SECTION III: INTERNATIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT
1. INTRODUCTION
Resolution of international crises improves Finland´s security environment and thereby Finland´s security. International crisis management can include both military and civilian tasks. These may be carried out in parallel, in situations where the international community is helping to find a resolution to a complex conflict or to restore the functioning of societies.
Finland is an active participant in crisis management cooperation. It is also concerned with improving its crisis management capabilities, with due regard to the country's international obligations within the European Union, the United Nations and the OSCE, and its participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. In seeking to improve these capabilities, Finland is able to benefit from the experience it has gained in peacekeeping operations and in crisis management by international organizations.
The range of means available for crisis management is extensive. Military aspects may include preventive troop deployments, various military observer activities, supervision of the implementation of an agreement approved by the parties to the conflict, and restoration of peace. Civilian crisis management can include various actions concerned with conflict prevention and resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation, such as policing, reinstatement of judicial and administrative systems, election monitoring, other support for democracy and for human rights, and provision of search and rescue services for disaster situations.
By taking part in crisis management cooperation, Finland is supporting the strengthening of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Participation in international crisis management strengthens international and national security.
Participation in international crisis management provides experience that can be of use in national defence and in maintaining readiness in crisis situations. The Finnish Defence Forces' international cooperation also reinforces the credibility of the country's national defence capability.
Most of Finland's resources available for international crisis management operations are resources reserved for national defence. Participation in international crisis management also serves to strengthen Finland's national resources.
Finland's participation in international crisis management requires close cooperation between various authorities. Each ministry is responsible for development of the necessary resources within its sector. Crisis management can also be supported by means of reconstruction and development assistance.
Participation in crisis management requires quick decisions and action at a national level. In Finland, the development of decision-making processes pays particular attention to EU crisis management.
2. MILITARY CRISIS MANAGEMENT
2.1 Principles and capacity for participating in crisis management
Under the Finnish Peacekeeping Act, Finland may only participate in military crisis management if this is based on a UN or OSCE mandate. Under the Act, Finland may not be party to coercive military measures governed by Articles 42 or 51 of the UN Charter.
The revised Peacekeeping Act, which came into effect at the start of 2001, enables Finnish soldiers to take part in humanitarian assistance or in operations to secure humanitarian assistance at the request of a UN special organization or agency. The most likely body to request military resources in support of its activities would be the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Decisions on Finland's participation in peacekeeping operations and on terminating such participation are taken by the President of the Republic, on the proposal of the Government. Before such a proposal is made, the Government must consult Parliament.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence are responsible for political preparation, guidance and supervision concerning military crisis management. Under the revised Peacekeeping Act, the Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the practical implementation of crisis management.
Finland maintains a rapid deployment force which can as necessary be put at the disposal of international organizations and institutions. The force includes two infantry battalions, one engineer battalion, one transport company and a CIMIC company specializing in civil-military cooperation. The force also has two Finnish Navy minelayers, which can be used as command and support vessels for a mine clearance division, as well as staff officers and military observers. Although the rapid deployment force does not yet include any Finnish Air Force units, the possibility of the Air Force participating in crisis management in the future is being studied.
The composition of ground forces in crisis management troops is diverse and allows for alternatives depending on the type of operation.
The funding of Finland's participation in peacekeeping operations is divided between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. The payroll costs of peacekeeping personnel and Finland's membership contribution to the UN's peacekeeping budget are met from the main budget division of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, while the costs of equipment and material and participation in military observer operations are met from the main budget division of the Ministry of Defence. Funding for each new operation is arranged separately. The expenditure allocated for peacekeeping operations in the State budget for 2001 amounts to FIM 304 million for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and FIM 126 million for the Ministry of Defence. The corresponding outturn expenditure figures in 2000 amounted to FIM 361 million and FIM 182 million, respectively.
Costs are also incurred in procuring materiel for use in operations and in training the rapid deployment force. The materiel for a force despatched to international duties consists mainly of equipment which is also intended for national defence. These costs are included in the budget allocations for the Ministry of Defence.
Besides international crisis management, the Finnish Defence Forces provide support for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence in monitoring and implementing arms control agreements, and they also participate in carrying out inspections.
2.2 Participation in peacekeeping operations
Finland took part in peacekeeping operations for the first time in 1956 and has so far deployed a total of about 40,000 peacekeepers in various operations. Finnish peacekeepers are currently participating in ten different operations involving a total strength of about 1,600 personnel.
