[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 987 Engrossed in House (EH)]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 987

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
      To endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty 
   Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of new 
                members to NATO, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``NATO Freedom Consolidation Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The sustained commitment of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO) to mutual defense has made possible the 
        democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe. 
        Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can and 
        should play a critical role in addressing the security 
        challenges of the post-Cold War era in creating the stable 
        environment needed for those emerging democracies in Europe.
            (2) Lasting stability and security in Europe requires the 
        military, economic, and political integration of emerging 
        democracies into existing European structures.
            (3) In an era of threats from terrorism and the 
        proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly contributing to 
        security in the face of global security challenges for the 
        protection and interests of its member states.
            (4) In the NATO Participation Act of 1994 (title II of 
        Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress declared 
        that ``full and active participants in the Partnership for 
        Peace in a position to further the principles of the North 
        Atlantic Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North 
        Atlantic area should be invited to become full NATO members in 
        accordance with Article 10 of such Treaty at an early date 
        ...''.
            (5) In the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title 
        VI of section 101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law 
        104-208; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress called for the prompt 
        admission of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia 
        to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and declared that 
        ``in order to promote economic stability and security in 
        Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, 
        Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine ... the process of enlarging NATO 
        to include emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe 
        should not be limited to consideration of admitting Poland, 
        Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia as full members of 
        the NATO Alliance''.
            (6) In the European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of 
        division G of Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), 
        Congress declared that ``Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
        Republic should not be the last emerging democracies in Central 
        and Eastern Europe invited to join NATO'' and that ``Romania, 
        Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria ... would make an 
        outstanding contribution to furthering the goals of NATO and 
        enhancing stability, freedom, and peace in Europe should they 
        become NATO members [and] upon complete satisfaction of all 
        relevant criteria should be invited to become full NATO members 
        at the earliest possible date''.
            (7) In the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act 
        of 2002 (Public Law 107-187; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress 
        endorsed ``... the vision of further enlargement of the NATO 
        Alliance articulated by President George W. Bush on June 15, 
        2001, and by former President William J. Clinton on October 22, 
        1996''.
            (8) At the Madrid Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in July 1997, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
        Republic were invited to join the Alliance, and the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state and government 
        issued a declaration stating ``[t]he alliance expects to extend 
        further invitations in coming years to nations willing and able 
        to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership 
        ... [n]o European democratic country whose admission would 
        fulfill the objectives of the [North Atlantic] Treaty will be 
        excluded from consideration''.
            (9) At the Washington Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in April 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization heads of state and government issued a communique 
        declaring ``[w]e pledge that NATO will continue to welcome new 
        members in a position to further the principles of the [North 
        Atlantic] Treaty and contribute to peace and security in the 
        Euro-Atlantic area ... [t]he three new members will not be the 
        last ... [n]o European democratic country whose admission would 
        fulfill the objectives of the Treaty will be excluded from 
        consideration, regardless of its geographic location ...''.
            (10) In May 2000 in Vilnius, Lithuania, the foreign 
        ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the 
        Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia issued a 
        statement (later joined by Croatia) declaring that--
                    (A) their countries will cooperate in jointly 
                seeking membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization in the next round of enlargement of the 
                North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
                    (B) the realization of membership in the North 
                Atlantic Treaty Organization by one or more of these 
                countries would be a success for all; and
                    (C) eventual membership in the North Atlantic 
                Treaty Organization for all of these countries would be 
                a success for Europe and for the North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization.
            (11) On June 15, 2001, in a speech in Warsaw, Poland, 
        President George W. Bush stated ``[a]ll of Europe's new 
        democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea and all that lie 
        between, should have the same chance for security and freedom--
        and the same chance to join the institutions of Europe--as 
        Europe's old democracies have ... I believe in NATO membership 
        for all of Europe's democracies that seek it and are ready to 
        share the responsibilities that NATO brings ... [a]s we plan to 
        enlarge NATO, no nation should be used as a pawn in the agenda 
        of others ... [w]e will not trade away the fate of free 
        European peoples ... [n]o more Munichs ... [n]o more Yaltas ... 
        [a]s we plan the Prague Summit, we should not calculate how 
        little we can get away with, but how much we can do to advance 
        the cause of freedom''.
            (12) On October 22, 1996, in a speech in Detroit, Michigan, 
        former President William J. Clinton stated ``NATO's doors will 
        not close behind its first new members ... NATO should remain 
        open to all of Europe's emerging democracies who are ready to 
        shoulder the responsibilities of membership ... [n]o nation 
        will be automatically excluded ... [n]o country outside NATO 
        will have a veto ... [a] gray zone of insecurity must not 
        reemerge in Europe''.
