Summary: Non-signatory Finland acknowledges the humanitarian rationale for the convention, but is not actively considering accession, apparently due to defense-related concerns, including the cost of replacing its stockpiled cluster munitions with other weapons. Finland has participated as an observer in all of the convention’s meetings, but abstained from voting on a UN resolution on the convention in December 2015. Finland has not used or produced cluster munitions, but has imported them and possesses a stockpile.

Policy

The Republic of Finland has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In April 2016, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini, informed the Monitor that, “we acknowledge the Convention’s role from the humanitarian perspective and its goals for universalization” but “no such changes in conditions have taken place which would enable accession.”[1]

Finland has provided a similar response to the Monitor every year.[2] Since 2009, the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy has conducted annual reviews of Finland’s policy towards joining the convention, but has yet to recommend a change in policy.[3]

Finnish government officials have cited Ministry of Defence concerns about the costs of replacing stockpiled cluster munitions with other weapons as an obstacle to its accession.[4] Likewise, officials have cited costs of implementing the convention’s provisions as well as security concerns as reasons for the lack of accession.[5]

On 7 December 2015, Finland abstained from voting on the first UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which urges states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[6] A total of 140 states, including many non-signatories, voted in favor of the non-binding resolution.

In an explanation of the decision by European Union (EU) non-signatories Greece, Estonia, Finland, and Poland to abstain, Poland stated that the four countries “will continue to support international efforts aimed at addressing the humanitarian, socioeconomic and security impact of conventional weapons, including cluster munitions, and halting their indiscriminate use, especially when they are directed at innocent and defenceless civilians.”[7] According to the statement, “we support the humanitarian goal of the Convention on Cluster Munitions” but “at the same time, we believe that humanitarian concerns must be balanced with States’ legitimate security concerns and military and defence needs.”

The four countries call the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), to which they are party, “the most competent and effective framework for addressing the issue of cluster munitions.” While the countries “remain disappointed by the failure of the Geneva discussions” to conclude a new protocol on cluster munitions in 2011, they “remain firmly committed to fulfilling all our obligations” as CCW States Parties.

The 2011 failure effectively ended CCW deliberations on the matter, leaving the Convention on Cluster Munitions as the sole international instrument to specifically address the weapons.

Finland participated throughout the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but consistently expressed reservations about the process and about the convention text and was not supportive of a broad categorical ban on cluster munitions.[8] Finland joined the consensus adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008, but five months later announced that it would not sign the convention in Oslo in December 2008.[9] At the time, Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies stated that “cluster munitions play an important role in the credibility [and] autonomy…of Finnish defense.” The Finnish military claimed that due to costs and other factors it would not be possible to replace Finland’s stockpile of cluster munitions with alternative weapons within five to 10 years.[10] It also cited security concerns over its border with Russia.[11]

Finland participated as an observer in the convention’s First Review Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September 2015, but it did not make any statements. Finland has attended every annual Meeting of States Parties of the convention and intersessional meetings in Geneva in 2011 and 2014–2015.

In remarks provided on behalf of the Nordic countries at the UNGA First Committee in October 2015, Finland expressed concern at the use of cluster munitions against civilian populations, calling on all actors to “refrain from such use and to fully observe the principles of International Humanitarian Law.”[12] Finland has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions condemning the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2015.[13]

Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs often affirms the value it places on maintaining “good dialogue” and communication with civil society, including with national NGO Peace Union and the CMC.[14]

Finland is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty and completed the destruction of its stockpiled antipersonnel landmines in December 2015.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, “Finland does not produce cluster munitions nor has [it] used them.”[15]

In early 2005, Patria, a Finnish company, made arrangements to co-produce a 120mm cluster munition mortar bomb called MAT-120, then produced by the Spanish company Instalaza SA. The deal was cancelled in 2009 by Patria and the Finnish Defence Forces after Spain signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. During the development of the program, Patria imported to Finland 305 “live” MAT-120 from Spain in 2005–2007 and also acquired 230 inert MAT-120 bombs. As of July 2011, a total of 136 “live” MAT-120 remained in the custody of the Finnish Defence Forces; none of the MAT-120 imported to Finland were exported.[16]

Finland has acknowledged possessing one type of cluster munition: the DM-662 155mm artillery projectile, which contains 49 dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) submunitions with self-destruct fuzes.[17] The Monitor has requested, but never received information on the size and composition of the stockpile.[18]

In 2006, the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands announced the transfer of 18 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) launchers to Finland.[19] It was reported that 400 M26 rockets (each containing 644 M77 DPICM submunitions) were to be included in the sale for qualification testing and conversion into training rockets.[20]

According to standard international reference publications, Finland also possesses BM-21 Grad and RM-70 122mm surface-to-surface rocket launchers, but it is not known if the ammunition for these weapons includes versions with submunition payloads.[21]