Is neutrality an outdated concept in Europe?

By made neutrality impossible officially submitting the application to join by rekindling the approach of NATO, in no time at all Finland took cogni- military blocs in Europe zance of the Russian threat to the thousands of kilometres of border shared with the Rus- In the space of a few months, Russia’s inva- sian Federation, committed the country to a sion of Ukraine made the long-standing reinfor. [...] lity, firmly reinforced by significant military capacity, the Kingdom of Sweden was able We cannot under-estimate the domestic to devote itself fully to the Industrial Revo- and foreign magnitude of the leap forward lutions and the creation of a welfare state, made by the Republic of Finland in the space by opting out of the European wars of the of a few weeks. [...] This move country’s foreign policy since the victory is commensurate with the reassessment against the USSR in the Winter War (1940- of the Russian threat: for the last decade, 1941), its defeat against the Soviet Union Sweden has become aware of its weaknesses during the Continuation War (1941-1944) and in the Baltic opposite Russia. [...] The 2022 invasion of Ukraine cleared In short, the explicit end to the long-stan- up all ambiguity that may have remained ding neutral status of Sweden and Finland for some following the intervention in Syria is a general wake-up call for the States and (2015), the annexation of Crimea (2014) peoples of wider Europe: the continent is now and the war with Georgia (2008). [...] Along the refore be mistaken to consign neutrality in same lines, Dublin was accused of favouring Europe to the past or to the strategic folklore the West during the Cold War by allowing the of the Concert of Nations, an idea has long stopovers of unarmed NATO military aircraft since been left behind.