Finland will have to contribute 2% of its GDP and spend an additional 70-100 million euros per year for its administrative unit in NATO after becoming a member
Finland will have to contribute 2 per cent of its GDP and spend an additional 70-100 million euros ($75-106 million) per year for its administrative unit in NATO after becoming a permanent member, revealed the Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Tuesday. This was explained by Haavisto in the Parliament while presenting the bill on Finland’s NATO membership, according to Sputnik.
“The annual costs of joining NATO and its administration bodies and command structure are estimated at 70–100 million euros. As a member of NATO, Finland is committed to maintaining the level of defence spending at least 2% of the country’s GDP,” Haavisto said.
Finland required to pay $75-106 mn annually after becoming NATO member: Finnish Foreign Minister
Haavisto further maintained that an additional 110 personnel would be sent from Finland for the cause of membership by the next year. He added that the membership would also include the submission of classified documents during the process by the Finnish authorities. “One of the main consequences of NATO membership for the operations of the authorities will be the organisation of various national information security functions to the level provided by NATO information security requirements. The volume of classified information will increase, and demand for its processing will increase,” Haavisto said.
Notably, the Finnish parliament is expected to adopt the NATO membership bill, as 188 MPs voted in favour of the government’s proposal for NATO membership in March this year. This development came after Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership on May 18, months after Russia launched its aggressive military operation against Ukraine.
Finland and Sweden apply for NATO Membership
Earlier on July 4, 2022, Finland and Sweden had completed talks at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Both countries had formally confirmed their willingness and ability to meet all the obligations and commitments that came with becoming NATO members. The talks were held between NATO officials and representatives from Finland and Sweden. Finnish Foreign Minister Haavisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen led the Finnish delegation, while Sweden’s delegation was led by its Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
NATO Ambassadors also signed the accession protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters on July 5. Till now, Hungary and Turkey have not ratified the Swedish and Finnish applications. Notably, Finland has been a close partner of NATO for many years, but Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine prepared the ground for Finland to apply for NATO membership.