A proposed amendment to the 1987 law would allow the transport, possession and placement of nuclear arsenals on Finnish territory in the event that this is necessary for the country’s military defence.
Finland plans to lift the ban on nuclear weapons on its territory to bring its deterrence policy in line with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which it has been a member of since 2023, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen announced on Thursday.
A new proposal
“In the future, the government’s proposal would make it possible to bring a nuclear weapon to Finland, or to transport, deliver or possess it in Finland, if it is related to the military defense of Finland,” explained Häkkänen.
In all other cases, according to the Minister of Defense, the importation, transportation, delivery and possession of nuclear explosives would continue to be prohibited.
Häkkänen claims that the security environment in Finland and Europe has “fundamentally and significantly changed and worsened” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Amendment of the Law on Nuclear Energy
Finland joined NATO in April 2023 and, according to the Minister of Defense, it could become familiar with the Alliance’s nuclear defenses only after it became a member, because it is “classified information”.
The proposed policy change would require Finland to amend its 1987 Nuclear Energy Act, which bans the import, production, possession and launch of nuclear weapons on its territory, as well as its criminal code.
The right-wing coalition, which has a majority in parliament, said its proposal had been sent for comments until April 2 and hoped the new law would enter into force as soon as possible.