Finland has been participating in the UN's UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operation in southern Lebanon since 1982. A Finnish battalion of about 650 personnel is currently based in the region. Following the UN Security Council decision to scale down the operation, Finland's peacekeeping strength will be reduced to about half by summer 2001.
Since 1996, Finnish peacekeepers have been involved in the NATO-led IFOR/SFOR (Implementation Force, Stabilization Force) forces in Bosnia. Initially, Finland supplied a construction battalion, then an infantry battalion and is currently supplying a CIMIC unit of about 120 persons, which will be reduced to a strength of 80 during 2001.
A Finnish battalion is currently engaged in the NATO-led KFOR (Kosovo Force) peacekeeping force in Kosovo as part of a British-led brigade. Since August 1999, Finland has deployed about 800 peacekeepers in this operation. The core of the battalion consists of the 1st Infantry Battalion of Finland's rapid deployment force.
Finland is also participating in the UN operations in Cyprus and on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
About 30 Finnish unarmed military observers are serving with the UN in a total of six different UN operations. Finnish observers are currently serving in the Balkans, the Middle East, Kashmir, Kuwait and on the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. Finland is ready to send in more observers if required.
Under the Finnish Peacekeeping Act, the total number of Finnish peacekeepers serving in different operations at any one time may not exceed 2,000. Finland is ready to participate in further peacekeeping operations within the limit of its resources.
2.3. Cooperation in military crisis management
UN
Participation in UN peacekeeping duties will continue to remain very important to Finland. The development of UN peacekeeping and its troop needs will be taken into account in the future development of Finland's rapid deployment force.
The UN's commitment to long-term operations in the absence of political solutions and the failures in peacekeeping operations in the 1990s have led to critical assessment and debate on the future of UN peacekeeping. Future work will be based on the recommendations of the Brahimi Report on improving the UN's crisis management readiness. Finland supports all efforts to improve the effectiveness of UN crisis management activities.
The UN Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS) was created to improve the UN's crisis management readiness. Finland has made available to UNSAS its rapid deployment force and a range of experts for use in international crisis management.
The multinational Standby High Readiness Brigade for UN operations (SHIRBRIG) was also set up to improve the UN's rapid action capability. The SHIRBRIG force consists of troops committed to the UNSAS system by certain member countries. The peacekeeping operation on the Ethiopia-Eritrea border is the first to involve participation by SHIRBRIG. The Finnish staff officers deployed in the operation are part of SHIRBRIG.
EU
The EU is developing its military crisis management capability by setting up operational politico-military structures and by establishing a pool of forces needed to cover the Petersberg tasks.
Finland is taking an active part in the creation of the EU's military crisis management capability. Development of Finland's own national readiness has taken account of the EU's aim of achieving military crisis management capability by the year 2003, which was decided by the Helsinki European Council in 1999.
Member States have committed to the EU a forces pool which is approximately 100,000 strong. From this pool the EU may establish crisis management ground forces of a maximum of 60,000 soldiers supported by a naval strength of 100 vessels and an air force of 400 aircraft.
Most of the targeted headline goal strength has been met, but there are still deficiencies in the EU's joint resources, such as in reconnaissance, command and control and strategic transportation capacity. Performance targets will be set for the staff and troops at the disposal of the EU, and these will cover all the Petersberg tasks.
In establishing its crisis management capability, the EU aims to rely on the support of NATO, where necessary. The aim is to agree with NATO that the EU may, if necessary, have access to NATO´s planning resources, command and control systems and other military resources for the purposes of EU-led crisis management operations. Finland intends to participate in work carried out by NATO on account of the EU's operations.
Finland has offered to make available to the EU its rapid deployment force set up for the purposes of international crisis management. The total strength of the offer is 1,500 soldiers.
NATO
NATO's crisis management cooperation was begun at the start of the 1990s. NATO develops and maintains a substantial military crisis management capability and is currently leading two extensive crisis management operations in the Balkans. At NATO's 1999 Washington Summit, a new strategic concept was approved whereby crisis management and the Partnership for Peace were designated new principal tasks of the Alliance.
Participation in NATO-led crisis management operations will continue to remain important to Finland. Finland aims to achieve closer cooperation with NATO and its member countries in the planning of operations implemented by NATO and in related decision-making in cases where Finnish troops are dispatched to NATO-led operations.
