Finland's PM Orpo prioritizes Eastern Europe in defence strategy

The Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, in an interview with the public broadcaster Yle, highlighted the importance of eastern European countries, such as Poland, in the defence of the continent. He noted that it is there, not in Western or Southern Europe, where the key defence is taking place.

Orpo reminded that the goal of the Finnish government is to exclude defence spending from the budget deficit. According to EU rules, the public sector deficit cannot exceed 3%, and the debt cannot exceed 60% of GDP.

The Prime Minister of Finland admitted that the amounts are so large that a single country cannot bear this expense. He does not rule out support for a common EU debt mechanism. However, the condition is that the funds go where Europe is actually being defended.

The Prime Minister's proposal was critically received by government coalition partners, including the second-largest right-wing populist party, the Finns Party (PS). When approving the government program in mid-2023, it was decided that Finland will no longer accept any mechanism related to common debt, similar to the previously adopted EU Recovery Instrument.

Orpo, the leader of the National Coalition Party, stands by the position that the defence of Europe requires solid financial support. In his opinion, the leaders in these efforts are Poland and the Baltic countries.