Accession to NATO, war in Ukraine: what are the new security challenges for Sweden and Finland?
Practical information
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.
- Esa Pulkkinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense
- Peter Sandwall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defense
The discussions will be fully in English, without translation.
Other events
The Future of Space Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities in the Trump II Era
The policy orientations of the Trump II administration profoundly challenge the foundations of international cooperation in space science and exploration. This shift reflects a broader trend of strategic disengagement and weakening of multilateral mechanisms in the space domain.
Strategic Autonomy and Asia amid Rising Geoeconomic Competition
Amid growing strategic and geopolitical uncertainty, Europe is grappling with the notion of its strategic autonomy. For Europe’s partners in Asia, the concept is also becoming increasingly salient as the world enters an era of structural transformation.
France-Germany, The Engine Under Pressure
Faced with a profoundly disrupted strategic and economic environment, Franco-German cooperation is more than ever the central pillar of Europe's future. The war in Ukraine, energy and technological dependence, and uncertainty about the strength of the transatlantic ties require urgent deepening of European sovereignty, both in terms of defence and economic and industrial competitiveness.