09
Feb
2023
Debates Videoconferences
Hybrid
from 10:00 to 12:00
This event is public
Drapeaux de l'OTAN, de la Finlande et de la Suède
Drapeaux de l'OTAN, de la Finlande et de la Suède
Credits: OTAN

Accession to NATO, war in Ukraine: what are the new security challenges for Sweden and Finland? Open access conference (hybrid format)

A conference with Esa Pulkkinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense, and Peter Sandwall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defense.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has many consequences on regional balances: in addition to the direct importation of a high-intensity conflict on European soil, it also changes the northern neighborhood of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. The invitation was then renewed by the Heads of State and Government of the Alliance's member countries at the Madrid Summit last June. Since then, the process has been underway for ratification by member states: to date, all national parliaments have ratified it, with the exception of Turkey and Hungary. 

The integration of Sweden and Finland into NATO poses new challenges for the Alliance: the shift of its center of gravity to the north, the extension of the common border between the Alliance and Russia, etc. Moreover, Stockholm and Helsinki bring a different strategic culture and a particular appreciation of the security challenges in Northern Europe, especially in relation to the Baltic Sea, which must be discussed in order to better understand them. 

Speakers : 
  • Esa Pulkkinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense
  • Peter Sandwall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defense
 
Discutant : Héloïse Fayet, Research Fellow at the Security Studies Center of Ifri 
 
Moderator : Dr. Elie Tenenbaum, Director of the Security Studies Center of Ifri 
 
This conference will be open access (after registration) and in a hybrid format (both on-site and on Zoom). 
The discussions will be fully in English, without translation.
 



Address: 
27 rue de la Procession, 75015 Paris.
Contact the organizers: 

To register, please contact strategie@ifri.org with your name, occupation and whether you want to participate in person or online.

Keywords
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) War in Ukraine Finland Russia Sweden