Improvements in European crisis management capability are also sought within NATO. The Alliance has also declared its support for the establishment of military readiness by the EU. The troops committed by Member States to the EU's forces pool are mostly troops developed and maintained as part of NATO's defence planning system. The NATO Defence Capabilities Initiative (DCI) will assist in developing the crisis management capacities of both the Alliance and the Union.
PfP cooperation has become an established tool in the development of military crisis management capability between NATO and its partners. The third phase (2000-2006) of the Planning and Review Process (PARP) will further consolidate the wide-ranging interoperability and cooperation capability between partner countries and NATO.
Finland's military representation at different levels of the NATO headquarters provides valuable experience in international crisis management cooperation and NATO's methods, and also enables participation in the actual planning process for crisis management operations.
NORDCAPS
Finland's participation in the Nordic Coordinated Arrangement for Military Peace Support (NORDCAPS) is aimed at establishing troop units in which the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian troop contributions complement each other. Denmark has decided to opt out of EU-led crisis management. The Nordic forces pool is sufficient to establish one brigade.
Deficiencies in the command and control and support functions for the Nordic forces pool brigade will be eliminated by 2003. Britain has registered its interest in participating in NORDCAPS activities, following positive experiences gained in the KFOR operation.
2.4. Development of military crisis management capacity
Growing international duties and diversification call for improved targeting of Finnish Defence Forces resources. By transferring the responsibility for practical implementation of peacekeeping operations from the Ministry of Defence to the Finnish Defence Forces, the link between national defence and international crisis management duties will be reinforced.
The development and troop needs of UN, EU and NATO crisis management will be taken into account in the future development of the Finnish rapid deployment force.
The interoperability of the Finnish troops, committed to the Planning and Review Process (PARP), with NATO troops is to be strengthened with the aid of 64 Partnership Goals.
The PARP process will also assist in development of the Finnish rapid deployment force committed to the EU. Interoperability with NATO countries will improve Finnish performance in both NATO-led and EU-led crisis management duties.
The rapid deployment force is equipped primarily with Finnish Defence Forces wartime materiel, the procurement of which is included in the Defences Forces budget planning allocations. Other materiel needed by the rapid deployment force which are not wartime materiel, as well as operating costs, are covered by separate allocations according to the established practice.
The 2nd Infantry Battalion of Finland's rapid deployment force and other ground forces reserved for international crisis management will achieve operational readiness at the start of 2003. Their materiel readiness will be improved under a procurement programme extending to 2006.
The operational readiness of the Finnish rapid deployment force will be broadened from the unit and battalion level to the brigade level. The aim is to establish together with the other Nordic countries the capacity to lead an international crisis management brigade. One key area is to increase expertise in civil-military cooperation.
The Finnish Navy is improving its capacity to cooperate internationally in mine clearance operations. The Finnish Air Force will participate in crisis management exercises with up to eight F-18 combat aircraft. The possible ways of participating in international crisis management operations in the future are being studied.
Opportunities for participation in international training and exercises are given by Finland's membership of the EU, by cooperation amongst the Nordic countries and by the NATO PfP programme. According to national interests Finland's participation in exercises will be concentrated in neighbouring areas. Personnel will continue to be trained in staff exercises and on courses, as before. The development of EU crisis management capability will increase Finland's cooperation with the armed forces of other Member States in the field of training as well. A greater number and diversity of joint exercises will be undertaken with other Nordic countries.
Traditional UN peacekeeper training and training under the PfP programme will be combined.
2.5. Civil-military cooperation
Civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) has become an established international concept to describe cooperation between civilians and the military. The multifaceted nature of today's crises has emphasized the importance of close cooperation.
The aim of CIMIC activities is to coordinate the common objectives of military and civilian crisis management and to better ensure the achievement of these objectives. Cooperation can include contact between military and civilian authorities, between soldiers and the local population and NGOs, and between military authorities and international aid organizations of different levels.
The division of labour between military and civilian personnel will vary significantly at different stages of a crisis. Responsibility for the safety of local residents and for the basic functions within society rests with the military when the local structures do not function and the civilian crisis management activities cannot yet be applied. The aim is nonetheless to transfer responsibility for the basic functions of society to organizations responsible for civilian crisis management or to locally based authorities as soon as the security situation allows.
