While the EU's military defence forces, comprised of the national defence forces of several of its 28 member states, have never been used, Finland announced on Thursday that it's ready to invest more in the troops.
As the NATO-led Afghanistan operation appears to be winding down, the EU military has started to interest European Union countries more than ever. Finland, not a member of NATO, is interested in expanding the role of the EU military forces.
“We are interested in the forces and we’re in the process of finding out if there’s a possibility of a leadership role,” said Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.
According to Katainen, leading the EU's military forces would be good practice for the home troops and for military leaders. Until now, Finland has only been part of the EU force as a member country.
Addressing the fact that the EU has not once used its military forces, Katainen said: "This needs to be changed in the future at the EU level. It does not make sense to create such infrastructures if they are not utilised. It's a waste of resources and undermines Europe’s credibility,” he adds.
Finland is preparing for Sweden’s leadership of the EU military forces in 2015 with a Finnish helicopter division. Previously, in 2011, Finland had two troop divisions ready. At the time, training and readiness preparation cost Finland 28.5 million euros.
The potential EU military defence forces leadership role for Finland would become timely at the end of this decade.
Traditionally, the country that leads the EU military defence forces provides the majority of the troops, which means about 1,000 to 1,500 soldiers. This would significantly affect the Finnish defences forces as previously they have only been responsible for training a few hundred soldiers. Should the leadership role be realised, it would also require significant investment, responsibility and work.
The EU is looking to increase the use of its troops and for more countries to consider taking on a leadership role. The EU is also contemplating how much of the costs it will cover if the troops are used.