The Security Implications of Finland’s Accession to NATO

Stanojević, Nataša (2025) The Security Implications of Finland’s Accession to NATO. In: European Security Order, Integration and Modernisation - Perspectives and Challenges in the Central and Eastern European Region. China–CEE Institute, Budapest, Hungary, pp. 67-89. ISBN 978-615-02-2788-7

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Abstract

After World War II, Finland pursued neutrality, which allowed it to maintain its sovereignty and security despite its delicate position in Western value orientations, along with a very long border with Russia. The Ukrainian crisis caused Finland to renounce neutrality and apply for NATO membership. On 4 April 2023, after a unprecedentedly short process, Finland became a NATO member. This study explores the implications of this revision of Finland’s security strategy. Three main research questions are examined, namely: What are the effects of Finland joining NATO on NATO’s objectives? What implications does NATO membership have for Finland’s security? How might Finland’s changing status affect the European security landscape? The basic method is a case study, an in-depth analysis of the abandonment of Finland’s neutrality status in the specific security conditions. A historical method is also used, enabling a contextual understanding of the various implications of this major revision of Finnish security strategy, as well as partial causal explanations for its initiation. Content analysis is applied in order to analyse policy documents, reports, and the statements of officials about the motives for abandoning neutrality, as well as feedback from other interested parties. The study concludes that Finland’s admission to NATO could have a negative impact on the security of Finland and European security as a whole, while at the same time being very useful from the perspective of NATO goals in the Ukraine conflict.

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