5. Europe: the transition to inclusive security*
Adam Daniel Rotfeld

With the absence of an external threat to Europe the main challenges and risks are now of a domestic nature, stemming from economic and social problems. For this reason, the non-military elements of stability are gaining in importance, in particular the attempts to institutionalize the changes taking place in NATO 'from defence of member territory to defence of common interests'. Developments in 1997 in the parallel processes of enlargement of the European Union (EU) and the NATO Alliance brought Europe a step closer to establishing a system of inclusive security. While there was no real breakthrough in the shaping of such a security system, the potential for enhanced Europe-wide cooperation was advanced by the establishment of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). In addition, the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act offers a basis for a lasting and inclusive peace.

While the tasks defined for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) during the cold war period have been largely fulfilled or have outlived their relevance, it has conducted significant activities in the areas of conflict prevention, crisis management and resolution of disputes.

Appendix 5A contains the NATO-Russia Founding Act, the Basic Document of the EAPC, the Madrid Declaration on Euro-Atlantic Security and Cooperation, excerpts from the Amsterdam Treaty, and the text of one of the three identical Protocols of Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty.