Finland, Sweden to boost cooperation in civil preparedness

Finland and Sweden will strengthen cooperation and exchange of information in the field of civil preparedness and rescue services.

Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo and Swedish Minister for Home Affairs Mikael Damberg on Wednesday signed a letter of intent on closer cooperation between the neighbouring countries, said the Ministry of the Interior in a press release.

“Sweden and Finland have been close partners for long, which provides a solid foundation for closer cooperation. Common challenges to our security include changes in the security policy situation in our neighbouring areas, climate change and the vulnerability of an interdependent society. Our common goal is to further strengthen cooperation between our countries in the field of civil preparedness and rescue services, so that we can together respond to a wide range of threats that we face,” said Ohisalo and Damberg.

Civil preparedness refers to measures taken to safeguard the functions vital to society, basic supply for the population and the State’s capacity to act in a crisis situation.

The Ministry of the Interior’s sphere of responsibility includes, in particular, rescue services and civil defence.

The Ministry of the Interior takes part in measures relating to security of supply and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats (CBRN), for example.

Finland and Sweden have similar experiences of threats, risks, and vulnerabilities. The resilience of society is the responsibility of each country, but deeper cooperation between the neighbouring countries will build up skills, bring synergies, and provide better opportunities to plan, practise, and be prepared for different crisis situations.

Closer cooperation will also help the countries to provide and receive bilateral assistance and support more effectively. The purpose is to strengthen cooperation also in material preparedness and security of supply as well as in the development of resources for CBRNE incidents.