After the end of the Cold War, NATO added 14 more members from 1999 to 2020. The 12 founding members of the Alliance were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, National Representatives and International Staff, done at Ottawa September 20, 1951", "Why the concept of Gaullo-Mitterrandism is still relevant", "After 43 Years, France to Rejoin NATO as Full Member", The International Institute for Strategic Studies. At the same time, it is also in NATOs best interest that the process proceed as smoothly as possible. The accession process involves accession talks and the ratification of the Accession Protocol. 2022. [19] Criticism of the fact that many member states were not contributing their fair share in accordance with the international agreement by then US president Donald Trump caused various reactions from American and European political figures, ranging from ridicule to panic. [i][j], The defence spending of the United States is more than double the defence spending of all other NATO members combined. When each member country has ratified the Accession Protocols, the NATO members will invite Finland to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty, making Finland a member of NATO. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (20 October 2022) for discussions on Sweden and Finland's applications to join the Alliance. Applying for NATO membership is a decision that will affect Finlands security. The costs will be further specified in connection with the talks, but it is estimated that they would be between 1 and 1.5 per cent of the current defence budget. The strongest opposition to responding with armed force is in Germany (58%), followed by France (53%) and Italy (51%). As a member of NATO, Finland will be part of NATOs collective defence and decision making and, thus, be covered by the security guarantees enshrined in Article 5 of the Treaty. These treaties are not in conflict with the obligations of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The current members and their dates of admission are listed below. Of the 30 member countries, 28 are in Europe and two in North America. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an international military alliance that consists of 30 member states from Europe and North America. By the end of June, the roster may grow to 32, should Finland and Sweden join.The Nordic duo has fans. The land Islands are part of Finlands sovereign territory and, in accordance with the provisions of the treaties, defending its neutrality is the responsibility of Finland. These treaties do not prevent Finland from joining the military alliance. Next, the Accession Protocols will be ratified in each member country. NATO, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 12, 2022. Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that once the Treaty has been in force for twenty years, any Party may cease to be a Party one year after giving its notice of denunciation to the Government of the United States of America. NATO has 12 original founding member states. [1] Article 6 of the treaty limits the scope of Article 5 to the islands north of the Tropic of Cancer, the North American and European mainlands, the entirety of Turkey, and French Algeria. Why did Finland apply for NATO membership and how will membership strengthen Finlands security? Joining NATO will not affect the status of the land Islands, which is based on international treaties. Published: November 3, 2022, . 14 NATO Allies and Finland agree to boost European air defence capabilities. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday he would go to Turkey "in the near future" to discuss Finland and Sweden's nearly completed process to join the military alliance. Roughly half or fewer in six of the eight countries surveyed say their country should use military force if Russia attacks a neighboring country that is a NATO ally. In 1990, the territory of the former East Germany was added with the reunification of Germany. The deterrent effect of Finlands defence will be considerably stronger than it is at present, as it will be based on the capabilities of the entire Alliance, on collective defence planning and on the political weight of the NATO member countries. Finland Abroad is a website provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Finland's missions abroad. Their accession will make our alliance stronger and our people safer," Stoltenberg said . When Finland and Sweden join NATO, all of the Nordic countries will be NATO members. Signing ceremony between Trkiye, Finland, and Sweden 28 Jun. HELSINKI, Finland Finland and Sweden will become official NATO members by Christmas, the U.S. ambassador to Finland predicted in a conversation with reporters and experts. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinist at the press conference announcing Finland's intent to apply to NATO on 15 May 2022. Under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO member countries are obliged to participate in the collective defence of the Alliance. Finland's accession talks were held on 4 July 2022, and the NATO member countries signed the Accession Protocol for Finland in Brussels on 5 July 2022. As NATO enters a new chapter in 2022, current geopolitical circumstances encourage Allies to accept Sweden's and Finland's bids to join NATO to fortify European security, communicate a clear red-line to Russia, and quell any potential internal conflicts should Russian aggression escalate beyond Ukraine. NATO allies boost defense spending in the wake of Trump criticism, Former US ambassador to Nato in withering criticism of Donald Trump, Shaken by Trump's Criticism of NATO, Europe Mulls Building Own Military Force, Support for NATO is widespread among member nations, U.S. would defend NATO despite Trump's criticism, Europeans believe: study, "Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2012-2019)", Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Member_states_of_NATO&oldid=1120397690, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from April 2022, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. A view of the flags of Finland, NATO and Sweden during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2022. NATO further expanded after the Cold War, adding the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (2004), Albania and Croatia (2009), Montenegro (2017) and North Macedonia (2020). As of June 2022, five additional states have formally informed NATO of their membership aspirations: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Sweden and Ukraine. Each member country decides for itself on the content and scope of its contribution. Read the transcript from the press conference. por Gastn Dubois. NATO membership will involve additional direct costs arising, for example, from participation in the financing of NATOs common budgets and the secondment of personnel to NATOs military command structure. In July 2022, NATO invited Finland and Sweden to join the organization, and the ratification process for the two countries is in progress ( Finland and Sweden). Country by country, this page offers an overview of the links to national information servers and to the website of national delegations to NATO. [3], The various allies all sign the Ottawa Agreement,[4] which is a 1951 document that acts to embody civilian oversight of the Alliance.[5][4]. No countries have left NATO since its founding. During the ratification stage, Finland is an invitee to NATO and may participate in NATOs work but is not entitled to vote. For example, the issue of a military presence should be assessed from a political perspective and in terms of military needs, taking into account the development of the security environment. Next, the Accession Protocols will be ratified in each member country. This page was last edited on 6 November 2022, at 20:07. Turkey has said it will block the membership bids if pledges are not kept. Finlands defence expenditure is proportionate to the needs of Finlands defence. NATO's Nuclear Deterrent Finland and Sweden are set to become NATO's 31st and 32nd members, pending ratification by the Hungarian and Turkish parliaments which officials believe will happen. France remains the only NATO member outside the Nuclear Planning Group and unlike the United States and the United Kingdom, will not commit its nuclear-armed submarines to the alliance.[16][17]. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. [2], NATO was established on 4 April 1949 via the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty). Military spending of the US compared to total of all 29 other NATO member countries (US$ millions). The trip to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be a sensitive one, as Turkey is, along with Hungary, the last of NATO's 30 countries to ratify the accession protocol that would make Finland and Sweden new . BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO allies will act if Sweden or Finland come under pressure from Russia or another adversary before they become full members of the . NATO member countries retain their full right to self-determination when it comes to permitting military activities, bases, materiel and equipment on their territory. NATO member countries that have ratified Finland's Accession Protocols. However, Denmark allowed the U.S. Air Force to maintain an existing base, Thule Air Base, in Greenland. The Accession Protocols of individual members do not include separate provisions on withdrawal. But the three signed an accord to lift Ankara's veto in exchange for counter-terrorism promises. Under Article 10, NATO membership is open to any European country that is in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area (in practice, the Euro-Atlantic area). And at least half in three of the eight NATO countries say that their government should not use military force in such circumstances.