Researcher says top EU military posts not available to Finns
Defence Staff notes Finnish general soon to get department head position
Gustav Hägglund
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Finnish economist, Dr. Jan-Peter Paul, who works for the European Commission, says that staying outside NATO is preventing Finland from getting any important posts in the EU involving defence policy.
According to Paul, staying outside NATO will keep Finland outside the core activities of the EU's military staff, and its Joint Situation Centre (SITCEN). He also says that Finnish civil servants cannot be named to top positions of those bodies, because NATO does not want to give non-member states access to its confidential intelligence information.
He also says that for the same reason, Finns will not be given tasks in foreign policy or defence policy requiring access to top-secret NATO intelligence information.
The views are expressed in Paul's new book Tiedustelu 2000 ("Reconnaissance 2000"), which was published on Tuesday. Paul does not specify which posts Finland may have missed because of staying outside NATO.
Dr. Paul's claims are refuted by Major-General Heikki Holma, the head of the international section of the Finnish Defence Staff.
Holma pointed out that General Gustav Hägglund recently served as chairman of the EU's Military Committee. He also notes that six Finnish officers work at the EU's military staff in Brussels, and that one of them, Colonel Simo Alho, is set to get a high-ranking post in the military staff, and that in the same connection he will be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.
The EU Military Staff has less than ten generals' posts.
Holma also observes that NATO does not have military reconnaissance activities of its own: that task is handled by individual members. The EU gets whatever intelligence information it can from countries that are members of both the EU and NATO.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 19.1.2005 - TODAY |
 Researcher says top EU military posts not available to Finns |
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