Policy

Finland deposited its instrument of accession to the Mine Ban Treaty on 9 January 2012, becoming a State Party on 1 July 2012.[1]

The parliament approved the accession documents on 25 November 2011[2] after the defense committee issued its opinion in favor of the proposal in September 2011, with one dissenting opinion from the True Finns Party.[3] The defense committee stated that banning antipersonnel mines was justified on the basis of the significant human rights and humanitarian problems caused by their use and stated that accession to the Mine Ban Treaty would strengthen Finland’s foreign and security policy coherence. The defense committee concluded that a total of approximately €300 million (US$398 million) would allow adequate substitutions for antipersonnel mines to be procured and that it would be possible to remove these weapons without weakening Finland’s national defense.[4]

In November–December 2011, Finland attended the Mine Ban Treaty Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at a ministerial level as an observer, where it announced approval of the accession by the parliament and plans to deposit it with the UN in the coming weeks. Finland reported it would destroy its stockpile of antipersonnel mines “according to the provisions of the Ottawa Convention and fulfill also all other obligations set to a State Party by the Convention.” It stated it “will promote the universalization of the Ottawa Convention also in the future.”[5]

Finland attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings of the treaty in Geneva in May 2012, where it reported on the deposit of its instrument of accession in January and finalization of “all the national constitutional measures required for the entry-into-force of the Convention.” It reaffirmed its commitment to comply fully with the treaty obligations and to promote further universalization. Finland also noted it intended to increase its funding contribution to mine action to reach the level of €6 million annually by 2014.[6]

Finland’s initial transparency report is due by 1 January 2013; in September 2012, Finland confirmed that it will submit its report by its treaty deadline.[7]

Finland is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. It is also a party to CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In 2011 and 2012, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed that Finland has never used antipersonnel mines and does not have any mined areas, has not produced antipersonnel mines since 1981, and has never exported antipersonnel mines.[8] Finland has not acquired any antipersonnel mines since the early 1970s. A 2003 European Union Joint Action has obliged Finland not to procure more antipersonnel mines.[9]

In December 2010, information from the Ministry for Defense was released revealing for the first time the size and composition of Finland’s stockpile of antipersonnel mines.[10] This total was reaffirmed in mid-2012 when Finland disclosed that it stockpiled 1,029,763 antipersonnel mines banned by the treaty, comprising 801,618 Sakaramiina 65-98 blast mines as well as 228,145 Putkimiina 43-95 and Putkimiina 65-98 stake mines.[11]

Finland started destroying its stockpile in August 2012 by open detonation at a camp in Finnish Lapland.[12] Finland did not provide additional details in regard to the destruction and noted that “the exact information on initial destruction of Finland’s stockpile will be made available in the connection of Finland’s first Convention report.” In September 2012, Finland said it will complete destruction of its stockpiles by the end of 2015.[13] Blast mines are to be destroyed by removing the fuze and metallic parts for recycling, with parts to be used during fire and explosion training. Stake mines are to be destroyed by open detonation.[14] According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, stockpile destruction is expected to cost approximately €220,000 (US$291,742).[15]

Finland said a key factor obstructing its accession to the treaty was the difficulty of procuring alternatives to antipersonnel mines.[16] The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has said a replacement for antipersonnel mines must be procured between 2009 and 2016 in order to maintain a credible defense.[17] The procurement of replacement systems started in 2009.[18] Finland’s 2009 Security and Defense Policy Review stated that “it is possible to replace a part of the landmines’ purpose with special munitions, Claymore mines and ground surveillance sensors as well as modern anti-tank mines.”[19] The Defense Committee concluded that a total of approximately €300 million (US$398 million) would allow adequate substitutions for antipersonnel mines to be procured and that it would be possible to remove these weapons without weakening Finland’s national defense.[20]

Retention

Finland has indicated it will retain 16,500 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes over the next 20 years.[21] Finland has stated that it considers retention of mines necessary for the development of and training in destruction techniques for mines used in areas near Finland or where Finland is operating in crisis management.[22] In September 2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that the number of mines retained has not been revised. It noted that “Finland will report on the consumption of the mines according to the Convention.”[23]

Contamination from explosive remnants of war

Finland has stated that it does not have mined areas. However, according to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, some areas may contain unexploded ordnance (UXO), which could include mines, left over from World War II. These areas with a risk of UXO are recorded.[24]

Commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Policy

The Republic of Finland has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In an April 2012 letter to the Monitor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, reported on Finland’s decision to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty on 9 January 2012, but did not elaborate on the government’s policy towards joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[1] 

Previously, in March 2011, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs said that Finland regards the ban convention as “important from the humanitarian standpoint” and expressed support for its goals and “efforts towards its universalisation.”[2] The Ministry stated that Finland is monitoring implementation of the convention and undertaking a study of “the Defence Force’s capabilities and the international development work on cluster munitions, procurement options and costs.”[3]

This position was first articulated in a 2009 report by the government on “Finnish Security and Defense Policy,” which stated that while Finland is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, it nonetheless “significantly impacts Finland’s defence and its resource requirements.” According to the report, “Once a study relating to the Defence Forces’ capabilities has been completed,” the Convention on Cluster Munitions will be reassessed and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy will review the developments yearly.[4]

Finland has expressed its preference for cluster munitions to be tackled through the framework of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but it is not known if this position will be reviewed following the November 2011 failure of the CCW to conclude a protocol on cluster munitions[5] (see Convention on Conventional Weapons section below).

