NATO membership HS data: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already started preparing a second report leading to a NATO application

Policy|NATO membership

At the State Department a report or communication leading to a NATO application has already been prepared.

According to HS, the ministry has made various outlines of paper that is likely to be less than five pages long. It reviews the reasons why Finland is applying for NATO membership and possibly also lists the risks associated with the application.

It would be given to Parliament after the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö The Foreign and Security Policy Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to submit a NATO application.

Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (vihr) said at a news conference on Tuesday that “technically, after this week, there will probably be a readiness in the Foreign Ministry to make a second report or communication”.

Read more: Haavisto: Finland has not concluded an agreement with Sweden to apply for NATO at the same time, but the decision may still take place in the same days or weeks

However, according to HS data, the report has already been outlined in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ie next week is by no means relevant to the completion of the report.

It is reported from Haavisto’s cabinet that Haavisto wanted to emphasize in his statement that the timetable for the NATO decision will not stick to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. So nothing special happens on or after May Day that would change the Foreign Ministry’s readiness to report.

At issue is the second NATO-related report to be submitted to Parliament this spring.

Parliament is currently considering a report in the name of the current reportwhich analyzes the fundamental change in Finland’s foreign and security policy environment after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read more: Here is a summary of the key issues in the report

This first act does not contain any conclusions and does not set out new security policy guidelines. The purpose of the report is to provide a framework for the NATO debate in Parliament.

The report under discussion does not ask Parliament whether Finland should join NATO, but its consideration will most likely lead to Finland’s application for NATO membership.

Read more: A NATO debate begins in Parliament today, which could lead to a far-reaching and historic decision on membership

Presidential The Committee on Foreign and Security Policy, chaired by Along with the President, the state leadership has considered it important that Parliament form its own position in peace before submitting the application.

The state leadership wants the majority of the parties to be sure to stay behind their decision even when NATO membership finally becomes approved by Parliament. NATO countries must ratify Finland’s membership before Parliament decides. This is expected to take 4 to 12 months.

Bridge the position of the sdp is currently central. The party will report on May 14th. All indications are that the party will turn into a supporter of NATO membership.

Shortly afterwards, the president, who is in a key position in the application decision, is likely to discuss with the leadership of the parliamentary parties and also state his own position.

If a clear majority in Parliament is in favor of submitting a NATO application, the President and the Government will decide that Finland will apply for NATO membership. After that, the government will submit to Parliament a second report, which is now being prepared at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which is expected to take less than a week to process.

Second the report is quite a formality for membership itself, but it is also intended to engage parliament in the NATO membership process.

According to HS, the second report is much more concise than the first report, which is 51 pages long.

Read more: HS data: Finland’s NATO application decision will be made after mid-May

Read more: 119 MPs now support NATO membership, 11 oppose – Here are the views of all MPs at the moment