Finland, Germany and the Netherlands planning to continue battle group cooperation
Government Communications Unit
Press release 329/2005
21 October 2005
On Friday, 21 October, the President of the Republic and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the situation with preparing EU battle groups. Finland will participate in two EU combat detachments. The battle group to be formed together with Germany and the Netherlands will be at standby during the first half of 2007. As has been planned together with the participating countries, the group's next standby period is to be in 2011. The battle group to be formed together with Sweden, Estonia and Norway will be at standby during the first half of 2008.
Internal security and duties of the Committee
The meeting discussed whether internal security should be included in the Committee's duties. To arrange the monitoring of internal security, the duties of the Committee are to be extended to such key internal security issues that are connected with external relations and security policy.
Finland to chair the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
The Cabinet Committee discussed the policy for the two-year Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC), which will be transferred from Norway to Finland at the meeting of foreign ministers in Harstad on 10 November. The Nordic countries plus Russia and the European Commission are members of the BEAC, which was founded in 1993. Finland aims to link its targets as the chairman with the Nordic dimension policy in various areas of cooperation.
Further information: Markus Lyra, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5030, and Tarja Mankkinen, Head of the Internal Security Secretariat, Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 9 1604 2211, (internal security)
- Olli-Pekka Jalonen, Head of Unit, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 9 1608 8154, and Kimmo Lähdevirta, Head of Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5480, (EU battle groups)
- Anneli Puura-Märkälä, Ambassador, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5606, and Jukka Nikulainen, First Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5772 (Barents Euro-Arctic Council)