According to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, any co -debt must be used for defense in countries where there is a need and a threat.
BRUSSELS Prime minister Petteri Orpo (co.) Emphasizes that if the EU takes a joint loan for defense expenditure, money must be used where Europe is defended. This, in particular, refers to the EU’s eastern border states such as Finland.
Finland must be on the side of the defense funds, Orpo emphasized. EU leaders are considering strengthening the EU defense at an unofficial summit.
According to him, alternatives must be openly weighed in order to quickly strengthen European defense.
The money has not been decided, but there may be hundreds of billions of euros in defense.
There is no room for sharing in the EU’s current budget and the next budget season will not begin until 2028.
On Friday, the government outlined in the EU Committee on EU Ministry that Finland is open to discuss different financing solutions to defense. This means that the government is also ready to take on co -debt.
– This is such an existential issue, the issue of existence for Finland that we have a sufficient defense and are now negotiated.
There are no proposals about communal debt. Orpo plans that the EU could set up a joint fund by joint loan.
According to Orpo, the government does not want a common debt like Korona’s recovery instrument.
In practice, however, the difference would mainly be the purpose, so that money would be directed to defense. According to him, the recovery money was distributed there, shooting there.
“The inequality does not replace”
The countries that have left their defense on the back of their defense are not part of the deficiency on a joint loan, Orpo outlined. This includes, for example, NATO countries whose defense spending does not meet the required two percent of GDP.
– We are not building an element that represents some of the inequality.
In his view, investing in defense must be based on the need and threat.
– We have very strong boundary conditions and views on what kind of funding and what it could be used.
The position of other countries opposing co -debt does not seem to be mitigated.
The Netherlands firmly opposes the co -debt. The country admitted to supporting the recovery package only because it noticed that it was left alone when Germany turned to support the package.
There will be no major movements in Germany before the parliamentary elections.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson At the meeting, he was awkward about communal debt.