The Finnish flag is now among those flying outside the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto presented his country's instrument of accession on Tuesday: Finland is now a member of the North Atlantic defence alliance.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the accession. "This is good news and a win for transatlantic security," he said. "Our defence alliance has gained a strong new ally through Finland's accession." Sweden's pending accession had Germany's unreserved backing, he added.

On the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Brussels, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that this was a happy day. "Finland’s accession will make NATO stronger," said Baerbock adding that Finland would gain more security whilst NATO was gaining a strong new ally. Baerbock expressed her regret that Sweden was not able to join NATO at the same time. Both countries, she said, had done everything possible and made all the preparations to make it happen. 

Both Finland and Sweden applied to join the Alliance on 18 May 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but this requires the consent of all NATO member states. To date, the ratification process in Turkey and Hungary has been completed for Finland but is still pending for Sweden. Sweden’s participation in the NATO Summit in Vilnius this July as a full member of the Alliance continues to be the goal.

The Alliance expands to 31 member states

NATO is the guarantor of stability and security in Europe. The accession of Finland on the 74^th anniversary of its inception has expanded the number of member states to 31. Speaking at the admission ceremony in Brussels, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg called it a "good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole".

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said: "As of today, Germany and the Federal Armed Forces are committed to Finland's security and defence, as is true for the Alliance as a whole." Finland's capable armed forces, he added, would strengthen NATO and increase the security of the Baltic Sea coasts, which, he said would also benefit the Baltic States.

Federal Chancellor Scholz commenting on the Republic of Finland's accession to NATO:
"On behalf of the Federal Government, I welcome the fact that as of today Finland is one of our allies in NATO. This is a historic step that strengthens the Alliance as a whole and will increase security in and for Europe. Now, as joint members of an alliance whose core tenet is a commitment to mutual solidarity, we look forward to continuing our close cooperation. In line with the decisions taken at the Madrid Summit, we continue to expect that Sweden and Finland will participate as new member states in the Alliance's Vilnius Summit in July this year. Sweden continues to have our full support on this journey."

The Swedish and Finnish armed forces already collaborate closely with the Federal Armed Forces in overseas operations as well as in joint exercises with, for example, the air force, the mountain troops, and the artillery corps. To learn more, please visit the Federal Ministry of Defence website.

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