PRESIDENT

The President is elected by the Assembly, on the recommendation of the Council, for a three year period. The same person cannot be elected President from more than one mandate in succession. The President is responsible for general policy and is the main spokesperson of the Association. In addition to chairing meetings of the Assembly, the Council and the Bureau, the President also delegates responsibilities to the Secretary General of the ATA, and keeps close contact with the Secretary General of NATO. The President maintains relations with NATO officials and military commanders, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and contacts within the business, academic, and political communities.

SECRETARIAT

THE SECRETARY GENERAL

The Secretary General is elected by the Assembly, on the recommendation of the Bureau and the Council, for a three year renewable period. The Secretary General runs the day to day affairs of the Atlantic Treaty Association. The Secretary General is responsible for carrying out the decisions of the Bureau, the Council, and the Assembly, and as such, reports directly to these three administrative bodies. The Secretary General is also charged with the duty of promoting the ATA strategy, as well as maintaining liaisons with ATA member associations, NATO, the EU, the European Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and various research institutes.

TREASURER

The Treasurer is elected by the Assembly for a three year renewable period and supervises the execution of the budget.

BUREAU

The Bureau is composed of the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, the YATA President (ex-officio), and the Counsellor (ex-officio). It assists the Council in policy matters, and helps in the implementation of decisions made by the Council and the Assembly. In addition, the Bureau is mandated to develop working relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA), and to convene joint meetings with the NPA Bureau.

COUNCIL

The Council is composed of the Bureau members and up to three delegates from each of the Member, Associate Member, and Observer Member Associations. It has the authority to take action on behalf of the ATA, usually on the recommendation of the Bureau (subject to ratification by the Assembly). The Council meets twice a year: at NATO Headquarters in the spring and at the General Assembly in the fall.

ASSEMBLY

The Assembly is composed of delegates from Member, Associate Member, and Observer Member Associations. The Assembly meets once a year, and is the supreme decision-making authority within the ATA structure. Resolutions submitted to the Assembly require a simple majority of votes cast by the Member and Associate Member Associations. Each delegation is entitled to one vote.

Aside from national delegations, the Assembly meetings gather government and military officials, international observers, academics, and press representatives. The scope of the discussion ranges from issues dealing with political, economic, military, and educational affairs.

YATA

The Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) is the youth division of the Atlantic Treaty Association. YATA has its own rules and regulations which are subject to the overall authority of the ATA. For more information, please visit YATA on the web, at: http://www.atlantic-youth.org.

COMMITTEE OF PATRONS

The Committee of Patrons is composed of former ATA Presidents and other individuals who have served the Atlantic Treaty Association with distinction.