The German government has taken the process of NATO enlargement involving the admission of seven Eastern European countries a step closer to completion

On April 2 the cabinet approved a draft bill for parliamentary ratification of the accession protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Brussels on March 26. On ratification by the parliaments of the NATO member countries the invited countries, i.e. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, will become parties to the North Atlantic Treaty. Chancellor Gerhard Schrцder noted in this connection that: "The accession of our Eastern and Southeastern European friends and partners will constitute a significant contribution towards security and stability in Europe." By expressing formal approval so soon after the signing of the accession protocols the German government is sending a signal of its strong support for the formal admission of these seven countries to NATO. Under the German constitution the passage of a federal law expressing consent is required, since the protocols regulate political relations of the federal government in the meaning of Article 59, paragraph 2, sentence 1. At the NATO summit held in Prague in November 2002 the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) invited these countries to conduct accession talks. Under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty of April 4, 1949 to which the Federal Republic of Germany has been a party since May 6, 1955.