§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans NATO has for extending membership to countries on the Russian border; and if he will make a statement about its role following the extension of membership.
§ Mr. David DavisThe NATO summit in January confirmed that the alliance expected and would welcome expansion of its membership to include democratic states to its east, as part of an evolutionary process, and taking into account political and security developments in the whole of Europe. At their meeting in Brussels on 1 December, NATO Foreign Ministers endorsed this approach, and set in hand work on a study into the modalities and principles of enlargement. The initial results of this study will be made available to all partners, including Russia, by next December's North Atlantic Council in Brussels. NATO Foreign Ministers also agreed that it would be premature to discuss at this stage the time frame for enlargement on which countries would be invited to join the alliance.
NATO's role after expansion will continue to be to provide for the collective defence of its member states, to play a leading part in enhancing stability and security in Europe, and to undertake peacekeeping and other missions under the UN or the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe auspices.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost of NATO membership to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. David DavisFor the financial year 1993–94, the total cost of NATO membership to the United Kingdom was £168,676,935. This comprised £69,129,000 for the military budget, £82,495,000 for the infrastructure budget and £17,052,935 for the civil budget.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the continued validity of NATO.
§ Mr. David DavisNATO continues to play an essential role in reinforcing stability and security in Europe. Through the North Atlantic Co-operation Council, it is
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Financial year SERC £ millions AFRC £ millions NERC £ millions MRC £ millions ESRC £ millions 1991–93 16.98 2.84 1.42 5.54 4.17 1993–94 46.75 5.37 5.47 17.52 6.56 expanding co-operation in a wide range of issues with the countries of central and eastern Europe. This process has been augmented by the partnership for peace launched at the NATO summit last January, which is developing into an important feature of European security, linking NATO and its partners, and providing the basis for joint action with the alliance in dealing with common security problems.
The alliance also continues to adapt its own structures to meet the challenges of the changed security environment, and to allow it to contribute effectively to its new missions, including peacekeeping.