As of: March 24, 2024, 9:57 a.m
By: Philipp Bräuner
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Finnish soldiers during the NATO exercise “Nordic Response”.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hopes that thanks to the country's expertise, Europe in general will be better prepared for war.
© Heiko Junge/dpa
At the EU summit, EU Commission President von der Leyen asked the Finnish ex-president for a report on how to prepare for an outbreak of war.
Brussels - Not only from the perspective of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, there is a lot of catching up to do when it comes to security in Europe.
She was convinced in the run-up to the EU summit that the rest of the alliance could certainly learn something from member state Finland.
For this reason, she asked Finland's former president Sauli Niinistö to share his knowledge with the other members of the union.
Russian threat: EU should learn from Finland for defense in the event of war
At a press conference in Brussels, von der Leyen said that Finland in particular was familiar with the threat from an aggressive neighbor.
“We know that Putin’s plans do not end in Ukraine,” she said, “on the contrary.”
The Scandinavian country shares a border with Russia that is approximately 1,340 kilometers long.
“Finland has always maintained a strong defense,” von der Leyen continued.
It is crucial that not only the military but also society as a whole takes responsibility.
This comprehensive civil protection strategy prepares the country for other disaster scenarios in addition to military ones.
“This is what proper preparation looks like,” enthused von der Leyen.
“And that is what makes Finland a resilient nation.” She wants to adapt this special way of thinking for the rest of Europe, which she hopes for based on a report by Niinistö on the subject, the EU Commission President concluded.
It's not just in the EU that people rely on Finland's defense expertise.
Finland has been a member of NATO for almost a year.
This means that the Atlantic Alliance not only benefits from a geographically important position in northeastern Europe.
In addition, the Scandinavian country says it can gradually mobilize up to 280,000 reservists.
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Finland's preparation for war can be explained historically
For historical reasons, Finland has always taken a special path in the past.
Under tsarist rule until the First World War, the country later militarily resisted incorporation into the Soviet Union - albeit with heavy losses to land and people.
This experience with the neighbors to the east may have led to not taking part in the general disarmament after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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