Finland
Finland acceded to NATO on 4 April 2023. In October 2023, the Finnish government outlined its position regarding the TPNW in a statement to the Parliament. ‘The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is incompatible with our NATO membership. […] The TPNW would weaken our influence in the alliance and could be interpreted as a lack of solidarity,’ the statement said. [1]
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2023) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| 2MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Abstained |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | No |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1974) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes (12 Sep 1981) |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Finland abstained on the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty until 2021, but changed to a no vote in 2022 after having applied for NATO membership and embraced the alliance's nuclear doctrine.
Having observed the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in 2022, Finland opted not to observe the second such meeting in November and December 2023. ‘NATO’s nuclear powers have criticised member countries that participated in the TPNW meeting in June 2022 and often recall the incompatibility of NATO membership and the TPNW,’ the government informed the Parliament. It recommended that Finland refrain from observing all future meetings.
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2023, Finland said: ‘Disarmament is a gradual process, requiring proper attention for the legitimate security concerns of participating States.’ It added that Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and its ‘threats of nuclear use’ undermine efforts for nuclear disarmament.2
Recommendations
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Finland should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Finland should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Finland should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.