to operations under UN and / or the OSCE; to develop relations of military cooperation with NATO to make a joint planning, training exercises in order to increase the PfP participants ability to undertake missions in maintaining peace, in searching and rescuing, in humanitarian operations and any others missions that maz appear later; to create well prepared forces (long-term forces) that are able to work with those members of the Northern Atlantic Alliance. Cooperation within the PfP intensified programme cover a wide field of opportunities both in military and in the wider problems related to defense, but not strictly the military. Some of the cooperation areas included in the program's work Partnership are: Operational issues, materials and administrative standards; Designing, planning operations, but in terms of maintaining peace; Consultation, command and management operations (including information systems and communication); Military exercises and training activities related; Non-military exercises and training activities related; Language Training; Military Geography; Management / control of airspace; Crisis management; Electronic war; Military Infrastructure; Instruction, training and military doctrine; Consumer Logistics; Travel and transport etc
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In conclusion, I believe that NATOs Partnership for Peace has a big importance not only for military purposes, but also for social, economical and cultural purposes, considering that some of its activities are related to these domains. Finally, the purpose of the Partnership for Peace programme is to increase stability, to diminish threats to peace and build strengthened security relationships between individual Partner countries and NATO, as well as among Partner countries.

References
Manual NATO; http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.nato.int LTG. IOAN SORIN, Stability Operations And Support Operations, Land Force Academy Publishing House, Sibiu 2006.

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