[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1130 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 1130

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 18, 2022.
Whereas Finland and Sweden have made a historic decision to deepen their 
        security ties with the transatlantic community;
Whereas a more resilient security architecture in Europe advances democracy, 
        human rights, and values consistent with the North Atlantic Treaty;
Whereas, on April 4, 1949, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, 
        Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and 
        the United States formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 
        hereinafter referred to as NATO, to serve as a defensive alliance based 
        on promoting democratic values and the peaceful mediation of disputes;
Whereas NATO membership is open to ``any other European state in a position to 
        further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security 
        of the North Atlantic area'';
Whereas Finland and Sweden are European states with strong democratic 
        foundations that share the transatlantic community's dedication to the 
        rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes;
Whereas Finland and Sweden have been members of NATO's Partnership for Peace 
        program since 1994 and have contributed to NATO-led operations in the 
        Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq;
Whereas NATO established the Partnership Interoperability Initiative at the 
        Wales Summit in 2014 to develop military-to-military interoperability 
        between select partner nations enabling them to contribute to future 
        crisis management, including NATO-led operations;
Whereas Finland and Sweden were designated inaugural Enhanced Opportunities 
        Partners at the Wales Summit in 2014;
Whereas the hard-fought post-World War II European security architecture has 
        been upended by the Russian Federation's cruel full-scale invasion of 
        Ukraine which began on February 24, 2022;
Whereas the Russian Federation's invasion has fomented the worst European 
        humanitarian crisis since World War II with 4,339 civilian deaths, 4.8 
        million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, and 7.1 million more 
        internally displaced within Ukraine, according to the United States 
        Agency for International Development as of June 10, 2022;
Whereas Finland and Sweden's populations expressed support for NATO membership;
Whereas Finland and Sweden's highly capable militaries are interoperable with 
        NATO forces and would increase and fortify NATO's collective security by 
        increasing the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region and 
        Northern Europe;
Whereas officials of the Russian Federation issued threats directed at Finland 
        and Sweden prior to their decision to exercise their sovereign right to 
        apply for NATO membership;
Whereas despite these threats from the Russian Federation, Finland and Sweden's 
        national institutions have reviewed their policies of military 
        nonalignment and their governments and parliaments have expressed 
        support for applying for NATO membership; and
Whereas in the best interests of their respective peoples, the European security 
        architecture, the rule of international law, and democracy in Europe, 
        Finland and Sweden have announced their support for NATO membership: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses support for Finland and Sweden's sovereign and 
        historic decision to apply to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
        (NATO);
            (2) recognizes that Finland and Sweden's sovereign and historic 
        decision to apply to NATO is reflective of the will of those respective 
        governments' peoples;
            (3) urges all members of NATO to meet the two-percent defense 
        spending pledge as agreed upon during the 2014 Wales Summit;
            (4) opposes any attempt by the Russian Federation to act in an 
        adverse way in response to Finland and Sweden's sovereign and historic 
        decision to apply to join NATO;
            (5) recognizes that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO 
        requires all 30 Allies to sign and ratify protocols of accession; and
            (6) calls on the member states of NATO to formally support the 
        accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.