NATO HQ 6 Dec. 2000

Remarks by Mr. Juha Harjula, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Defence, Finland Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Defence Ministers Session Mr. Secretary General, Esteemed Ministers of Defence, In terms of our theme for this meeting - PfP's Contributions to Defence Capabilities, Crisis Response Operations and Defence Reform - the following three points seem to carry a special relevance from the Finnish point of view: Finland continues to give high priority to the strengthening of her partnership with NATO through the EAPC and the Partnership for Peace programme. The operations in the Balkans are the most visible practical example of this relationship. It is particularly important for us that the Alliance remains firmly committed to the full implementation of the Politico-Military Framework for NATO-led PfP operations. The greater frequency and substance of meetings in recent months show that the PMF has been implemented in a more dynamic way than before. Finland has greatly benefited from her participation in the Planning and Review Process (PARP) also in the context of the creation of crisis management capabilities for the European Union. Our contribution to the EU Headline Goal is firmly based on troops and capabilities previously declared in the PARP process, which we consider the primary tool for developing interoperability. By declaring her PARP-listed troops available for the EU, Finland ensures the interoperability of the troops and at the same time demonstrates in a practical way why the duplication of defence planning procedures in the EU context should be avoided. We strongly support the further development and implementation of the OCC, and we note with satisfaction that the resource issues associated with the OCC Database and the Assessment and Feedback Programme seem to be all but resolved. We continue to put a special emphasis on the creation of a credible and cost-effective assessment and feedback mechanism, so as to make sure that the units declared for the overall pool of forces and capabilities will fulfill the highest standards for future NATO-led or perhaps EU-led operations. In this connection, Finland is offering her Defence Forces' International Centre (FINCENT) as the venue for training assessors for the OCC Assessment and Feedback Programme. We are prepared to start such training, in cooperation with NATO military authorities, as early as autumn 2001. We will shortly distribute a paper on this subject in the appropriate committee.