Patria XA-360 Armoured Personnel Carrier.
- Next Article Finland still burning biowaste despite recycling push
Finland has introduced a policy of withholding key details from some arms export licences, breaking from two decades of full transparency. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that, since June 2021, certain permits have been issued in encrypted form, concealing the exporter, recipient, and equipment type.
According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the first classified licence authorised the export of drone defence systems to Israel.
The application came from Sensofusion, a company based in Vantaa, which declined to comment. Internal Ministry documents reviewed by journalists confirm that Israel formally requested the confidentiality.
Ministry representative Riikka Pitkänen said the change reflects a shift in the international security environment. She added that classification may also occur at the request of either the exporting company or the recipient government, particularly to protect trade secrets or national security.
Between mid-2021 and early 2025, the Ministry has issued 19 encrypted export licences covering deliveries to eight countries. Pitkänen stated that these decisions are grounded in Finland’s freedom of information laws and international data protection agreements. Finland currently holds such agreements with more than 20 states.
Before the change, all arms export licences were publicly disclosed. From 2000 to 2020, thousands of permits were issued with complete transparency. Researchers say the sudden shift in 2021 marks a significant departure from previous norms.
Kari Paasonen, a researcher at the Tampere-based Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, called the policy shift a substantial change in Finland’s arms export oversight. He said buyers usually request the confidentiality and noted the first encrypted permit coincided with an export to Israel, though he said the reasons for this timing remain unclear.
Paasonen, who studies Finnish arms trade, especially with Israel, said one possible explanation is the increasing strategic importance of Finnish defence products. Pitkänen echoed this view, suggesting that past exports may not have involved sensitive equipment warranting such protections.
The Ministry insists the number of classified permits remains small. In 2024, only eight encrypted licences were issued, compared to hundreds of standard permits. But Paasonen warned that the scale of exports under a single licence can vary widely, from spare parts to entire shipments of military vehicles.
“Even one permit could include fifty armoured vehicles,” he said. “If the information is concealed, public oversight of these political decisions becomes harder.”
The Ministry has declined to name other countries that requested encrypted licences. It maintained that each decision undergoes legal review and must meet thresholds under Finnish law.
According to Yle, many of the confidentiality decisions reference national security interests and bilateral security agreements between Finland and recipient countries. Pitkänen confirmed this, noting that data protection treaties signed with foreign governments often provide the legal basis for secrecy.
While the government defends the changes as necessary under current conditions, researchers and transparency advocates argue that less public information undermines democratic oversight. Paasonen noted that citizens rely on official disclosures to assess political decisions about arms exports, which he described as inherently political acts.
Finland’s arms exports have included personnel carriers and surveillance equipment in recent years. Under the previous policy, each of these exports would be disclosed with full details. Since 2021, the policy has created a parallel track of classified approvals shielded from public view.
HT
- Next Article Finland still burning biowaste despite recycling push
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
