Current Finnish laws, including the Nuclear Energy Act, bar the import, storage, or any deployment of nuclear devices on Finnish territory. The proposed amendment would allow nuclear weapons to be brought into Finland and is part of a series of reforms intended to deepen the country’s integration into NATO.
“The objective is to remove legal barriers to enable Finland’s homeland defense as part of the Alliance and the full utilization of NATO’s deterrence and defense,” the message said.
Officials said the amendment is intended to strengthen Finland’s security as operational environment in Europe deteriorates.
“The amendment is proposed in order to maximize Finland’s security in an unpredictable operating environment. Its purpose is to ensure that all elements of NATO’s deterrence are credible and that the threshold of military action against Finland and the Alliance remains as high as possible,” the statement said.
The government stated the proposal does not mean Helsinki seeks to host nuclear weapons.
“The proposed amendment would not mean that Finland would be
seeking to have nuclear weapons in its territory. Finland does not seek to have
nuclear weapons in its territory nor is NATO planning such a move.”