During the course of the day, the Bundestag will decide on Germany’s approval of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership. The federal government had previously made it clear once again why this step was necessary.
At the start of a parliamentary debate on Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO, the federal government campaigned for approval on Friday. “The planned accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Defense Alliance is of outstanding importance for us and our partners in view of the shocks we are experiencing in Europe and around the world as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Tobias Lindner (Greens), Minister of State in the Foreign Office, who spoke for the government.
In a dramatically changed security situation in Europe, this accession not only means additional security for the Nordic partners, but also an increase in strength and cohesion for NATO as a whole, said Lindner. There is also a long partnership with both countries. Lindner: “Today we are strengthening NATO’s democratic values.”
Later in the day, the Bundestag will decide on Germany’s approval of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership. Ratification by the German parliament before the summer break is considered certain. The move by Sweden and Finland is a direct response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. On Tuesday, the ambassadors of the 30 alliance states had already signed the so-called accession protocols at the headquarters in Brussels in the presence of the foreign ministers of the two Nordic countries.
