Spring Session of NATO Parliamentary Assembly to focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The first three days of the session will focus on committee meetings, with the final day being a plenary session for all delegates. The Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP chairs the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee whilst the Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP chairs its Science and Technology Committee. The UK Delegation includes a former Vice-President in the Rt Hon Lord Campbell of Pittenweem.  

The plenary will be opened by an address from the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Representative Gerald Connolly, and the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda. The Assembly will also hear from the Speakers of the Parliaments of Finland and Sweden, following their applications to join the Alliance.

Delegates are expected to debate and vote on a draft declaration that affirms the Assembly’s solidarity with Ukraine in addition to a draft declaration on confronting Russia’s threat. Other key topics to be discussed in Vilnius include:

• the lessons learned from NATO’s engagement in Afghanistan
• NATO partnerships and the future of the Open Door policy
• challenges to stability in the Western Balkans and the Middle East and North Africa
• the growing strategic importance of Asia and the Indo-Pacific
• the continued threat of terrorism
• the important role and contribution of women to peace and security
• Allied resilience efforts
• cyber security and defence
• the security impact of climate change
  strategic trade and corruption challenges
• the future of warfare

Ahead of the session, the Delegation will receive a briefing from the Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, Minister for Europe and North America at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and will also meet with the UK Ambassador to Lithuania.

The leader of the UK delegation, the Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP, commented:

“I am looking forward to leading the UK delegation to the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which will be a timely opportunity to discuss Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

“The session will also be an opportunity for colleagues to consider a range of reports and resolutions from the Assembly’s committees.

“At a time when defence and security is in the spotlight, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly provides an important forum to ensure close working and co-operation between parliamentarians across NATO member states”.

Notes to Editors

• The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, founded in 1955, is made up of 266 legislators from all member states of the Atlantic Alliance, and provides a link between NATO and the parliaments of its member states. For more on the work of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visit https://www.nato-pa.int/content/home
• The Assembly's principal objective is to facilitate mutual understanding between parliamentarians from NATO countries and promote debate on key security challenges.
• The UK has 18 seats in the Assembly, which are filled by a cross-party delegation from both Houses of Parliament. The distribution of places to political parties reflects the composition of the House of Commons. A full list is available here.
• There are two plenary sessions of the Assembly each year, which take place in the autumn (the Annual Session) and the spring. At the plenary sessions, the Assembly’s Committees debate and agree reports on various subjects and meet government officials and policy experts to inform their work