Meeting of EAPC Defence Ministers NATO HQ, Brussels 8 June 2001

Remarks by Mr. Juha Harjula, Director General, Ministry of Defence, Finland Mr. Secretary General, Ministers, As the Finnish contribution to the matter under discussion, I would like to make the following remarks: Finland continues to participate within all available resources in the NATO-led crisis response operations in the Balkans. We are deeply concerned about the continuing violence in the region, but we also strongly believe that the presence of the NATO-led forces in Bosnia and Kosovo continue to have a calming effect, injecting stability and security, in the region as a whole. Finland uses PfP and PARP as a means to respond to commitments also to the EU Headline Goal. Conversely, the military capabilities developed for the EU add to the crisis management assets of NATO. We all have only one set of forces and capabilities and one defence budget to draw resources from. We must avoid duplication in the work of these two organizations as far as it is practically possible. Finland is a staunch supporter of the further development and implementation of the OCC. We look forward to the speedy population of the Pool of Forces and Capabilities Database, so that the Database could provide necessary planning information on the personnel and equipment holdings of NATO and Partner nations. That, together with the launching of the Assessment and Feedback Programme, will greatly contribute to the readiness of NATO and Partner forces for any future NATO-led crisis response operations. Finland deeply regrets that at this Ministerial were are not able to give our approval to all the elements of the new PARP Ministerial Guidance 2001. We fully believe that there is a practical need to utilise the mechanisms of the PARP in the context of our EU commitments and that this should be appropriately reflected in the Ministerial Guidance. It is important that this Ministerial tasks our experts to return to the matter at hand as soon as possible in order to bring the negotiations on the unfinished paragraphs to an early conclusion. We expect to get a report on the progress at the autumn Ministerial. As to the main body of the PARP Ministerial Guidance 2001 to be approved today, we fully support the review/revalidation process. With the present menu of Partnership Goals, we all have a full plate of tasks as it is. We consider it important, however, that the possibility to add new Partnership Goals will be retained. As many other EAPC countries, also Finland has in the past year been conducting a defence review, the results of which the Government's Foreign and Security Affairs Committee approved last week. Finland will retain her present defence system, including the principles of territorial defence and universal male conscription. Defence structures will, however, provide for forces that are more flexible, deployable and survivable. Continued attention will be given to the training and equipping offerees that can be used in crisis response operations. I would also like to inform you that the Finnish Government has decided on a steady increase in defence spending, with more than a 4% real increase from 2001 to 2002, and continuous real growth every year up to the year 2008, which is the last year of the current planning period.