CIMIC tasks have traditionally formed an integral part of Finnish peacekeeping troops. Experiences gained in the Balkans have also proved that civilian and military cooperation is natural for Finnish peacekeepers. They comprise mostly reservists from a wide variety of civilian occupations who are rooted in the tradition of a Nordic civil society and therefore possess appropriate attitudes and skills, which will also support the security of the troops.
Crisis management tasks in the future will demand a diverse array of expertise. In Finland, national and international cooperation between institutions providing training in aspects of crisis management must be further improved. The potential for making use of the experiences gained in international CIMIC activities to improve Finland's emergency readiness must also be investigated.
3. CIVILIAN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
3.1 General
Finland's civilian crisis management capacity will be developed on the basis of the country's national resources. Special attention must be paid to the development of the capacity required for the EU's crisis management work.
Amongst international organizations, the UN and its special agencies have the most extensive experience of complex crisis management operations. A wide-ranging discussion of the UN's peacekeeping operations has followed the publication of the Brahimi Report. The report emphasizes the complementarity of military and civilian crisis management. Adoption of the report's recommendations would mean new demands on member countries' participation in civilian crisis management tasks.
The OSCE began its field operations at the start of the 1990s. Following this, Finnish election observers and experts in different fields have been dispatched to OSCE duties. At the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul the decision was taken to set up a system of Rapid Expert Assistance and Cooperation Teams (REACT) to try to speed up the dispatch of civilian experts to crisis-afflicted areas and to increase their effectiveness.
Amongst the special concerns of the Council of Europe are human rights standards, compliance with these standards, legal, social and local administration, and legislative issues, which often play a central role at the reconstruction stage in crisis-afflicted areas.
The EU has some experience of civilian crisis management tasks in the Balkans, where it operates the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM). The EU was also responsible for administration of the town of Mostar in 1994-1996. In addition, the Commission's programmes include activities which can be classified as civilian crisis management. The Kosovo crisis, in particular, has demonstrated that resources for the EU's civilian crisis management must be developed further.
Work on developing the EU's civilian crisis management was begun at the Helsinki European Council, which led to confirmation of the first priority areas at the Feira European Council. The priority areas selected were policing, strengthening the rule of law and civil administration, and civil protection. Specific development targets were also set for policing for the period to 2003.
Civilian crisis management tasks will provide valuable experience which can also be utilized at a national level.
In 1997, the Government submitted a report to Parliament on the development of Finland's civilian resources for crisis management, which was then used as the basis for establishing a permanent, inter-ministerial cooperative working group led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This body has representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Prime Minister's Office, the National Emergency Supply Agency and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority. Studies made by the working group show that the different administrative sectors are ready to develop Finland's capacity for civilian crisis management. However, personnel resources are not yet sufficient for such tasks.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has funded experts and election observers from the different sectors especially for duties in the Balkans. Budget allocations for development assistance have also been used for tasks classified as civilian crisis management in developing countries. The main budget division for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the 2001 State budget contains an allocation of FIM 43 million for the participation of civilian personnel in crisis management tasks.
3.2 Priorities in civilian crisis management
Policing
So far, civilian police operations have been implemented mainly under UN leadership, although the OSCE and WEU have also carried out policing operations. Despite global recruitment, the UN has had difficulty in finding sufficient police personnel to meet requirements.
As well as traditional supervisory, training and consultative tasks, organizations responsible for police operations have in some cases had to take care of local policing in its entirety. For example, in Kosovo, the international police force has performed duties normally belonging to local police forces, such as maintaining public order and security, investigating crime, undertaking traffic surveillance and performing the duties of the frontier police.
Finland has the resources to dispatch 50 police officers to international civilian police duties within the framework of the UN's UNSAS standby system.
Like other EU countries, Finland has dispatched police to various types of operation led by international organizations. Since 1994, a total of about 150 Finnish police have taken part in international civilian police duties in the Balkans and in Mozambique. At the start of 2001, 30 Finnish police were participating in four operations, in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Albania.
The Feira European Council set a target for the EU of raising the number of police available for international duties in conflict prevention and crisis management operations to 5,000 by the year 2003. This includes the capability of participating in crisis management operations with a rapid reaction force of 1,000 police within 30 days of the decision to despatch such a force.
