Yle News
April 5, 2022

Yle survey: Half of Finnish MPs unveil stances on Nato membership

Support for Finland joining Nato grows among Finnish MPs, along with increased willingness to reveal their opinions on the issue, according to a fresh Yle straw poll of parliamentarians.

A total of 112 Members of Parliament – more than half the chamber – responded to Yle‘s most recent survey on Finland’s potential membership of Nato, demonstrating a growing trend among lawmakers to publicly state their position on the issue.

A majority of the respondents, 71, said they would support Finland applying to join the military alliance while six MPs said they were opposed to Nato membership.

Meanwhile, 35 of MPs who took the time to respond said they did not know their positions on Nato membership.

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Anders Adlercreutz, chair of the SPP’s [Swedish People’s Party’s] parliamentary group, pointed out that Finland is already training with Nato nations and that Finland’s Defence Forces (FDF) could be considered to be fully Nato-compatible.

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About half of the Greens who took part in the survey said they supported Nato membership. MP Tiina Elo said that she previously thought that Finland’s own defence capabilities as well as its reliance on EU defence would be adequate protection.

“The war in Ukraine has shown that when you’re in a tight spot, there is a crucial difference between whether or not you are in Nato. In this situation, I see that membership would be the safest option for Finland,” Elo said.

A total of 112 MPs responded to Yle’s most recent questionnaire, with 71 saying they were in favour of Finland applying to join Nato while just six were opposed.