# Factbox-Steps in Finnish, Swedish path to NATO membership Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2023-03-31 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Finland and Sweden's Path Towards NATO Membership Meta Description: Discover the latest updates on Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO, including hurdles faced and progress made towards alliance membership. URL: https://financedigest.com/factbox-steps-in-finnish-swedish-path-to-nato-membershiphtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2023-03-30t162333z1lynxmpej2t0ttrtroptp4nato-nordics-1736814217770-compressed.jpg) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Finland looks set to join NATO soon, with Turkey’s parliament voting to ratify Helsinki’s membership bid even as it keeps Sweden’s application on hold. The Turkish vote removes the last major hurdle to Helsinki’s accession. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership and abandon many decades of military non-alignment amid the fiercest stand-off between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War. Finland has a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia and would roughly double the transatlantic alliance’s frontier facing Moscow, but both Nordic countries have well-trained [militaries and accession](https://www.financedigest.com/japan-uk-to-sign-reciprocal-access-agreement-for-military-officers-yomiuri.html "Japan, UK to sign reciprocal access agreement for military officers -Yomiuri") would see NATO dominate the Baltic Sea. Twenty-eight of NATO’s 30 members quickly ratified the Finnish and Swedish applications to [join the alliance](https://www.financedigest.com/onespan-joins-national-cyber-security-alliance-data-privacy-day.html "OneSpan Joins the National Cyber Security Alliance on Data Privacy Day"), which was founded in 1949, but Turkey and Hungary held up the process. After talks in Madrid last June, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts on a series of security [measures to allow the two Nordic countries](https://www.financedigest.com/eu-countries-eye-deal-on-more-energy-measures-within-weeks.html "EU countries eye deal on more energy measures within weeks") to progress in their bid to join the alliance. But it soon [became apparent that clinching the deal](https://www.financedigest.com/dealing-with-sole-traders-debt-recovery-just-became-a-whole-lot-harder.html "Dealing with sole traders? Debt recovery just became a whole lot harder") would be far from easy, above all for Sweden. Turkey [says Stockholm harbours members of what Ankara considers](https://www.financedigest.com/sega-sammy-says-it-is-considering-buying-angry-birds-maker-rovio.html "Sega Sammy says it is considering buying Angry Birds maker Rovio") terrorist groups – a charge Sweden denies – and has demanded their extradition as a step toward ratifying Swedish membership. Hungary is also holding up Sweden’s admission, citing grievances over criticism of [Prime Minister](https://www.financedigest.com/britains-queen-elizabeth-will-appoint-new-prime-minister-at-balmoral.html "Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will appoint new prime minister at Balmoral") Viktor Orban’s policies. But [NATO diplomats say](https://www.financedigest.com/britain-says-it-is-committed-to-leading-a-nato-task-force-in-2024.html "Britain says it is committed to leading a NATO task force in 2024") they expect Budapest will approve Sweden’s bid if it sees Turkey moving to do so. Hungary has already [performed a similar move with Finland’s application](https://www.financedigest.com/seventy-three-percent-of-the-c-suite-state-that-increasing-visibility-into-network-and-application-performance-will-drive-business-innovation.html "Seventy-Three percent of the C-suite state that increasing visibility into network and application performance will drive business innovation "). Hungary’s parliament approved a bill this week to allow [Finland to join NATO](https://www.financedigest.com/finland-will-join-nato-on-tuesday-stoltenberg.html "Finland will join NATO on Tuesday – Stoltenberg") after Erdogan declared Turkey was ready to approve that bid. Turkey’s parliament followed through on Erdogan’s commitment with a vote on Thursday, clearing the way for Finland to join NATO within weeks. NATO officials and diplomats [say they hope Turkey](https://www.financedigest.com/turkey-says-five-more-grain-ships-leave-ukrainian-ports.html "Turkey says five more grain ships leave Ukrainian ports") will soften its stance on Sweden after Turkish elections in May. Here are the key steps in Finland’s and [Sweden’s path towards NATO](https://www.financedigest.com/nato-deal-with-turkey-greeted-with-caution-and-concern-in-sweden.html "NATO deal with Turkey greeted with caution and concern in Sweden") membership so far: FINLAND AND SWEDEN SUBMIT MEMBERSHIP REQUEST The applications, letters signed by the countries’ foreign ministers, were formally handed in by [Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO](https://www.financedigest.com/finland-sweden-to-send-teams-to-turkey-to-discuss-nato-bids-haavisto-says.html "Finland, Sweden to send teams to Turkey to discuss NATO bids, Haavisto says") ambassadors on May 18, 2022. ALLIED GOVERNMENTS MEET Representatives of the 30 allies then met to discuss [amid expectations](https://www.financedigest.com/dollar-set-for-weekly-loss-amid-expectations-fed-will-slow-hikes.html "Dollar set for weekly loss amid expectations Fed will slow hikes") of rapid approval of the membership requests, but Turkey raised objections, halting the process. With the Madrid agreement, these objections were overcome at least initially. Known informally as taking [NATO’s “marriage vows”, officials from Helsinki and Stockholm were questioned as to whether they would uphold NATO’s collective defence pledge that an attack on one ally](https://www.financedigest.com/u-s-and-nato-allies-pledge-more-arms-to-ukraine.html "U.S. and NATO allies pledge more arms to Ukraine") is an attack on all. They also needed to [agree to pay](https://www.financedigest.com/eu-agrees-law-to-make-airlines-pay-more-to-pollute.html "EU agrees law to make airlines pay more to pollute") their share of NATO budgets, take part in NATO defence planning and promise to respect rules on classified information. NATO officials and governments [agreed that Finland and Sweden would be major assets to the alliance](https://www.financedigest.com/nissan-and-renault-agree-to-overhaul-alliance-this-time-as-equals.html "Nissan and Renault agree to overhaul alliance, this time as equals"), as successful democracies with advanced militaries that meet NATO standards. FINLAND [FORGES AHEAD](https://www.financedigest.com/the-future-of-fintech-forging-ahead-with-digital-transformation.html "The future of fintech: Forging ahead with digital transformation") All NATO countries must ratify a would-be [member’s application before it can join](https://www.financedigest.com/discover-global-network-joins-nexo-standards-as-a-principal-member.html "Discover Global Network Joins nexo standards as a Principal Member") the alliance. For Finland, Turkish ratification was the final one outstanding. After Turkey’s parliament ratifies, it would be approved by Erdogan and then published in the country’s Official Gazette. After “deposition of the ratification” by all allies, new members [must also deposit their “instrument of accession”](https://www.financedigest.com/sap-cfos-must-address-the-unnecessary-risk-of-indirect-access.html "SAP: CFOs must address the unnecessary risk of Indirect Access") at the U.S. Department of State, finally making them full NATO allies. Finland has already completed the legal ratification process for its own part, ahead of a parliamentary [election on Sunday and a corresponding electoral](https://www.financedigest.com/turnout-in-iraqs-election-reached-41-electoral-commission.html "Turnout in Iraq’s election reached 41% – electoral commission") recess which could have otherwise postponed the process by some months. Finnish [leaders have said they expect](https://www.financedigest.com/what-is-expected-of-leaders-in-the-age-of-automation.html "What is expected of leaders in the age of automation?") the remaining process to be finalised within weeks. SWEDISH UNCERTAINTY For Sweden, the timeline remains uncertain. [Talks between Sweden and Turkey have made little progress](https://www.financedigest.com/wall-street-gains-treasury-yields-rise-as-debt-ceiling-talks-progress.html "Wall Street gains, Treasury yields rise as debt ceiling talks progress"), especially following several disputes mainly over street protests by pro-Kurdish groups in Stockholm. Neither Turkey nor Sweden has yet scheduled [parliamentary votes](https://www.financedigest.com/macron-with-eye-on-parliamentary-vote-visits-left-leaning-paris-suburb.html "Macron, with eye on parliamentary vote, visits left-leaning Paris suburb") on Sweden’s application. But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said getting Sweden’s application over the line is a [top priority](https://www.financedigest.com/2017-cfo-outlook-top-priorities-as-new-year-gets-underway.html "2017 CFO Outlook: Top Priorities as New Year Gets Underway"). He has said he hopes both Finland and Sweden will be [members by the time](https://www.financedigest.com/why-now-is-the-time-to-implement-a-time-saving-business-model-encouraging-team-members-to-discuss-their-challenges.html "Why now is the time to implement a time saving business model, encouraging team members to discuss their challenges") of an alliance summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12. (Reporting by Niklas Pollard in Stockholm, Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, Huseyin Hayatsever in Ankara, Daren Butler in Istanbul and Andrew Gray in Brussels; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis ) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---