The Parliamentary group of the opposition Left Alliance is unanimously opposed to Finnish participation in combat forces of the European Union in any operations that do not have a mandate from the United Nations.
The statement is linked with the Parliamentary debate over the government’s report on defence policy, but it was also part of an intense debate within the Left Alliance. The party’s delegate council is to discuss taking an official stand on the issue. The topic was the subject of fierce discussions in May.
Left Alliance chairwoman Suvi-Anne Siimes had called for approval of Finnish participation in the EU forces.
She also said that there should be a possibility to deploy the forces by passing special legislation, without the mandate of the UN or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
However, she is not in favour of changing the law on peacekeeping in such a way that would allow Finnish forces to be sent on the basis of an EU mandate alone in normal conditions.
Supporters of a tougher line insist that the party should under no circumstances give its approval to the EU forces, and certainly not to any Finnish participation in those forces. This view has been promoted mainly by MP Esko-Juhani Tennilä and MEP Esko Seppänen.
Parliamentary observers saw Thursday’s declaration as favouring the line taken by Tennilä and Seppänen.
