Finland to apply for NATO membership
Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, Sweden and Finland have been discussing joining NATO. Finland’s Prime Minister and President have now spoken out in favor of an immediate application for membership.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin have called for their country to join NATO “immediately”. In a joint statement, the two endorsed membership in the western military alliance. “NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security,” the joint statement said. “As a NATO member, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance.”
It is expected that the EU’s northernmost country will decide to formally apply for membership in the coming days – probably on Sunday. This step would be a direct consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting changed security situation in Europe. For Finland, which has been non-aligned for a long time and shares a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long, such a decision would be historic.
All 30 NATO members must agree
Before the country can be admitted to NATO, all 30 current members must agree. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has recently signaled several times that there is broad support for this within the alliance.
Niinistö and Marin’s government ultimately decide jointly on the NATO issue, but they involved parliament in the decision-making process. On the way to a decision, the government had already submitted a security analysis to the Riksdag in Helsinki in April, in which the advantages and risks of possible NATO membership were highlighted. However, the analysis did not include a position for or against such a membership.
Sweden also wants to decide quickly
Finland and neighboring Sweden are already close partners of NATO, but have not yet become official members. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked intense NATO debate in both countries. In the population there was a clear change of opinion towards a possible accession to the alliance. In a recent survey by the Finnish broadcaster Yle, 76 percent of respondents were in favor of Finland joining NATO. In recent years, the approval was still at 20 to 30 percent.
During a visit by Marin and the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to the closed meeting of the federal cabinet in Meseberg near Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently promised German support for the countries joining NATO.
The Finnish announcement now increases the pressure on Sweden to make a timely decision on NATO membership. Tomorrow their own security policy analysis is expected there, on Sunday Andersson’s governing Social Democrats want to make a decision on their own position in the matter. The Kremlin had recently threatened “military and political repercussions” if Sweden and Finland decided to join NATO.
Denmark welcomes Finland’s move
Denmark welcomed the positioning of Finland’s political leadership. “Denmark will of course warmly welcome Finland to NATO,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Twitter. Finnish accession will strengthen NATO and common security. Denmark will do everything to ensure a speedy admission process once the formal application for membership has been submitted.
