Gov't Set To Present White Paper On Security & NATO Membership Today

The Finnish gov't is set to present a white paper later today on the nation's security, which is set to officially start the debate on whether Finland should join the NATO alliance.

• Support for joining the defence alliance has soared in recent weeks, with the latest polls showing more than 60% of respondents in favour of joining, a 34% jump from autumn 2021. Of those in favour of joining, 41% believe the decisions should be made ASAP, with 19% in favour of joining by year-end and just 6% saying the decision should come after the 2023 parliamentary elections.
• The white paper will not make a decision on NATO membership, but will begin the parliamentary debate on the issue. Parliament will then give its recommendation on the subject to the gov't and president.
• Russia has sought to dissuade Finnish contemplation of joining NATO through threats and insinuation of difficulty ahead. Kremlin spox Dmitri Peskov stated on 7 April that Finland joining NATO would require a 'rebalancing' of the situation, adding that “we’ll have to make our western flank more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security”.
• There is the prospect that Finland and Sweden seek NATO membership simultaneously, but at present it appears that the Swedish gov't is less progressed with its decision making on whether to join the bloc, and if so when.