Key developments since May 2005: At the Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Finland reiterated its commitment to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty by 2012 and destroy all stockpiled antipersonnel mines by 2016.
The Republic of Finland has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Since the expansion of the European Union (EU) in May 2004, Finland is the only EU country that has not signed, ratified or acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In March 2005, Finland’s Foreign Minister acknowledged the treaty as “one of the major successes in disarmament in the past years,” and stated, “Even though Finland has not been a party to the Convention, it has supported an effective and global ban on anti-personnel landmines, and has been, in fact, implementing most of the provisions of the Convention.”[1]
On 10 September 2004, Finland announced that it would join the Mine Ban Treaty in 2012, six years later than its previously stated goal, and would destroy its mine stockpiles by 2016.[2] These are considered firm dates, rather than goals.[3] As noted by the Foreign Minister, “The Finnish Parliament has confirmed that Finland will accede to the Convention and thereby become fully committed to observing this international norm as from 2012.”[4]
Finland attended, as an observer, the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, where it reported on the decision of the Finnish Parliament “to set a definitive timetable to accede in 2012 to the Convention, and accordingly to destroy the remaining stockpiled landmines by the end of the year 2016.”[5]
Finland attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2005 and May 2006, but made no interventions. In March 2006, a Ministry of Defense official told Landmine Monitor that Finland would not consider submitting a voluntary Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency report before accession.[6]
In October 2005, Finland for the first time joined other EU member states as a co-sponsor of the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Finland then voted in favor of UNGA Resolution 60/80 on 8 December 2005, as it had for similar UNGA resolutions each year since 1997.
Finland is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines, and participated in the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to the protocol in November 2005. Finland submitted its annual report, as required by Article 13 of the protocol, on 29 September 2005. Finland’s Disarmament Ambassador concluded his work as a coordinator of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on mines other than antipersonnel mines (MOTAPM). After two years as coordinator, he submitted recommendations and proposals developed by the group to the CCW Meeting of States Parties in November 2005.[7] The aim of Finland’s efforts is to successfully conclude negotiations on a binding instrument concerning antivehicle mines.[8]
Finland ratified CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war on 23 March 2005.
The Finland Campaign to Ban Landmines, coordinated by the Peace Union of Finland, has focused its activities on preparing a civil society agenda for Finland’s EU presidency, which began on 1 July 2006. The campaign has strongly criticized the government’s decision to delay accession to the Mine Ban Treaty, and lobbied for its change. Finnish non-governmental development organizations released in May 2006 a joint publication that included policy recommendations regarding antipersonnel mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The authors noted that the EU should pay increasing attention to the universal ban on all weapons violating international humanitarian law, and should provide sufficient resources for clearance of antipersonnel mines and other ERW.[9]
Finland has declared that it “does not produce or export anti-personnel landmines and, during peacetime, anti-personnel mines are in stockpiles. There are no minefields in Finland.”[10]
Production of antipersonnel mines in Finland ceased in the early 1970s, and Finland has not acquired any antipersonnel mines since then. An EU Joint Action obliges Finland not to procure more antipersonnel mines.[11]
The Ministry of Defense will not reveal any details regarding Finland’s stockpile of antipersonnel mines.[12] Following entry into force of CCW Amended Protocol II, Finland destroyed some types of antipersonnel mines (Sakaramiina 57 and 61), adapted others (SM-65), and destroyed some antivehicle mines (Pohjamiina 76).[13]
In 2005, Finland contributed €4,746,000 (US$5,908,295) to mine action in mine-affected countries; in 2004 it contributed €4,800,000.[14]
Finland stated that it had reduced its budget for humanitarian mine action in 2006 by about 20 percent compared to previous annual spending.[15] From 1999 to 2005, Finland had sustained mine action assistance at a level of about €5 million annually (some $6,224,500).[16] The decision to reduce the budget in 2006 was made by the Ministry of Finance and was thought to be temporary. In early 2006, officials from the Department for International Development Cooperation of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs believed that an annual funding level of around €5 million could be reached again in the 2007 budget year.[17]
Funding was allocated to eight countries and three organizations in 2005.[18]
Countries which received mine action funding from Finland in previous years, but not in 2005, included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Laos and Mozambique.[19] Humanitarian mine action is financed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ development cooperation budget.
As of March 2006, Finland had allocated some €1,916,000 (about $2,400,000) for mine action, with funding levels for some projects and organizations remaining undecided.[20] Finland reported to Landmine Monitor that €254,000 ($316,205) was unused from annual allocations in 2004 and 2005, and that these funds were transferable to the 2006 mine action budget.[21]
At the Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Finland described its mine action cooperation as being linked solely to humanitarian and development needs in mine-affected countries.[22] From 2001 to 2004, Finland’s policy for the funding of mine action was described as based on humanitarian need and prioritized on countries with the most mines and mine victims.[23] At the Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Finland stated that a substantial commitment to mine action funding was anticipated for the future. Its commitment to mine action cooperation is not influenced by its status as a non-signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty.[24]
[1] Statement by Foreign Minister Errki Tuomioja, Conference on Disarmament, Final Record of the Nine Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Plenary Meeting (CD/PV.979), 15 March 2005.
[2] The decision to step back from Finland’s long-stated goal to join the treaty in 2006 was included in the Security and Defense Policy Review 2004, which was approved by parliament on 21 December 2004. In this review, it was agreed that the Defense Force would be provided with €200 million over eight years in extra funding for replacements for landmines, and the army would have to allocate an additional €100 million. The replacement process is to start in 2009 and continue until 2016. The plan is to replace antipersonnel mines with close combat weapons and sensors. Office of the Prime Minister, “Turvallisuus- ja puolustuspoliittinen selonteko 2004 (Finnish Security and Defense Policy 2004),” Publication 18/2004.
[3] The goal of joining the treaty by 2006 was first stated in December 1997, reiterated in December 1999 and December 2000, and confirmed by a government report on foreign and security policy approved by parliament in December 2001.
[4] Statement by Foreign Minister Errki Tuomioja, Conference on Disarmament, Final Record of the Nine Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Plenary Meeting (CD/PV.979), 15 March 2005.
[5] Statement by Ulla-Maija Finskas-Aho, Director, Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 1 December 2005.
[6] Telephone interview with Tiina Raijas, Senior Specialist, International Defense Policy Unit, Ministry of Defense, Helsinki, 21 March 2006.
[7] Telephone interview with Seppo Tunturi, Counsellor, Unit for Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Helsinki, 17 March 2006.
[8] Interview with Taina Susiluoto, Senior Defense Policy Advisor, Ministry of Defense, 3 May 2005.
[9] Email from Sanna Rummakko, Peace Union of Finland, 24 March 2006.
[10] Statement by Foreign Minister Errki Tuomioja, Conference on Disarmament, Final Record of the Nine Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Plenary Meeting (CD/PV.979), 15 March 2005.
[11] “Puolustusministeriön Jalkaväkimiinaselvitystyöryhmän Väliraportti (Interim report of Ministry of Defense working group on infantry landmines),” 19 December 2003, published 10 February 2004, p. 21.
[12] Telephone interview with Tiina Raijas, Ministry of Defense, Helsinki, 21 March 2006.
[13] CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form C, 4 December 2000.
[14] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 704.
[15] Interview with Paula Sirkiä, Research Secretary, Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 February 2006.
[16] Statement by Ulla-Maija Finskas-Aho, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 1 December 2005. Average exchange rate for 2005: €1 = US$1.2449, used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[17] Interview with Paula Sirkiä, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 February 2006.
[18] Mine Action Investments database; interview with Paula Sirkiä, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 February, and email, 16 March 2006.
[19] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 704.
[20] Interview with Paula Sirkiä, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 February 2006.
[21] Email from Paula Sirkiä, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 16 March 2006.
[22] Statement by Ulla-Maija Finskas-Aho, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 1 December 2005.
[23] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 966.
[24] Statement by Ulla-Maija Finskas-Aho, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 1 December 2005.