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International Parliamentary Assemblies

For the duration of the electoral term the Bundestag elects 18 parliamentarians to serve as members (called representatives) and a further 18 as substitute members (called substitutes) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe founded in 1949 currently comprises 45 European states, another 3 states have "observer status". Since the organization was founded over 50 years ago the member states have agreed numerous conventions, particularly for the protection of human rights.

The same 36 parliamentarians are at the same time members and substitute members of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU). The Assembly of WEU was founded in 1954 by the modified Brussels Treaty. Composed of national parliamentarians from 28 countries including all EU member states, the Assembly scrutinises European intergovernmental activities in all areas of security and defence. Following the transfer of WEU's operational activities to the EU, the Assembly also acts as the Interparliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly.

Members of the Bundestag participate in the deliberations of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). This assembly was set up in 1955 as a conference of Members of Parliament from the then 15 member states of the NATO. The German delegation is composed of 12 Members of the Bundestag and 6 members of the Bundesrat. At the beginning of each electoral term they are appointed for the duration of the electoral term. The NATO PA discusses political, military and economic questions concerning the Western defence alliance and transmits its resolutions to the governments of the NATO member states.

In 1973 the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), attended at that time by representatives of 35 European and North American countries, was set up as a forum for the East-West dialogue. The Helsinki Final Act elaborated by this conference initiated the CSCE process and the related policy of détente in Europe. The signing of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe in November 1990 marked the beginning of the institutionalization of the CSCE process, with the aim of creating a new peace and security order in Europe. With a view to a further institutional strengthening of the CSCE, it was renamed Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as of 1 January 1995.

The OSCE, which now comprises 53 participating states, has its own organizational structures, which include the Ministerial Council, the Senior Council, the Permanent Council, the Secretary General of the OSCE, the Conflict Prevention Centre, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the High Commissioner on National Minorities.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, with its seat in Copenhagen, was set up in April 1991. It is composed of 312 parliamentarians from all 53 states participating in the OSCE, including 13 Members of the Bundestag. The Assembly perceives its main functions to be:

• to follow the work of the OSCE's executive bodies in a parliamentary context;
• to assess the implementation of the objectives of the OSCE;
• to support the extension and consolidation of democratic institutions in the OSCE participating states; and
• to help further develop the institutional structures of the OSCE.

At its annual meeting, the Assembly considers issues relevant to the OSCE and adopts related recommendations addressed to the governments and parliaments of the OSCE participating states and to the OSCE executive bodies.

Finally, twice a year the Bundestag sends delegations to the conferences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the association of 145 parliaments from all over the world which was founded in 1889. After the reform of the IPU which has been adopted in April 2003, the Bundestag has three votes in the IPU Governing Council - provided that its representation include both men and women - and 19 votes in the Assembly. By bringing together parliamentarians from many different countries the IPU seeks to foster contacts, co-ordination and the exchange of experience among politicians, to strengthen human rights and to help bring about a peaceful solution to problems.