From a geographical point of view, the NATO expansion question has an applied or practical character because it is part of a more general problem which is the necessity of creating a new European security system in place of the previous, bipolar one. So it is possible to consider the NATO enlargement question as a discussion of the necessity of a new security system for Europe based on NATO after its expansion. In other words: can NATO be a basic element of the new security system in Europe or are there other possibilities for it?