Finnish model of preparedness for threats is an example for EU

“ Hybrid threats, such as sabotage of critical infrastructure, cyber attacks and information manipulation, are already a reality and are constantly evolving”, said Paulo Cunha, who headed a mission of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament (EP) to Finland.

At the conclusion of a three-day visit – which ended on Thursday – the head of the PSD delegation in the EP stressed that he had been “a stronger awareness of the urgency of improving civil protection and internal security instruments throughout the European Union”.

“Finland’s experience, a country that shares more than 1,300 kilometres of border with Russia, shows why Europe must prepare before crises occur.”he also warned the mep.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, MEPs examined the Finnish model of preparation, which aims to protect the population and ensure society's ability to operate in emergency situations arising from hybrid threats, accidents or military conflicts.

At the European Centre of Excellence for Combating Hybrid Threats, MEPs examined developments in disinformation, sabotage, electoral interference and migration, as well as cooperation between EU and NATO countries to combat these threats.

The delegation also visited Merihaka's civil protection shelter, excavated in granite rock about 25 metres deep and which is used daily for sports and recreational activities, the space can be transformed within 72 hours into a shelter with capacity for 6,000 people.

At meetings with the Ministry of Interior, the Border Guard and the Finnish Security Information Service, the delegation examined the protection of land and sea borders and the instrumentalisation of migration at the border with Russia.

Since August 2023, more than 1,300 third-country nationals have arrived in Finland from Russia without a visa, in a flow that the Finnish authorities consider to have been facilitated to exert pressure on the country’s security and public policy.

At the beginning of the mission was the geopolitical context, with the EU warning of the intensification of Russian hybrid campaigns against the Member States.