PM Vanhanen: Money is secondary issue in NATO membership

Matti Vanhanen

Seppo Kääriäinen

Jyrki Katainen

Jaakko Laakso

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While the issue of Finland's possible NATO membership was discussed during the Parliamentary Question Time on Thursday, both Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and Minister of Defence Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) stressed that the NATO question should not be decided on the basis of cost factors. It is to be a political decision.
     
On the initiative of opposition National Coalition Party leader Jyrki Katainen, the MPs started a lengthy debate on whether or not Finland could spend less on defence after joining NATO.
      Furthermore, Katainen asked about the future costs of the acquisitions of the Finnish Defence Forces. He also wanted to know if the same acquisitions would be made in any event - regardless of NATO membership. Katainen's questions were prompted by Ambassador Antti Sierla's recent concerns about Finland's defence budget. Sierla is also the Head of the Mission of Finland to NATO in Brussels.
     
The Finnish Defence Forces will handle its acquisitions in the same way as before, by enhancing the internal productivity of the defence administration, according to Minister Kääriäinen.
      Jaakko Laakso (Left Alliance) expressed surprise at the claim made by Katainen and other "NATO believers" that Finland could spend less on defence after joining the alliance. On the contrary, Laakso estimated that NATO membership would require an annual increase of at least EUR 1 billion in Finland's defence budget.
      Kääriäinen, in turn, mentioned a study conducted a couple of years back, which indicated that membership would cost around EUR 70 million per year.
      Kääriäinen concluded that primarily Finland will always defend its territory herself with her own equipment.
      Several MPs urged the Government to issue a report or even a brief declaration of the pros and cons of potential NATO membership. According to Prime Minister Vanhanen, such a report will be supplied in 2008.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Prime Minister Vanhanen welcomes NATO offer of increased cooperation (6.4.2006)
  Finland could be allowed into decision-making on some NATO operations (4.4.2006)

Links:
  The Finnish Defence Forces: Finland and NATO by Tomas Ries

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