NATO Parliamentary Assembly

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is formally independent of the Alliance, but the cooperation between the two is close. The full members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly are NATO countries, but the organisation also includes associate members and observers. The Assembly meets twice a year in plenary session, in spring and in autumn. Each of the five committees meets separately at sessions between the assemblies. The five Committees include Civilian Affairs Committee, Defence and Security Committee, Economic Committee, Political Committee, and Science and Technology Committee.

Delegations from the Parliament of Finland have been attending the NATO Parliamentary Assemblies since the beginning of the 1990s. From 1998 the Parliament of Finland has had an associate status within the organisation, which has enabled the full-scale participation at the work of the organisation. The members with associate status are for example able to participate in plenary sessions and committee work, but they are not entitled to vote on resolutions nor they are obliged to participate at the costs of the organisation. Other associate member countries beside Finland are for example Sweden and Austria.

The four members of the Finnish delegation are appointed by the Speaker's Council. The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament acts as delegation head. The secretariat for the Finnish delegation is at the Parliamentary Defence Committee.