Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: Having a broad agreement on Finland’s defence development is our key strength

Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen received on Tuesday 2 June 2026 the final report of a parliamentary working group examining the need to develop and resource Finland’s homeland defence in the 2030s.

“Having a broad agreement on Finland’s defence development is our key strength. The final report of the parliamentary working group shows that we have a broad agreement on key defence policies. It will enable long-term cooperation, spanning across government terms, to strengthen Finland’s defence and security,” Minister of Defence Häkkänen said.

A parliamentary working group on defence, appointed by the Finnish Government, examined the need to develop and resource Finland’s homeland defence in the 2030s. In its final report, the group states that the planning of the defence administration’s activities and resources is increasingly dependent on funding levels agreed across parliamentary terms and that the costs of sustaining and developing Finland’s defence capability clearly exceed the NATO target of 3.5% of GDP annually.

“We will fix the deficiencies in our defence system and strengthen Finland’s defence with determination to counter the long-term threat posed by Russia. Our shared situation picture and commitment to raising Finland’s defence expenditure in coming years will ensure that people in Finland can have a safe and happy future. I would like to express my thanks to the parliamentary working group for their good and thorough work. Finland’s defence is a common cause,” Minister Häkkänen said.

The parliamentary working group was chaired by Member of Parliament Jukka Kopra (National Coalition Party). All parliamentary parties were represented in the group. The final report includes a dissenting opinion of the Left Alliance Parliamentary Group.

Requests for interviews with Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: Dani Niskanen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 415 444 967.