The Hungarian parliament wants to vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO. Polish farmers paralyze the German border

21 months after submitting the application, Sweden is likely to overcome the last major hurdle on the bumpy road to NATO. The Hungarian parliament wants to vote on Monday in its first plenary session on Sweden’s application for NATO membership after returning from the winter break. Because Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party recently expressed its support for the ratification of the motion after a long blockade, approval by Parliament is expected. This would pave the way for Sweden to join the Western defense alliance.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022. Finland was admitted to the alliance as the 31st member in April 2023. Sweden, on the other hand, fought for many months longer to get ratifications from NATO members Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey ended its blockade in January. Immediately afterwards, the US government started selling F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. Hungary also gave the green light a few days ago. Leading politicians from Orban’s Fidesz party had previously claimed they were “offended” by criticism of Hungary’s democratic conditions from Sweden. This destroyed bilateral trust. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson must remedy this by visiting Budapest. Furthermore, they demand that Sweden be treated with the same respect as Turkey, especially since the Swede has also traveled to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to end his blockade, Fidesz said.

Kristersson came to Budapest on Friday to meet Orban. It was announced that Hungary would purchase four new Swedish Jas 39 Gripen fighter jets. In addition, the two EU countries extended a maintenance and logistics agreement for the previous 14 Gripen aircraft, which Hungary has leased from Sweden since 2006 and which will become fully Hungarian owned in 2026, by ten years until 2036. This agreement was presented. by the Hungarian government-affiliated media as a victory for Hungarian diplomacy, although it remained unclear to what extent Sweden would have accommodated Hungary. Details of the financial terms were not provided.

At the same time, pressure had increased on Orban to finally admit the Swedes into the alliance. Kristersson’s visit and the fighter jet deal gave both sides a chance to save face. Orbán emphasized at the press conference with Kristersson that the defense agreement was not a condition for Hungary’s ratification of NATO. Nevertheless, he added: “But of course, reaching an agreement on defense and military capabilities will certainly help restore trust between the two countries.”

Sweden has so far received the approval of 30 of the 31 NATO members combined. Even if the parliament in Budapest ratifies it, it still has to be signed by the president. This will probably be one of the first official acts of Tamas Sulyok, who the Hungarian parliament will probably elect as head of state for Sweden on Monday shortly after ratification. Sulyok has no opponent and is supported by Fidesz, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament. He would succeed Katalin Novak, who resigned as head of state two weeks ago due to her involvement in a pedophilia scandal.

The Hungarian ratification must then be formally deposited with the US State Department in Washington. In the following days, Sweden could be welcomed as the 32nd member of the alliance with a ceremony raising the Swedish flag in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels. (sda/dpa)