The Senate of Spain is set to hold a plenary session today to vote on the ratification of Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol, after which the country will soon become an official member of the Alliance.

The senators will vote for Macedonia to become a full-fledged NATO member via video conference and for the first time in history it will be made possible through an electronic voting system via a computer network. They will vote from home and will not be physically present in the Senate.

Macedonia will be the only item on the agenda, and the Senate has been closed for a week due to the coronavirus situation. The move follows in order not to waste extra time on the country’s formal admission to NATO.

This ratification ends the procedure for Macedonian membership in the Alliance, and the ceremony to mark full membership will be in early April, although no ceremonies and gathering are expected due to the emerging pandemic situation.