Just as in Sweden, in recent weeks many dates have flourished in Finland in the debate on a possible NATO application.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has now announced that he will announce on 12 May what he thinks of a Finnish membership in the military alliance. 

According to Ilta-Sanomat, Niinistö will meet the parliamentary parties on the same date, and by then the process in the Finnish parliament may also have taken a step forward.

The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat writes that the committees that deal with the government's security policy report must finish their work on 11 May.

Mutual decision

A possible decision on Finland's application to join NATO will be made jointly by the President and the Government.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin has said that she will give notice before her party, the Social Democrats, decides.

It will take place at a meeting on 14 May. 

Ilta-Sanomat writes that Niinistö does not reveal his position on the NATO issue in this interview - but that between the lines you can interpret it as Niinistö still flagging for a membership.

He says, for example, that if Finland joins NATO, "the general security situation will change, we will have a margin". 

- Of course, our security situation has changed.

The first change was that Russia was trying to create a sphere of interest.

The other was that Russia has used military force in an incredibly harsh way.

And when a neighbor behaves, you must of course be aware of it, Niinistö says in the interview.

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What does increased tensions between Russia and Finland mean in Finland's NATO membership?

Vladimir Gel'man, Russian professor of political science, answers questions in the feature.

Photo: SVT

S-decision in Sweden in May

In Sweden, there is a security policy dialogue within the Social Democrats, including on a possible NATO membership.

It should be ready on 12 May.

Thereafter, the party board must make a decision, which must be made no later than 24 May. 

At the same time, the government is developing a new security policy analysis for Sweden after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

That analysis should be completed on 13 May.

However, it is unclear whether it will contain any recommendation on NATO membership, as the Social Democrats will then not have decided.