HELSINKI - President Sauli Niinistöhas said that Finland will sign a letter of intent during the autumn and join the France-led ‘European Intervention Initiative’, which once established will be able to react to situations near European borders without assistance from NATO or the United States, sources in the government said on Monday.

 Speaking after a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron last Thursday,Niinistöthanked him for his initiative, saying that he had been waiting for such a discussion for about ten years. “It is extremely important, not only for France, not only for Finland and not only for Europe but for the whole world that Europe begins to assume more responsibility for its own security and its role in the world. In today’s world, strength is respected. And if we wish to bring on topics that we respect, we have to appear strong. This is what it is important in Europe at the moment. And it is important that you are carrying that flag.”

 So far, nine EU countries have announced their decision to join Macron’s ‘coalition of the willing’, including France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. France is envisioning a deployable European military crisis force outside of those already existing in the EU.

 Niinistöhighlighted that it is strategically important for everyone to know that Europe will stay united. The president added that Finland sincerely wants to be involved in building a safe Europe where their voice can be heard. Macron said he was pleased that Finland had decided to join the intervention force that would set the basis for a common defence strategy, adding that he wanted to strengthen the EU foundation treaty to include an automatic solidarity clause that would be binding on all member states.

 According to an official hand-out, the leaders discussed security and defence policy, relations with Russia and the US, climate change, Arctic questions, and the state of the rules-based multilateral international order.

 Italy, however, seems sceptical and has disinclined to join the project. In fact, the Italian Minister of Defense Elisabetta Trenta believes that there are fundamental grey areas which must be clarified and that more information is needed to understand the relationship between the French initiative, the European Defence (Pesco) and NATO.

 The initiative appears to be rooted in the interest of the French rather than in a rapid European intervention force in crisis areas; scepticism seems a must.

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