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Embassy of SwedenWashington, USA

Local time 1:37 PM

Sweden's application for NATO membership

09 Aug 2022

On May 16, the Swedish Government decided that Sweden will apply for NATO membership. On July 5, 2022, all NATO member states signed the Accession Protocols for Sweden and Finland, paving the way for Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO.

The Government’s assessment is that NATO membership is the best way to protect Sweden’s security in light of the fundamentally changed security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sweden and Finland formally submitted their applications jointly on May 18, 2022

Link to report: Deterioration of the security environment – implications for Sweden

On June 29, 2022, Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, gathered in Madrid, Spain for the NATO Summit, invited Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols. The Madrid Summit declaration states: "The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure. The security of Finland and Sweden is of direct importance to the Alliance, including during the accession process."

On August 3, 2022, the U.S. Senate ratified Sweden’s and Finland's NATO accession. On August 9, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the NATO ratification documents for Finland and Sweden.

Learn more about Sweden's road to NATO: https://www.government.se/government-policy/sweden-and-nato/swedens-road-to-nato/

Last updated 03 Oct 2022, 5.12 PM