NATO is an alliance committed to the collective defence of its member countries as the basis for preserving peace and ensuring future security, but, following the momentous changes which occurred in Europe in the 1990s, it has become a catalyst for extending security and stability throughout Europe. The transformation of NATO, following the end of the Cold War and the end of the division of Europe, is aimed at generating a higher degree of cooperation and mutual trust, from which the whole of Europe will benefit.

At the core of the Alliance are its member countries. The governments of these countries, meeting together, represent the highest political authorities of the Alliance.

The crisis in Kosovo was at the top of the agenda at the Washington Summit in April 1999. NATO leaders assessed the situation with a view to reinforcing the determination of the international community to bring about a lasting political settlement and to create the conditions for the restoration of peace and the safeguarding of the future security of the region.

The Summit also marked NATO's 50th anniversary. NATO leaders reaffirmed the enduring value of the transatlantic link and certain fundamental purposes of the Alliance - the safeguarding of the freedom and security of its members, its commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, the upholding of democracy and the constant struggle for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The Washington Summit was also an occasion for consolidating the changes that have taken place in NATO in the 1990s as the Alliance has adapted itself to meet the requirements of today's world. These include the enlargement process; the reshaping of the Alliance's military structures to enable it to handle new roles in the field of crisis management, peace-keeping and peace-support in the Euro-Atlantic area; and the strengthening of the European role in security matters.

As part of this transformation, NATO is forging a practical partnership with many non-NATO countries with the aim of creating a more transparent Europe in which the scope for misunderstandings and mistrust is reduced.

Central to this idea is the "Partnership for Peace" (PfP) programme, which promotes cooperation among the NATO Allies and 26 Partner countries in a vast array of security-related activities.

The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), involving 46 countries, including the NATO member countries, provides the political framework for PfP and a forum for discussion on security-related issues. Heads of State and Government from the 46 countries met at the EAPC Summit session in Washington, on the day following the NATO Summit.

Over the past few years, Russia and Ukraine have developed special independent relationships with the Alliance, enabling them to pursue, in different ways, cooperative programmes on a wide range of practical security-related issues of benefit to their countries and to Europe as a whole. Both countries are members of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Russia suspended its participation in a number of these programmes, following the Alliance's decision to intervene militarily in order to end the conflict in Kosovo. However, despite differences over the use of military force, NATO countries have worked closely with representatives of the Russian government in the context of diplomatic efforts to bring about an end to the conflict in Kosovo and a lasting political solution. NATO is confident that NATO-Russia cooperation in the wider sphere continue to develop positively. Successful cooperation efforts, first in the Implementation Force (IFOR), and then in the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in many other spheres, have been encouraging.

A programme of special cooperation is also being pursued, in the context of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, with seven non-NATO Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). The goal of the Mediterranean Dialogue is to enhance the security and stability in the Mediterranean region Security and stability in the Mediterranean is linked to security in Europe.

Within NATO itself, committees are responsible for planning ahead in such areas as political consultations, defence planning and operations, armaments cooperation and others. The committees recommend action to the North Atlantic Council - NATO's highest decision-making body - or to NATO's Defence Planning Committee, which deals primarily with questions relating to NATO's integrated military structure.

Consultations also take place on economic questions related to security, including issues such as defence spending and the conversion of defence industries to civilian purposes.

NATO also provides a forum for active cooperation among its member states and its Partner countries in areas such as civil emergency planning, disaster relief and scientific and environmental programmes. Although each nation bears the principal responsibility for its own planning to deal with civil emergencies, NATO works to ensure that the civil resources of the Alliance can be used in the most effective way, when the moment requires.

NATO's role here is often a coordinating one. In November 1998, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordinating Centre (EARDCC), inaugurated the previous June, coordinated a relief operation to flood-hit parts of Western Ukraine. Following the deterioration of the situation in and around Kosovo, the EADRCC also played a key role in coordinating humanitarian aid from NATO and Partner countries to alleviate the plight of the Kosovar refugees and assist neighbouring countries.

NATO also runs a number of international exchange programmes relating to scientific and environmental problems of concern to NATO and Partner countries. These programmes provide support for high-level scientific research, encourage development of national scientific and technological resources, and enable cost savings to be achieved through international collaboration. A number of these activities are designed to tackle defence-related environmental problems, affecting neighbouring nations, which can only be resolved through cooperative action.

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