Finland Times

 

File Photo Lehtikuva.

More Finns are dissatisfied with the current EU's common defense and thus support the development of common defense in cooperation with NATO, according to a poll published by Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday.

     

The survey showed that 38 percent of Finns are satisfied with the current situation of the EU's common defense, lower than the supportive level of 47 percent five year ago.

     

Meanwhile, 30 percent of the respondents would like to cooperate with the military alliance NATO on developing the EU's common defense. The share has surged by 10 percent since 2009.

   

File picture Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund and visiting Swedish counterpart Karin Engström signed a defense cooperation agreement in Helsinki. Photo Lehtikuva.

However, Finns increasingly prefer the EU's common defense to NATO membership, according to the poll.

     

The discussions of the EU's common defense, NATO membership and Finland-Sweden defense alliance are now quite heated in Finland, and the public opinions have changed recently, according Mika Aaltola, program director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

     

"The support of the idea that Finland should take care of its security along with others is a big change," Aaltola was quoted as saying, adding that the change was a result of the Ukraine crisis.

     

In addition, the supporters of the Social Democratic Party and the Green League are more satisfied with the current situation of the EU's common defense. While 50 percent of the supporters of the National Coalition Party, the ruling party of Finland, support the idea of developing the common defense together with NATO.

     

Even among the supporters of the Finns Party, the nationalist political party of Finland, 40 percent is satisfied with the current situation and nearly 30 percent would like to develop the common defense in cooperation with NATO.

     

Helsingin Sanomat conducted the survey on the public opinion about the development of the EU's common defense in late April. A total of 1062 persons aged 18 to 74 participated in the poll.