defense
“A historic day”: Sweden’s path to NATO is clear
Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, is on the phone when he receives the information at the government headquarters in Stockholm that the Hungarian Parliament has voted to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO. photo
© Magnus Lejhall/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
After a long delay, the Hungarian parliament finally gives its blessing to Sweden’s accession to NATO. More than a year and a half of waiting could soon be over for Sweden.
Approval in Budapest, a sigh of relief in Stockholm: Sweden’s path to NATO is finally clear after more than a year and a half of blockages and delays. The parliament of NATO member Hungary approved Sweden’s accession with a broad majority on Monday, meaning that only formalities remain before the Scandinavian EU country can be accepted into the defense alliance as the 32nd member.
“Today is a historic day,” said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson after the parliamentary vote in which 188 MPs voted for Sweden’s membership in NATO and only six against. “Sweden is now leaving behind 200 years of neutrality and non-alignment. This is a big step, but also a very natural step,” he said at a press conference in Stockholm. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the vote. “Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer,” wrote the Norwegian on the online platform X.
Hungary had delayed its approval for a long time, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party signaled the green light for the Swedes a few days ago. Orban emphasized in parliament on Monday that it was important to clarify bilateral disputes before ratifying Sweden’s accession to NATO. This was done “in a dignified manner” by Kristersson’s visit last Friday.
Formalities are still pending
For Sweden, the approval in Budapest means that the last major hurdle on its rocky path to NATO has been cleared. 30 of the 31 NATO members have already ratified Sweden’s admission to NATO – only Hungary is still missing. After parliament’s approval, the Hungarian head of state must now sign the ratification – it is not yet entirely clear who this task will fall to.
After President Katalin Novak resigned because of her involvement in a pedophilia scandal, the Hungarian parliament elected the previous head of the Constitutional Court, Tamas Sulyok, as the new president on Monday. However, his official inauguration is not scheduled until March 5th. Until then, Parliament President Laszlo Köver will temporarily manage the head of state’s business.
Ratification would only be completed with the presidential signature – either from Sulyok or Köver – and subsequent publication in the Hungarian Official Gazette. When exactly this will be the case is still uncertain. The ratification document must then be formally deposited with the US State Department in Washington, after which Sweden’s accession documents must also be handed over to the ministry – then Sweden will officially be a NATO member, explained Kristersson. There could be a welcome celebration for Sweden in the following days, at which the Swedish flag will be hoisted in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Finland was also welcomed into the alliance with a very similar ceremony in April 2023. Together with its Nordic neighbor, Sweden decided to apply for NATO membership in May 2022. For both countries this meant a departure from traditional military freedom of alliance, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine also caused a turning point in the far north of Europe.
Unlike the Finns, however, the Swedes struggled for much longer to obtain the missing ratifications from NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Turkey in particular had actively blocked the process for a long time and justified this stance, among other things, with what it saw as Sweden’s inadequate commitment against “terrorist organizations”. A month ago the country finally agreed to Sweden’s NATO application. Immediately afterwards, the US government initiated the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.
“Be prepared to die for each other”
This meant that the Swedes only needed Hungary’s consent – even though the Danube country in the southeast of the EU had repeatedly emphasized that it did not want to be the last country to ratify. However, it continued to delay ratification, citing the fact that there had been criticism from Sweden in the past about the democratic conditions and the rule of law in Hungary. Many Fidesz politicians took these as insults before their group surprisingly signaled the green light for the Swedes last week.
This concession was finally sealed on Friday when Kristersson visited Orban. Several agreements on bilateral arms cooperation were announced. Among other things, Hungary is buying four new Jas 39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden. And Orban made it clear how close the relationship between the future alliance partners should be: As common NATO members, we must be “willing to die for each other,” said Orban at a press conference with Kristersson. You have to be ready to be there for each other and fight for freedom and independence. “This is what it means to be a NATO member,” emphasized Orban.
Such a strong relationship requires a solid foundation full of trust and mutual respect, he continued. He now seems to have found this basis again with the Swedes – also thanks to the arms deal and Kristersson’s visit to Budapest, which Orban was able to sell as a victory in front of his home audience.