The EU's first conference on police resources for civilian crisis management was held in May 2001. Preparations for the conference made use of the work of the EU's third pillar Police Working Group, which was given added impetus by the 1999 Tampere European Council. Establishing and commanding independent EU civilian crisis management operations, especially police operations, will require reinforcement of the EU's planning capacity.
In line with EU objectives, Finland is prepared to increase the number of police available for international duties to a total of 60-70, of whom 10-15 would form part of a rapid reaction force.
The Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior has thus far trained more than 250 police to fulfil the UN recruitment criteria on special civilian police training courses. In early 2001, the courses were also attended by foreign participants.
Border police activities are part of international policing, which is aimed at stabilization. It is also important in conflict prevention. In Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as in other volatile areas, inadequate national border control can heighten the conflict. Finland's Frontier Guard assists in improving border control, and also as part of police operations. The Finnish Frontier Guard is able to release several experts a year for international civilian crisis management duties.
Strengthening the rule of law
In civilian crisis management, special attention must be paid to respecting and strengthening the principle of the rule of law and to developing the judicial administration. The collapse of the structures of the rule of law and the growth of organized crime, corruption and other criminal justice matters represent major challenges to a community recovering from a crisis. In post-crisis situations, special attention must be given to developing the democratic structures, legislation and the rule of law and to strengthening the judicial structures that support the criminal justice system and policing. On this basis, the strengthening of the rule of law was agreed as one of the priority areas for the EU's civilian crisis management. The European Council at Gothenburg intends to decide to create a capacity of 200 experts for rule of law tasks.
In Finland, the principle of the rule of law has a long tradition. National expertise and international experience has been accumulated in matters concerning the strengthening of the rule of law. Areas of expertise include development of an independent judicial system and improving the operation of the courts, selection and training of judges and prosecutors, and areas related to availability of justice, legal processes and enforcement of court decisions. Finland also has special expertise in development of an ombudsman system and information systems for the courts.
The Ministry of Justice has assembled a register of Finnish experts who could assist in the administration of civil and criminal justice, development of basic rights and legislation, improvement of the judiciary and prison system, planning and development of the electoral system, and election monitoring. The register includes circuit judges, prosecutors, advocates and experts from the Ministry of Justice. The file will be added to the national register of experts being prepared by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The EU has also begun to establish a register of experts as part of its objectives for strengthening the rule of law. The development of this register should take account of compatibility with similar projects of international organizations, in particular the OSCE's REACT project. Specific targets also require further national input from Finland, which will in turn demand improved recruitment and training of experts.
The Ministry of Justice will arrange training for about 30-40 people in conjunction with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The aim is that, if necessary, Finland should be able to dispatch up to 10 highly qualified judicial administration experts simultaneously for civilian crisis management tasks.
Strengthening civil administration
The EU's priorities also include re-establishing and strengthening civil administration in crisis-afflicted areas. The aim is to determine objectives for EU action by assessing needs and by exchanging information on the current activities of Member States, the selection of experts and training.
Reintroducing regional and local administration in crisis-afflicted areas often requires international input. This includes reinstating social and health services, for which help may be needed for planning and start-up as well as operation. Local structures are usually not sufficient to cope with a major flow of refugees or a situation in which there are internal refugees.
In the strengthening of civil administration, Finland is particularly well suited for a role in the following: planning, set-up and assistance for post-crisis regional and local administration; provision of information technology expertise for creating a demographic accounting system and basic registers; and possibly also expert assistance in rebuilding and developing the transport and communications infrastructure.
Provision will be made to increase the participation of Finnish experts from regional administration and health care and customs authorities as well as participation of other experts in various international civilian crisis management tasks.
Civil protection
The Finnish Rescue services Act contains provisions on dispatching assistance abroad at the request of another state or an international organization. Cooperation has been developed mainly with Finland's neighbours, in the UN and within the framework of the NATO PfP programme. The EU and Member States are currently seeking to improve readiness not only within the Union but also outside it. At the Gothenburg European Council in June 2001, the EU intends to agree on creating a capacity of 200 persons for civil protection tasks.
When the UN began its assessment and control activities for natural and environmental disasters in the early 1990s, preparations were made for dealing with a few operations per year. However, the UN has found itself having to respond to an increasing number of often complex emergencies. Today, there are dozens of operations every year.
