In Helsinki, the German Foreign Minister will also look at the subterranean part of the Finnish capital. 900,000 people could find refuge there in numerous bunkers. In peacetime, Finns play sports in the shelters or go to the theater. A role model for Baerbock.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is pushing for Finland and Sweden to be quickly admitted to NATO. "At the NATO summit in Madrid last summer, we jointly laid the foundation for accession. And of course we expect all NATO members to implement this decision without further delay," said the Green politician during a visit to Helsinki with a view to the blockade of Turkey. There she was also impressed by Finland's huge bunkers, a kind of underground city.
For years, the city has been building many leisure facilities that also serve as places of refuge, such as a swimming pool or a sports hall at a depth of 28 meters, where even schools hold their physical education classes. Baerbock visited a similar shelter. "The facilities under this city offer space for 900,000 people," the "Bild" newspaper quoted the minister as saying. The fact that the huge bunkers are not empty when there are no wars, but are firmly integrated into people's everyday lives as swimming pools or theaters, shows what intelligent urban planning can achieve. "Security is also the security of people in everyday life, anytime, anywhere," said Baerbock. "In terms of civil protection, Finland is a pioneer in Europe and a role model for all of us."
More than 50,000 bunkers offer shelter to more than four million people across Finland, while only around 600 public shelters remain in Germany, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to check whether other systems can be put back into operation. The federal government has already stopped the dismantling in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Finland has a 1340 km border with Russia. That doesn't make the situation any easier for the EU's northernmost country: on the one hand, it repeatedly shows its support for Ukraine with military aid, and on the other, it pays close attention to its own security. This is also reflected in the discussion about the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. Finland has around 200 and has signaled readiness for delivery.
However, Hungary has not yet agreed to join NATO. All currently 30 NATO members must agree to the enlargement. Germany is promoting Finland and Sweden to become members of the western military alliance, said Baerbock. In response to the burning of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently threatened that Sweden could not count on Turkish support for its NATO application. He was more open to Finland.
Baerbock is visiting northern Europe for two days - first in Helsinki, this Tuesday in Stockholm. After a conversation with the Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, she emphasized how historic the decision of the northern Europeans to join NATO after a long period of freedom of alliance was - and how advantageous for Germany and the other alliance partners. "So today I want to reiterate how enriching it is for the Alliance that you want to join NATO," she said to the hosts. "As a result, our alliance gains two valuable new members with whom we already work very, very closely."
