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Finland to lift nuclear weapons ban
Change
Finland’s government proposed amending the 1987 Nuclear Energy Act to allow nuclear weapons to be brought into, transported, delivered, or possessed in Finland when connected to Finland’s military defence.
Why it matters
Finland’s 1987 Nuclear Energy Act prohibits the import, manufacture, possession, and detonation of nuclear explosives on Finnish soil, including during wartime. The government proposal would amend the act to make it possible to bring a nuclear weapon into Finland, or to transport, deliver, or possess one in Finland, if connected to Finland’s military defence. Defence minister Antti Häkkänen said the amendment is intended to enable Finland’s military defence as part of Nato and to take full advantage of Nato’s deterrence and collective defence. The proposal is presented after Finland joined Nato in 2023, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Implications
- • If enacted, Finland’s law would no longer categorically prohibit nuclear weapons from being brought into, transported within, delivered to, or possessed in Finland when tied to military defence.
- • The statutory ban on nuclear explosives would be modified from an absolute prohibition to a defence-linked allowance as described in the proposal.
Who is affected
- • National defence ministries and armed forces
- • Nuclear policy and arms-control compliance functions
- • Nato alliance defence planners
Source
Topics
World & Politics Policy & Regulation Security & Defense Energy & Power Nuclear