Worldwide, this type of work is carried out by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while at a regional level the work is performed within the sphere of both the EU and NATO. The EU has established its own resources register, which includes information on the interoperability of equipment. Efforts are being made to improve international cooperation through better organization and greater specialization, and via the Lead Nation concept.
For international operations, the Finnish fire and rescue services use specially trained rescue personnel of the Finn Rescue Force (FRF). Primarily at the request of the UN, experts can be dispatched from this force to undertake disaster evaluation, and special teams and rescue units can be despatched for actual rescue operations. The FRF comprises personnel from Finland's five largest emergency centres, with a combined total strength of about 200 professional rescue personnel and other experts. Readiness for departure can be achieved in anything from a few hours to one or two days, depending on the number of personnel needed.
Finnish experts have participated in disaster evaluation on twelve occasions since 1994. FRF units have taken part in international rescue duties in nine disaster situations involving, for example, forest fires, flooding, explosion, earthquake and toxic spillage. Due to restrictions on transport capacity and funding, Finland has not been able to respond to all the requests for assistance, and the size of the units dispatched has had to be limited.
The material requirement consists of search and rescue equipment needed in aid operations and materials despatched in crisis situations for use by the rescue organization of the country requiring assistance.
In its international operations, the Finnish fire and rescue services use mainly municipal fire services equipment. International aid operations also require additional specialized and support equipment. The participation of the fire and rescue services depends on the rapid availability of personnel and equipment and their quick despatch to the location in question. Readiness also demands planning and training capacity.
The allocations for civilian crisis management in the 2001 State budget allow the procurement of equipment by the fire and rescue services for the special needs of civilian crisis management. The Ministry of the Interior has allocations for expenditure on operations to provide or receive international assistance, as defined in the Rescue services Act.
The future development of Finland's rescue services will take into consideration the country's international obligations set within the EU and elsewhere. Procurement should aim to increase the interoperability of equipment and specialization. Creation of the necessary resources requires an increase in the number of planning and administration personnel in the Ministry of the Interior, an increase in the resources for basic training for experts and rescue teams in Finland, and for participation in international training and exercises. International cooperation, for example to obtain a heavy air lift where this is necessary, will be vital to improve the opportunities for participation in crisis management operations.
3.3 Development needs
The common aims of the EU and the efforts of international organizations impose obligations on Finland to raise the level of national resources. Besides the sector-specific development needs arising from the EU's priorities, there are also general development needs.
Finland aims to improve the effectiveness of its preparations for political decision-making concerning civilian crisis management and national coordination. It also aims to use the experience gained in development assistance and cooperation with adjacent areas to improve coordination. Cooperation will be improved especially between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and the Ministry of Finance. Contacts with NGOs will also be improved.
The preparatory work and coordination for civilian crisis management decision-making are taken care of jointly by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for coordinating Finland's cooperation on civilian crisis management in the EU and in international organizations. The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for ensuring the coordination of Finland's national civilian crisis management resources.
To support the coordination effort, integrated registers of experts will be established and will take into account the needs of the OSCE's REACT system. A register will be developed for recruitment work and will also take account of NGO expertise and experience.
Special attention will be paid to providing Finnish experts with training in the EU's priorities for civilian crisis management. The training will give due consideration to development of the activities of the EU and international organizations. At the same time, the different administrative sectors will develop both their own professional expertise in civilian crisis management and their capacity to despatch experts to international duties.
Finland's participation in civilian crisis management will be funded principally from the main budget division of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. To ensure the necessary resources, additional funding will need to be secured which also applies to the other ministries mentioned. The work involves several administrative sectors, and therefore budget allocation needs will be coordinated amongst the different ministries.
In planning future budget allocations, consideration will be given to the additional funding needs arising from the EU's activities and Finland's other international commitments. Such costs will include payroll costs, equipment procurement and training.
The legal status of personnel participating in civilian crisis management will be clarified. If necessary, the possibility of incorporating provisions on this in the Finnish legislation will be studied. Recruitment of experts will be promoted by reviewing contract conditions, with due reference to the practice applied in other Nordic countries.
Finland's preparations to assist in international civilian crisis management are complementary to its preparations for coping with disruptive situations at home and exceptional circumstances. Both activities would, to a great extent, use the same personnel and equipment. Future training programmes will be improved to meet the needs of both national and international tasks.