Allies welcome the agreement that States Parties have agreed to begin discussions on defining the scope and parameters of a process to improve the functioning of the Treaty in a changing environment. They expect active participation in this work with other States Parties to report on the first progress made at the OSCE summit in Lisbon in December 1996, including recommendations on how to proceed. The Berlin Plus Agreement consists of seven main parties: [1][3] Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Berlin, on 3 June 1996 Despite his deep unpopularity, Yeltsin won a second presidential term in 1996 in an election election. The country`s rising class of oligarchs supported Yeltsin`s re-election attempt in exchange for controlling stakes in many of the country`s largest oil and mineral companies. In 1998, Russia became insolvent with its public debt [PDF] and its economy collapsed. With an increase in corruption, organised crime and income inequality, this is a serious setback for Russian democracy. The Berlin Plus agreement is the short title of a comprehensive set of agreements reached on 16 December 2002 between NATO and the EU. [1] These agreements were based on the conclusions of the 1999 NATO summit in Washington, sometimes referred to as the CJTF mechanism[2] and allowed the EU to use some of NATO`s military assets in its own peacekeeping operations. Relations improved under US President Barack Obama, but tensions over CHRONIC underfunding of NATO and revelations that the US National Security Agency was spying on European citizens continued. At the same time, Obama worked closely with European allies on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Paris climate agreement and an ambitious and still incomplete trade agreement between the EU and the United States, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Since the Berlin Plus agreement in 2003, circumstances have changed considerably. But the echoes of the old debates have recently wieder-showing that the friction which Berlin Plus responded yet exists. The US calls for increased EU defence spending are more ambitious, but their response to proposals for EU military effectiveness and autonomy reflects the suspicions of the past. The EU has taken the opportunity to become a serious player in defence and security, but its ambitions remain, as always, limited by the lack of significant EU capabilities, which will soon be strengthened by Brexit. Since 2015, the issue has become more urgent, as Europe has experienced a wave of migration from the Middle East and Africa. Millions of people have risked dangerous journeys across the earth or the Mediterranean to escape war and poverty.