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‘The beginning of something new’: Sweden makes history by joining Nato

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has handed over Sweden's Nato accession documents in Washington, meaning Sweden is now officially a member of the Nato defence alliance.

Published: 7 March 2024 17:28 CET
'The beginning of something new': Sweden makes history by joining Nato
Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson hands over Sweden's Instrument of Accession to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Thomas Nilsson/TT

Kristersson handed over Sweden’s instrument of accession at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bringing to an end more than 200 years of neutrality and non-alignment. 

The handover took place at 5.25pm Swedish time, only a few hours after Hungary handed over its ratification of Sweden’s membership, meaning all 31 existing Nato members have ratified Sweden’s accession. 

“Good things come to those who wait. No better example,” Blinken said after he received the documents, calling Sweden’s accession “a historic moment”.

“None of this was foreseeable,” he added. “Sweden had a 200-year-old policy of non-alignment and before Putin’s re-invasion of Ukraine… less than a third of Swedes supported joining Nato.”

“Today is a truly historic day. Sweden is now a member of Nato,” Kristersson said when he took to the platform, thanking Blinken and US President Joe Biden for their “invaluable efforts and personal commitments” in supporting Sweden’s membership.

“We are humble but we are also proud. We will live up high expectations of all Nato members,” he said. “It’s a victory for freedom today…Sweden is leaving 200 years of neutrality and military non-alignment behind. It is a major step but a very natural step.” 

The decision brings an end to a long-drawn out process, which has seen first Turkey and then Hungary delay their ratifications of Sweden’s accession, meaning Sweden becomes a member nearly two years after formally asking to join on May 16th 2022. 

Russia’s February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighbouring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries. 

Russia has vowed “countermeasures” over Sweden’s entry into Nato, especially if the alliance’s troops and assets deploy in the country. Sweden and Finland, while both militarily intertwined with the United States and members of the European Union, have historically steered clear of officially joining Nato, formed in the Cold War to unite against the Soviet Union.

The day’s events started with Hungary depositing its documents ratifying Sweden’s membership, after which Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg formally invited Sweden to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty in a letter to Kristersson, while the US White House welcomed Sweden as a member of the alliance, writing in a depository notification that “the conditions for entry” had now been met.  

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Following Stoltenberg’s invitation, Sweden’s government held an extraordinary meeting at which it formally decided to join Nato. 

“This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Kingdom of Sweden,” Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said at a press conference in the Rosenbad Palace. “Entering Nato is a historic event of some magnitude, a milestone for our country. This is also a recognition of where Sweden’s home is from a security perspective. We belong among the free democracies of the West.” 

“Sweden is well prepared for Nato membership,” Sweden’s defence minister, Pål Jonson, posted on X. “The armed forces and other government authorities have devoted great effort to making the country ready for Nato membership since we applied for membership in 2022.”

Kristersson then signed the accession documents shortly after 4pm Swedish time, meeting Blinken an hour later. 

At 7pm Swedish time, Kristersson gave a televised address to the nation in which he explained the gravity of the step Sweden had taken and gave some of the credit to the Social Democrat government which began the process. 

“Nato membership is a collective success for Sweden,” he said. “The Social Democrats’ leader, Magdalena Andersson, led her party towards a ‘yes’ to Nato membership, at the same time as the Sweden Democrats took a new position and said ‘yes’. This process, which was begun by the former government, has now been completed by my government.” 

In an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Sweden’s opposition leader Magdalena Andersson had formerly said that she and the Social Democrat party she leads had dropped their opposition to Nato membership and started the process because it would improve Sweden’s security. 

“I started this process because I judged it best for Sweden and the security of the Swedish people,” she said. “It makes it easier to defend our democracy, our freedom and our way of life.”

Kristersson will now return to Sweden, flying to Nato’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday when the Swedish flag will be raised in a ceremony to celebrate Sweden’s accession. 

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MILITARY

EXPLAINED: What you need to know about Sweden’s new military spending report

Sweden's parliamentary defence commission on Friday recommended adding 52.8 billion kronor to the national defence budget by 2030, taking defence spending to 2.6 percent of GDP.

Published: 27 April 2024 13:18 CEST
EXPLAINED: What you need to know about Sweden's new military spending report

What is the Swedish Defence Commision? 

The Swedish Defence Commission is a cross-party forum which seeks to ensure broad political agreement around Sweden’s defence requirements. It brings together representatives of all eight parties in the Swedish parliament, with two each from the Moderates, Sweden Democrats and Social Democrats and one each for the other parties.

There are also advisers and experts from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. Members of the committee are supported by a secretariat comprising one principal secretary and five secretaries.

What is the report they have delivered? 

The committee on Friday delivered its final, report, “Strengthened defence capability, Sweden as an Ally“, meeting the deadline given by the country’s defence minister Pål Jonson when he ordered the committee to develop proposals for a new defence bill in December 2022, with a total of four reports, the first three of which were delivered in April 2023, June 2023, December 2023. 

What have they recommended? 

The committee have recommended that Sweden’s budget is increased from 119 billion kronor a year in 2024 to 185 billion kronor in 2030, which would bring total spending to 2.6 percent of Sweden’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

The committee said it agreed with the recommendations given by Micael Byden, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces in November 2023, which were that Sweden should increase or improve: 

  • air defence and in particular its cooperation within NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD)
  • its ability to combat air, land and sea drones 
  • its integration with NATO’s command system
  • its logistics, so that it can provide Host Nation Support and serve as a base for other units from other Nato countries. 
  • its capacity to operate with military units outside Sweden’s borders 

But the committee also made additional recommendations beyong those given by the armed forces, calling for: 

  • two new army brigades, so that Sweden would have three mechanised brigades and one infantry brigade by 2030
  • a new Norrland Infantry Regiment,
  • an increase in the number of conscripts trained a year from the current level of 8,000 to 10,000 in 2030 and 12,000 in 2032, and possibly to 14,000 in 2035
  • a boost in Sweden’s air defence capability, particularly to counter drone attacks 
  • stocking up on additional ammunition, including air-to-air and cruise missiles, and spare parts 
  • 20 new companies and platoons dedicated to defending Sweden’s territories 
  • increased refresher courses for conscripts, extra funding of voluntary defence organisations, and expansion of the officer education programme

How will the cost of funding this military expansion be met? 

While they were agreed on what needed to be done, party representatives on the committee did not agree on how much needed to be spent or how ti should be financed. 

The Centre Party representative said that spending should be higher, comprising 3 percent of GDP. 

The representatives from the Social Democrats, Left Party, and Green Party, added a statement to the report when they called for a section on how the extra spending should be financed.  

Peter Hultqvist, who served as defence minister under the former Social Democrat government, called for a new beredskapsskatt, or “Readiness Tax” to fund the increase, saying it was disappointing that the committee had not been able to agree on financing. 

“This demand is so big that it risks pushing other pressing requirements out of government spending plans,” he said. “There is a risk that healthcare, education and elderly care will be hit.” 

But Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s prime minister, rejected the idea of a new tax. 

“It’s no secret that the parties on the left always see reasons to raise taxes, and that’s the case this time as well, I assume. But that is not our way forward,” he said. “We must be able to prioritise Swedish defense, and I understand that there is now complete agreement that it is an important political task.” 

Anna Starbrink, a defence spokesperson for the Liberals, the smallest party in the government, said that the Swedish Defence Commission had not in the past been tasked with developing funding proposals. 

“This is a new idea from the opposition and from the Social Democrats’ side is about nothing more than forcing through a new tax hike through the defence commission, and that’s something the rest of us don’t want to go along with,” she said. 

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