Official press releases, news and speeches that the minister has held are located in this section. The Ministry of Defence publishes all of its press releases and news in Finnish and Swedish and many of them in English, too.
Press Releases
Government proposal submitted to Parliament on amendments to Conscription Act to ensure border security
On 6 June 2024, on the presentation of Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for amendments to the Conscription Act that support the maintenance of border security.
- The aim is to ensure national security and border security in all situations. The proposal will ensure that Border Guard officials can have flexible assistance from reservists deployed in border troops should the situation become particularly difficult. I hope to have the proposal approved as soon as possible, Minister of Defence Häkkänen says.
Now, those liable for military service can only be assigned to reservist training that aims at increasing military preparedness through an accelerated procedure. The new grounds for refresher training would be intended for situations where border security has been seriously compromised. Such situations could include, for example, a very rapidly evolving disturbance in border security due to hybrid threats in the form of large-scale instrumentalised immigration, or a situation requiring intensified border control due to a major accident or pandemic.
According to the proposal, the amended act would allow reservists placed in border troops to be ordered to refresher training faster than the current three months laid down in the act. The proposal therefore concerns only a small proportion of reservists, i.e. those assigned to border troops.
These reservists could be used under direct guidance and supervision of border guards, for example in the surveillance of borders with sensory surveillance and patrols, guard duties, guidance and traffic control tasks as well as in various support tasks, such as transport or maintenance of command and control system networks.
In the comments received on the draft proposal, the objectives of the proposal were generally supported and considered necessary, taking into account changes in the security environment. In further preparation, particular attention was paid to the fact that situations where regulation could be applied are described in more detail. The examination of the fundamental rights and options for implementing the proposal were expanded and the regulation on the decision-making procedure was clarified.
Inquiries: Director of Legal Affairs Hanna Nordström, hanna.nordstrom@gov.fi, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 600 and Senior Ministerial Adviser Sanna Palo, sanna.palo@gov.fi, Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 295 421 601.