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National parliaments

The Conference of European Community Affairs Committees (COSAC), consisting of representatives from relevant committees of the national parliaments and Members of the European Parliament, has met every six months since 1989.

With the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the European Union acquired competence in areas which had traditionally been a national preserve, such as justice and home affairs. For this reason, the importance of exchanges between national parliaments and the European Parliament was underlined in a declaration on the role of national parliaments in the European Union.

In this declaration appended to the Maastricht Treaty, the national governments were asked to ensure that their parliaments received Commission proposals in good time for information or possible examination. The declaration also recommended that contacts between the European Parliament and the national parliaments should be stepped up in order to make it easier for the national parliaments to be involved in the Community process and to exercise better democratic control.

Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, a Protocol on the role of national parliaments was annexed to the Treaty on European Union. It stipulates that all Commission consultation documents (green and white papers and communications) must be promptly forwarded to the national parliaments.

The national parliaments have a period of six weeks to discuss a legislative proposal, from the date when the Commission makes it available to the European Parliament and the Council up to the date when it is placed on the Council's agenda.

COSAC now also has the right to submit to the Union institutions any contributions which it deems appropriate and to examine any proposal for a legislative instrument relating to the establishment of the area of freedom, security and justice which might have a direct bearing on the rights and freedoms of individuals.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO, or the Atlantic Alliance) was founded by the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Washington, signed on 4 April 1949, and has its headquarters in Brussels. It currently has 26 members, following successive enlargements:

• 1949 (12 founding members): Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States;
• February 1952: Greece and Turkey;
• May 1955: the Federal Republic of Germany;
• May 1982: Spain;
• March 1999: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland;
• March 2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The EU's policy respects the NATO obligations of the Member States concerned and the common security and defence policy is determined within this framework.

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a set of areas in the Member States in which plant and animal species and their habitats must be protected. Protection arrangements are laid down by the "Birds Directive" (1979) and the "Habitats Directive" (1992).

Community legislation lists the species of fauna and flora and the habitats that are of special interest because of their rarity or vulnerability, and especially the species and habitats at risk of extinction. Following proposals from the Member States, the Commission designates areas for protection of these species and habitats, classified under seven biogeographical regions of the EU (Alpine, Atlantic, Boreal, Continental, Macaronesian, Mediterranean and Pannonian).

The network comprises Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the conservation of over 180 bird species and sub-species and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for the conservation of over 250 types of habitat, 200 animal species and over 430 plant species. Natura 2000 today accounts for over 20% of the land area of the EU.

The Member States are responsible for managing these areas and must ensure conservation of the species and habitats designated by Community law. While human activities, such as farming, are still authorised within these areas, they must be compatible with the aim of conservation.

Neighbourhood Policy

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) seeks to establish special relations with the neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe, the Southern Mediterranean and the Southern Caucasus for which accession is not in prospect. It was instituted as early as 2003 to share the benefits of enlargement with the neighbouring countries and avoid the emergence of new divisions, and forms part of the European security strategy.

The ENP focuses promoting democracy, freedom, prosperity, security and stability while building on existing relations with the various neighbouring countries. However, the establishment of such special relations depends on a mutual interest in upholding common values: democracy, the rule of law, human rights, good governance, the principles of a market economy and sustainable development.

The policy is put into effect by means of bilateral action plans reflecting the needs of the neighbour concerned and the reciprocal interests of that country and the Union. These plans set out an agenda for a period of three to five years, covering political and economic reforms, closer alignment of legislation with that of the Community, participation in certain Community programmes and the development or strengthening of cooperation and dialogue.

The pre-ENP bilateral agreements serve as a framework for pursuing the policy. The neighbouring countries also benefit from financial and technical assistance, mainly through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) for the period 2007 - 2013 (replacing the TACIS and MEDA programmes from 2000 to 2006).

Non-discrimination principle

The aim of this principle is to ensure equality of treatment for individuals irrespective of nationality, sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Article 12 of the EC Treaty outlaws any discrimination on the grounds of nationality. Under the Treaty of Amsterdam a new Article 13 has been written into the EC Treaty to reinforce the guarantee of non-discrimination laid down in the Treaties and extend it to the other cases cited above.

New-look NATO

'New-look' NATO refers to the process of redefining the organisation's role and operation. The key aspects involved are the recognition of a European defence identity, the strengthening of the European component of the transatlantic security system, the new role of the WEU, and the prospect of the eastward enlargement of NATO.

This will be accompanied by a deepening of NATO's relations with third countries through partnerships for peace and the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. A major challenge in this connection is that of establishing a sound, stable and sustainable partnership with Russia and Ukraine.