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On 4 March 2003, Latvia's Cabinet of Ministers approved Latvia's Reform Implementation Plan for the membership of NATO (hereafter - the Reform Plan). The Reform Plan has been elaborated as part of Latvia's NATO accession negotiations. It encompasses all the areas in which Latvia needs to continue work in order to enhance its capacity to take on the commitments and obligations of a NATO member state. The Reform Plan continues the work begun within the context of the NATO Membership Action Plan, and deals with political, economic, defence, resource, information security and legal issues. In the areas of political and economic reform, Latvia undertakes to continue combating corruption, pursue an active societal integration policy, strengthen its administrative resources and pursue an economic policy that would guarantee sufficient resources for the development of national defence capabilities. On defence reform, Latvia undertakes to continue strengthening the ability of the armed forces to deploy and maintain units on missions abroad capable of interoperating with forces from NATO countries in joint operations. It also seeks to strengthen the ability to cooperate with Allied forces, both within the territory of the Alliance and beyond its borders. The Reform Plan also outlines the main tasks for ensuring the security of classified NATO information, through enhanced protection of paper-based documents and electronic information, and more thorough screening of personnel. Latvia undertakes to adhere to the agreements regulating Alliance operations, which have their basis in the Washington Treaty. These regulations refer, for example, to the status of military personnel and headquarters in NATO member states. On the issue of resources, Latvia undertakes to maintain defence expenditure at 2% of GDP. In the course of accession negotiations, Latvia and NATO have agreed upon the amount Latvia will contribute to NATO's common budgets. Latvia's anticipated contributions are proportionate and have been calculated based on the country's economic capability - that is, its GDP. NATO's common budgets are relatively small and comprise the maintenance costs of NATO headquarters and several common infrastructure programs. From the moment of accession Latvia will contribute a certain share to these common budgets. Latvia's payments into NATO's common budgets in 2004 are estimated to reach EUR 0.9 million (~ LVL 0.55 million), about EUR 1.4 million (~ LVL 0.85 million) in 2005, and up to EUR 1.55 million (~ LVL 0,95 million) in 2006. The increase in payments is due to Latvia's gradually increasing involvement in the financing of common infrastructure projects. Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sandra Kalniete will submit the approved Reform Plan to NATO. Accession negotiations will be concluded on 26 March at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, when the official signing of candidate country Accession Protocols is scheduled. Following this, the Accession Protocols will be passed over for ratification in the NATO member states.
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