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Around a year after French President Emmanuel Macron's biting "brain death" criticism, NATO is about to embark on a difficult reform debate.
According to information from alliance circles, a group of experts appointed by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to deliberate the foreign ministers on Tuesday presented innocuous proposals as well as a number of explosive ideas.
According to information from the German Press Agency, this includes the recommendation to make it more difficult for individual member states to block alliance decisions.
It is therefore also proposed to invite the heads of state and government of EU states without NATO membership to roundtables on the sidelines of the NATO summit and to devote themselves significantly more to the dangers that could emanate from China.
In order to strengthen political cooperation within the alliance, the panel of experts recommends holding more talks at a high political level - and organizing these not only at NATO headquarters in Brussels, but also in the member states.
For example, additional meetings of foreign ministers could be scheduled and meetings of interior ministers on the subject of terrorism could be called.
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It is now highly unlikely that all of the proposals can be implemented.
The proposal for higher blockade hurdles, for example, is unlikely to meet with approval from allies such as Turkey and Hungary.
Hungary has been using the currently uncomplicated veto options since 2017 to prevent the NATO-Ukraine Commission from meeting at the top level because of a dispute with Ukraine.
Turkey previously forced, out of annoyance at statements critical of Turkey by Austrian politicians, to restrict NATO's cooperation with Austria.
The Alpine republic itself is not part of the alliance.
Because of the current tensions between Turkey and the EU, it is also considered unrealistic for the government in Ankara to give the necessary approval for an expansion of cooperation between NATO and the EU.
In Great Britain too close ties between NATO and the EU are viewed rather critically, according to information from the dpa.
The NATO expert committee was set up in the spring on the initiative of the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD).
Previously, French President Macron had boldly attested the alliance a "brain death".
Above all, Macron wanted to denounce the lack of coordination between NATO partners in important security policy decisions.
A negative example for him was, for example, Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria, which had not been agreed within NATO and was only made possible by the withdrawal of US soldiers from the area, which was also not agreed.
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The recommendations of the panel of experts, which were distributed within the alliance on Wednesday, will be discussed for the first time at a high political level next Tuesday at a video link by the foreign ministers.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg then wants to develop a concrete action plan with the member states.
The aim is to complete the work by the next NATO summit.
According to current plans, it could take place in the second quarter of next year and also serve as a kind of get-to-know meeting with future US President Joe Biden.
Germany was represented on the ten-person committee of experts by former Defense and Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière (CDU).
As co-chair, he led the group's work with former US diplomat Wess Mitchell.
France sent the former Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine to the committee.
The NATO headquarters did not want to comment on the recommendations on Wednesday evening.
It only confirmed that the report had been handed over to the expert group.
A publication should therefore only take place after the official presentation at the foreign ministers' meeting next week.
Delegations from Member States also initially refused to comment.
It is important to start an open discussion internally, said several allies.