On 4 December 1975, the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) adopts Recommendation 281 on European and Atlantic cooperation in the field of armaments. The Assembly outlines to the Council the aims that the Member States are committed to pursuing, including strengthening the defence potential of the Atlantic Alliance so as to maintain the balance of forces which is essential for the security of free Europe. The document also emphasises the vital importance of establishing Atlantic and European cooperation in armaments standardisation and production, and notes that WEU has a specific role to play. The Assembly recommends to the Council that particular attention should be paid to the problem of destandardisation, given the unilateral developments in each country, and that the member governments should give absolute priority at political level to the question of cooperation in the field of armaments.