Finland plans to remove its legal ban on bringing nuclear weapons into the country, Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said at a Thursday evening news conference, Yle reported.
Häkkänen said the prohibition, introduced in the 1980s, is no longer relevant. He argued the current law does not meet Finland’s needs as a NATO member and noted that blanket bans of this kind are rare among other allies.
Transit of nuclear munitions through Finnish territory would be allowed only in cases tied to the country’s defense, he said. Häkkänen stressed Finland is not seeking the permanent basing of nuclear weapons; that would require a separate intergovernmental agreement subject to review by Parliament and the country’s leadership.
Opposition parties - the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance - criticized the government’s approach, saying the issue should have been discussed with all parliamentary parties. Häkkänen cited the sensitivity of the matter but said it should not come as a surprise, noting the government had previously signaled it was examining the question.
Implementing the shift will require amendments to the Criminal Code and the Nuclear Energy Act. The government plans to provide all members of Parliament with classified materials on the proposal and aims to pass the legislative changes by the end of the summer.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in France’s arsenal, in a speech at the Île Longue naval base in Crozon, home to the country’s ballistic missile submarine fleet.
