NATO Enlargement

The NATO enlargement process is It is aimed at promoting stability and cooperation, at building a Euro-Atlantic space whole and free, united in peace, democracy and common values. Any decision to invite a country to join the Alliance is taken by the North Atlantic Council on the basis of consensus among all Allies. No third country has a say in such deliberations.

Since 1949, NATO’s membership has increased from 12 to 30 countries through eight rounds of enlargement.

The first three rounds of enlargement – which brought in Greece and Türkiye (1952), West Germany (1955) and Spain (1982) – took place during the Cold War, when strategic considerations were at the forefront of decision-making.

After the end of the Cold War, NATO enlargement became the subject of lively debate. Many political analysts were unsure of the benefits that enlargement would bring. Some were concerned about the possible impact on Alliance cohesion and solidarity, as well as on relations with other states, notably Russia. It is in this context that the Alliance carried out a Study on NATO Enlargement in 1995.  Based on the findings of the Study on Enlargement, the Alliance invited Czechia, Hungary and Poland to begin accession talks at the Alliance’s Madrid Summit in 1997. These three countries became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join NATO in 1999.

At the 1999 Washington Summit, the Membership Action Plan was launched to help other aspirant countries prepare for possible membership.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia were invited to begin accession talks at the Alliance’s Prague Summit in 2002 and joined NATO in 2004. All seven countries had participated in the MAP.

Albania and Croatia were invited to begin accession talks at the Alliance’s Bucharest Summit in 2008 and joined NATO on 1 April 2009;

Montenegro officially became the 29th member of the Alliance in June 2017;

North Macedonia became the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020, after a historic agreement between Athens and Skopje was signed and the name issue was resolved.

NATO’s Open Door Policy and enlargement process is still continuing, which is confirmed by the fact Finland and Sweden join the Alliance as its member in 2023-2024.

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