Finland participated throughout the Oslo Process that created the convention, but consistently expressed reservations about the process and the convention text and was not supportive of a broad categorical ban on cluster munitions.[6] Finland joined the consensus adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions at the end of the negotiations in May 2008, but five months later announced that it would not sign the convention in Oslo in December 2008.[7] At the time, Minister of Defense Jyri Häkämies stated that, “cluster munitions play an important role in the credibility [and] autonomy…of Finnish defense.” The Finnish military claimed that due to costs and other factors it would not be possible to replace Finland’s stockpile of cluster munitions with alternative weapons within five to 10 years.[8] Finland has also cited security concerns over its border with Russia for its refusal to sign the convention.[9]

Finland has continued to participate in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It attended as an observer the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane, Lao PDR in November 2010 and the Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011, but did not make statements at either meetings. Finland participated in the convention’s first intersessional meetings in Geneva in June 2011, but did not attend intersessional meetings held in April 2012.

Convention on Conventional Weapons

Finland is a party to CCW and attended the CCW’s Fourth Review Conference in Geneva in November 2011, where it supported the conclusion of a draft protocol on cluster munitions.

At the outset of the Review Conference, Finland said it shared concerns on the humanitarian consequences caused by cluster munitions and was convinced that a CCW protocol would make “a real difference on the ground” and “have a significant humanitarian impact globally.” Finland expressed support for the chair’s draft text of the proposed protocol, stating its view that “no more additional elements are needed to create a meaningful instrument.”[10]

During the conference, Finland opposed a proposal to include provisions requiring states to “endeavor to ensure” that submunitions would be equipped with self-deactivation mechanisms in addition to self-destruct or self-neutralization mechanisms.[11]

The Review Conference ended without reaching agreement on the draft protocol and with no official proposals to continue negotiations in 2012, thus marking the end of the CCW’s work on cluster munitions. At the conclusion of the conference, Finland expressed its support for continued work on cluster munitions in the CCW.[12]

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Finland does not produce cluster munitions nor has is never [sic] used them.”[13]

In early 2005, Patria, a Finnish company, made arrangements to co-produce a 120mm cluster munition mortar projectile called MAT-120, which was developed and produced by the Spanish company Instalaza SA. The deal was cancelled in 2009 by Patria and the Finnish Defense Forces after Spain enacted a national prohibition on cluster munitions and signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008. During the development of the program, Patria imported to Finland 305 “live” MAT-120 mortar projectiles from Spain in 2005–2007 and also acquired 230 inert MAT-120 projectiles. As of July 2011, a total of 136 “live” MAT-120 projectiles remained in the custody of the Finnish Defense Forces; none of the MAT-120 projectiles imported to Finland were exported.[14]

In 2010, a Ministry of Defense official stated that information on the size and composition of Finland’s stockpile of cluster munitions was confidential.[15] Finland has acknowledged possessing one type of cluster munition, the DM-662 155mm artillery projectile, which contains 49 dual purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) submunitions with back-up self-destruct fuzes.[16]

In 2006, the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands announced the transfer of 18 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launchers to Finland.[17] It was reported that 400 M26 rockets (each containing 644 M77 DPICM submunitions) were to be included in the sale for qualification testing and conversion into training rockets.[18]

Contamination and Impact

Mines

In 1998, the Defense Staff of Finland stated in a press release that there were no peacetime minefields in the country.[1] In 2011, the Ministry of Defense informed the Monitor that there were no minefields along Finland’s eastern border, but acknowledged that both antipersonnel and antivehicle mines remained in the country from World War II.[2]

Cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war

There are no reports of contamination from cluster munition remnants. According to the Ministry of Defense, “as far as they know,” no cluster munitions were used on Finnish soil.[3] However, other explosive remnants of war (ERW) remain from World War II as a result of action by German, Soviet, and Finnish military forces.[4] Most of the contamination is found on the former eastern battlefields and especially in the north of the country. Known battlefields and other dangerous areas are recorded in a database maintained by the defense forces. When former military areas are handed over for civilian use they are first cleared by the defense forces, if needed.[5]

Mine Action Program

There is no civilian mine action program in Finland. All clearance is conducted by the military, with occasional help from the police. No private companies are used for clearance.[6]

Land Release

In its latest annual transparency report in accordance with Article 10 of Protocol V on explosive remnants of war of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Finland reported that, between April 2011 and April 2012, Finland destroyed more than 17,000 items of explosive ordnance in 290 interventions.[7]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Finland is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 July 2022. Finland’s initial Article 7 transparency report, which is due by 28 December 2012, will help to clarify whether Finland has any clearance obligations under the treaty.