In response to the fall of the Berlin Wall at the end of the 1980s, the NATO-PA broadened its mandate by developing close relations with political leaders in Central and East European countries.

On November 21, 2022, at Madrid in the midst of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly recognized Russia as "terrorist state" and called for the creation of a special international tribunal.

"[2] At the NATO PA meeting on May 27, 2024, in Sofia, Bulgaria,[3] a resolution seems to have been passed by 24 of the 32 allied nations "to no longer accept restrictions on the use of Western weapons against legitimate targets on Russian territory".

Since the end of the Cold War the Assembly has assumed a new role by integrating into its work parliamentarians from those countries in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond who seek a closer association with NATO.

This integration has provided both political and practical assistance and has sought to contribute to the strengthening of parliamentary democracy throughout the Euro-Atlantic region, and complement and reinforce NATO's own programme of partnership and co-operation.

The assembly's governing body is the standing committee, which is composed of the head of each member delegation, the president, the vice-presidents, the treasurer and the secretary general.

[6] The international secretariat, under its secretary general, is responsible for all administration and the bulk of research and analysis that supports the assembly's committees, sub-committees and other groups.

Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine have Associate status sending varying numbers of non-voting delegates to the assembly.

Kosovo and Malta were given associate status in March 2024 by the Assembly's Standing Committee and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine were designated NATO candidates.

Members of the assembly's committees undertake regular visits and meetings where they receive briefings from leading government and parliamentary representatives, as well as senior academics and experts.

The Rose-Roth Programme of partnership and co-operation is designed to extend assistance to countries undergoing transition through difficult political and economic reforms.

The program was initially designed to support Central and Eastern European countries but has subsequently focused mainly on the Balkans and the South Caucasus.

The Assembly's Standing Committee meets annually with both the Secretary General and the Permanent Representatives to the North Atlantic Council at NATO Headquarters to exchange views on the state of the Alliance and to provide the perspectives of legislators.

[18] In 1995, the Assembly created a Mediterranean Special Group with the aim of opening a political dialogue with legislators from countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

The programme gradually expanded and the Assembly has now established relations at various levels with many parliaments across the Mediterranean, Northern and Central Africa, and the Middle East.

These meetings seek to enhance parliamentary awareness of the problems of the region, promote a political dialogue between parliamentarians, and share best practices among members of the respective parliaments.