Who are the last neutrals and who could give up the status
Wednesday 18 May represents a historic date for NATO and for the balance in Europe: Finland and Sweden, in fact, have delivered together with their official letters of request for membership of the Atlantic Alliance to the Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. She was sent by the Finnish ambassador Klaus Korhonen by his counterpart Axel Wernhoff, Swedish warmly letters from Stoltenberg. “This is a good day at a critical time for our security,” said the Secretary General. “Each nation has the right to choose its own path. Both made your choice after thorough democratic processes. And I welcome the requests from Finland and Sweden for NATO membership. You are our closest partner. And your membership in NATO would increase our shared security, ”he added. But there are other neutrals in Europe: these are countries of Austria, Switzerland and Ireland, whose neutrality has different origins and histories. To these is added Maltasmall neutral state as established by international law and especially by the country’s constitution.
The debate
L’ Austria it is bound to neutrality by the Austrian State Treaty of 1955 and its constitution, which prohibits entry into military alliances and the installation of military bases on Austrian territory. After the Second World War, in fact, the Austrian territory was occupied by the allied forces until 1955. In the same year, as the Braidsspecifically, it was the Soviets who requested Austria, through the request of the Moscow memorandum (one month earlier than the State Treaty), a similar commitment to neutrality, with the specific aim of preventing it from joining NATO once the withdrawal of the occupation troops is complete. Neutrality, therefore, was sanctioned by a fundamental law of the international state and not by an agreement. Now the dilemma is: is Vienna ready to follow the example of Finland and Sweden?
Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer recently said Austria will remain neutral. He reiterated this concept in April, just before going to Moscow to implore Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine: “Austria was neutral, Austria is neutral and Austria will remain neutral.” However, in recent weeks a debate has arisen in the country about the location of Vienna. 50 eminent Austrians – from the world of business, politics, academia and civil society – raised the issue. In an open letter, they invited the federal president Alexander van der Bellen to look independently whether the country’s neutrality policy was suited to the times. However, public opinion remains firmly oriented towards neutrality: according to polls, around 75% of Austrians want to maintain Vienna’s neutrality.
Swiss neutrality
Just like Austria, Swiss neutrality is based on a compromise with the great powers: at the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, France, Austria and Prussia all agreed to renounce their interests in the territory in favor of a neutral confederation. However, as DW recalls, there are strong differences between the neighboring Alpine states: Switzerland, for example, was never a great power: until it became a full-fledged power in 1848, it was a messy amalgamation of small states. sovereigns.
In foreign policy, Bern avoids limiting the signing of economic sanctions and is also not a member of the European Union, so it does not participate in EU foreign or security policy. Austria is much more active when it comes to mediating in international conflicts and broad objectives to an extent far more UN peacekeeping missions with soldiers than Switzerland.
Irish neutrality questioned by the war
Ireland pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II. In 1949, Dublin was invited to join NATO, but did not accept because it did not wish to join an alliance that also included the United Kingdom. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine could lead Ireland to revise its historical neutrality. During a recent held at the Minda de Gunzburg Study Center, Simone CoveneyMinister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense of Ireland, predicted that the Russian invasion will likely have to a “change of attitude” in the nation. The war in Ukraine, according to the minister, is changing the debate in Ireland ”. In the future, he added, “I think the Irish people will be more open to collective approaches to security”. Ireland has so far refrained from sending military equipment to Ukraine, but has sent non-lethal furniture, such as medical equipment and humanitarian aid.
There may therefore be changes in the future. Currently, Ireland spends about 0.3% of its GDP on defense, which Coveney described as “about a quarter and a half of what other European countries of a similar size are spending. “We are a complete outlier in what we spend on defense,” he told her. “I don’t think it’s sustainable in the future.”
The historical passage of Sweden and Finland
With this passage defined as “historic” by Stoltenberg himself, a process begins that will lead Finland And Sweden – barring any vetoes, such as that of Turkey – to renounce the historic “neutrality”. As for Helsinki, its interest in remaining neutral in conflicts in Finland between great powers was first recognized in a 1948 treaty between the Soviet Union (Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Assistance). The treaty prohibited the signatories from joining a military alliance against each other and Finland could not allow her territory to be used for an attack on Moscow. Finland was also required to maintain its neutrality through “adequate armed forces”. The case of Sweden is different: Stockholm is based there its policy of neutrality on tradition rather than an international treaty. Indeed, during the conflicts in the first half of the 19th century, Sweden maintained its neutral status. Neutrality which was later formally proclaimed by King Gustav XIV in 1834. In 1941 Sweden allowed German forces to transit through the Swedish territory to the Finnish front and at the same time protected the refugees from Nazism: after 1945 finally to maintain its status neutral.
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