            (13) At the Prague Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in November 2002, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, 
        Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were invited to join 
        the Alliance in the second round of enlargement of the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization since the end of the Cold War, and 
        the North Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state and 
        government issued a declaration stating ``NATO's door will 
        remain open to European democracies willing and able to assume 
        the responsibilities and obligations of membership, in 
        accordance with Article 10 of the Washington Treaty''.
            (14) On May 8, 2003, the United States Senate unanimously 
        approved the Resolution of Ratification to Accompany Treaty 
        Document No. 108-4, Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 
        1949 on Accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
        Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, inviting Bulgaria, Estonia, 
        Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to join the 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
            (15) At the Istanbul Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in June 2004, the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization heads of state and government issued a communique 
        reaffirming that NATO's door remains open to new members, 
        declaring ``[w]e celebrate the success of NATO's Open Door 
        Policy, and reaffirm today that our seven new members will not 
        be the last. The door to membership remains open. We welcome 
        the progress made by Albania, Croatia, and the former Yugoslav 
        Republic of Macedonia (1) in implementing their Annual National 
        Programmes under the Membership Action Plan, and encourage them 
        to continue pursuing the reforms necessary to progress toward 
        NATO membership. We also commend their contribution to regional 
        stability and cooperation. We want all three countries to 
        succeed and will continue to assist them in their reform 
        efforts. NATO will continue to assess each country's candidacy 
        individually, based on the progress made towards reform goals 
        pursued through the Membership Action Plan, which will remain 
        the vehicle to keep the readiness of each aspirant for 
        membership under review. We direct that NATO Foreign Ministers 
        keep the enlargement process, including the implementation of 
        the Membership Action Plan, under continual review and report 
        to us. We will review at the next Summit progress by aspirants 
        towards membership based on that report''.
            (16) Georgia and Ukraine have stated their desire to join 
        the Euro-Atlantic community, and in particular, are seeking to 
        join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Georgia and 
        Ukraine are working closely with the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization and its members to meet criteria for eventual 
        membership in NATO.
            (17) At a press conference with President Mikhail 
        Saakashvili of Georgia in Washington, DC on July 5, 2006, 
        President George W. Bush stated that ``... I believe that NATO 
        would benefit with Georgia being a member of NATO, and I think 
        Georgia would benefit. And there's a way forward through the 
        Membership Action Plan ... And I'm a believer in the expansion 
        of NATO. I think it's in the world's interest that we expand 
        NATO''.
            (18) Following a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in New 
        York on September 21, 2006, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop 
        Scheffer announced the launching of an Intensified Dialogue on 
        membership between the Alliance and Georgia.
            (19) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Summit in Brussels in 
        February 2005, President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko declared 
        membership in NATO as the ultimate goal of Ukraine's 
        cooperation with the Alliance and expressed Ukraine's desire to 
        conclude a Membership Action Plan.
            (20) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministerial 
        meeting in Vilnius in April 2005, NATO and Ukraine launched an 
        Intensified Dialogue on the potential membership of Ukraine in 
        NATO.
            (21) At the Riga Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in November 2006, the Heads of State and 
        Government of the member countries of NATO issued a declaration 
        reaffirming that NATO's door remains open to new members, 
        declaring that ``all European democratic countries may be 
        considered for MAP (Membership Action Plan) or admission, 
        subject to decision by the NAC (North Atlantic Council) at each 
        stage, based on the performance of these countries towards 
        meeting the objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty. We direct 
        that NATO Foreign Ministers keep that process under continual 
        review and report to us. We welcome the efforts of Albania, 
        Croatia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to 
        prepare themselves for the responsibilities and obligations of 
        membership. We reaffirm that the Alliance will continue with 
        Georgia and Ukraine its Intensified Dialogues which cover the 
        full range of political, military, financial and security 
        issues relating to those countries' aspirations to membership, 
        without prejudice to any eventual Alliance decision. We 
        reaffirm the importance of the NATO-Ukraine Distinctive 
        Partnership, which has its 10th anniversary next year and 
        welcome the progress that has been made in the framework of our 
        Intensified Dialogue. We appreciate Ukraine's substantial 
        contributions to our common security, including through 
        participation in NATO-led operations and efforts to promote 
        regional cooperation. We encourage Ukraine to continue to 
        contribute to regional security. We are determined to continue 
        to assist, through practical cooperation, in the implementation 
        of far-reaching reform efforts, notably in the fields of 
        national security, defence, reform of the defence-industrial 
        sector and fighting corruption. We welcome the commencement of 
        an Intensified Dialogue with Georgia as well as Georgia's 
        contribution to international peacekeeping and security 
        operations. We will continue to engage actively with Georgia in 
        support of its reform process. We encourage Georgia to continue 
        progress on political, economic and military reforms, including 
        strengthening judicial reform, as well as the peaceful 
        resolution of outstanding conflicts on its territory. We 
        reaffirm that it is of great importance that all parties in the 
        region should engage constructively to promote regional peace 
        and stability.''.
            (22) Contingent upon their continued implementation of 
        democratic, defense, and economic reform, and their willingness 
        and ability to meet the responsibilities of membership in the 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a clear expression of 
        national intent to do so, Congress calls for the timely 
        admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, and Ukraine 
        to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to promote security 
        and stability in Europe.

SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.

    Congress--
            (1) reaffirms its previous expressions of support for 
        continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
        contained in the NATO Participation Act of 1994, the NATO 
        Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the European Security Act 
        of 1998, and the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act 
        of 2002;
            (2) supports the commitment to further enlargement of the 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include European 
        democracies that are able and willing to meet the 
        responsibilities of Membership, as expressed by the Alliance in 
        its Madrid Summit Declaration of 1997, its Washington Summit 
        Communique of 1999, its Prague Summit Declaration of 2002, its 
        Istanbul Summit Communique of 2004, and its Riga Summit 
        Declaration of 2006; and
            (3) endorses the vision of further enlargement of the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization articulated by President George W. 
        Bush on June 15, 2001, and by former President William J. 
        Clinton on October 22, 1996, and urges our allies in the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization to work with the United States to 
        realize a role for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 
        promoting global security, including continued support for 
        enlargement to include qualified candidate states, specifically 
        by entering into a Membership Action Plan with Georgia and 
        recognizing the progress toward meeting the responsibilities 
        and obligations of NATO membership by Albania, Croatia, 
        Georgia, Macedonia, and Ukraine.

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF ALBANIA, CROATIA, GEORGIA, MACEDONIA, AND 
              UKRAINE AS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE UNDER THE NATO 
              PARTICIPATION ACT OF 1994.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) Albania.--The Republic of Albania is designated as 
        eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
        under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994 
        (title II of Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and 
        shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to section 
        203(d)(1) of such Act.
            (2) Croatia.--The Republic of Croatia is designated as 
        eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
        under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and 
        shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to section 
        203(d)(1) of such Act.
            (3) Georgia.--Georgia is designated as eligible to receive 
        assistance under the program established under section 203(a) 
        of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to 
        have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such 
        Act.
            (4) Macedonia.--The Republic of Macedonia is designated as 
        eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
        under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and 
        shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to section 
        203(d)(1) of such Act.
            (5) Ukraine.--Ukraine is designated as eligible to receive 
        assistance under the program established under section 203(a) 
        of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to 
        have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such 
        Act.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--The designation of the Republic of 
Albania, the Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of Macedonia, 
and Ukraine pursuant to subsection (a) as eligible to receive 
assistance under the program established under section 203(a) of the 
NATO Participation Act of 1994--
            (1) is in addition to the designation of Poland, Hungary, 
        the Czech Republic, and Slovenia pursuant to section 606 of the 
        NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title VI of section 
        101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law 104-208; 22 
        U.S.C. 1928 note), the designation of Romania, Estonia, Latvia, 
        Lithuania, and Bulgaria pursuant to section 2703(b) of the 
        European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of division G of 
        Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and the designation 
        of Slovakia pursuant to section 4(a) of the Gerald B. H. 
        Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-187; 
        22 U.S.C. 1928 note) as eligible to receive assistance under 
        the program established under section 203(a) of the NATO 
        Participation Act of 1994; and
            (2) shall not preclude the designation by the President of 
        other countries pursuant to section 203(d)(2) of the NATO 
        Participation Act of 1994 as eligible to receive assistance 
        under the program established under section 203(a) of such Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR COUNTRIES DESIGNATED 
              UNDER THE NATO PARTICIPATION ACT OF 1994.

    Of the amounts made available for fiscal year 2008 under section 23 
of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763) such sums as may be 
necessary are authorized to be appropriated for assistance to the 
Republic of Albania, the Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of 
Macedonia, and Ukraine.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 6, 2007.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
110th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 987

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

      To endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty 
   Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of new 
                members to NATO, and for other purposes.