The President approves bills to allow Finland, Sweden into NATO – The First News
The Polish president signed the bills at the port of the Polish navy in Gdynia on the Baltic coast last Friday.
Marcin Gadomski / PAP
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, has signed a bill authorizing him to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession.
The two Nordic countries abandoned their decades-long neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering a conventional military conflict that Europe had not seen since World War II.
The Polish president signed the bills at the port of the Polish navy in Gdynia on the Baltic coast last Friday. The lower house of parliament, the Sejm, passed the legislation on July 7, and on Wednesday the bill was approved by the Senate, the upper house.
“This is a very important day, not just for NATO, not just for our part of Europe, for the Baltic Sea region and the security of this part of the world,” Duda said. “It is also a very important day … for future generations of Poles and those who will live and build their daily lives and their happiness in this part of Europe and the world.”
When the new legislation enters into force, the President will be able to ratify a protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of the two candidate members.
Finland and Sweden applied for membership in NATO in mid-May. Today, they have the status of invited countries and can participate in NATO meetings, but do not have the right to vote. All 30 current members of the bloc must agree to accept the two Nordic countries in the alliance.