Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed the law draft legislation that authorises him to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession.
The two Nordic countries forsook their decades-long neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking a conventional military conflict that Europe had not seen since World War Two.
The Polish president signed the bills in the Polish Navy seaport in Gdynia on the Baltic coast on Friday. The lower house of parliament, the Sejm, passed the legislation on July 7, and on Wednesday, July 20, the bills were approved by the Senate, the upper house.
“It is a very important day not only for NATO, for our part of Europe, the Baltic Sea basin and the security of this part of the world,” Duda said.
“It is also a crucial day for future generations of Poles and those who will live and build their day-to-day 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 NATO membership in mid-May. Today, they have the status of invited countries and can take part in NATO meetings, but do not have voting rights.