Hungarian National Assembly Approves Sweden’s Nato Bid

Hungarian National Assembly Approves Sweden’s Nato Bid

Following almost two years of political back-and-forth, the Hungarian parliament yesterday supported a motion to allow Sweden to join Nato. Given that all other Nato member states have already supported Sweden’s bid (with for example Turkey dropping their veto earlier last year), this represented the final obstacle for Sweden’s accession to the alliance.

In a historic vote, Hungary’s National Assembly on the banks of the Danube (which passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova before meeting the Black Sea in Ukraine), passed it with 188 votes against six.

Over the last few years, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has fostered tempestuous relations with Stockholm and been critical of the Western strategy towards Ukraine, while maintaining relations with Putin. For example, last November Orbán stated that EU’s strategy on Ukraine ‘has failed’ and that Hungarian tax receipts ought to support a failing strategy. This came only weeks after Orbán met with Vladimir Putin, marking the first time any EU leader had met the Russian president since the ICC put an arrest warrant on him.

Last Friday, the Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson visited Budapest and announced that Stockholm would send Hungary four additional Gripen Jets and that Saab would establish an AI hub in the country.

Sweden will now soon become the 32nd member state to join the alliance and marks a departure from some 200 years of pursuing a policy of neutrality.

Sweden’s forthcoming accession to Nato also comes as the alliance seeks to increase spending on defence. According to The Economist for Example, European Nato members will spend some $380bn on defence – with the alliance expecting that at least 20% of member states’ budgets being put towards weapons. While this will mark an increase in spending as a whole, it is estimated that  EU Nato member states have racked up a shortfall in spending of $600bn since 1991.