Finland Times

President Sauli Niinistö and Defense Minister Carl Haglund expressed their support of the proposal.

Talking to News Agency STT, Niinistö said that it would be good for Finland to support the idea given by the European Commission president describing the proposal as very interesting.

The European Union is founded upon peace which is a key value, and it is strange that there is no support behind to provide assurance, said Niinistö

Niinistö said as the president he has been consistent in advocating this kind of idea. The Finnish president, however, said he had not heard about the proposal before it became public.

"It would be good for Finland to support this. It would be a serious and genuine expression for the EU to defend its values," said Niinistö.

 Haglund told Finnish national broadcaster Yle that Juncker's idea is interesting and worth discussing.

     However, he pointed out that the joint army will not take the place of NATO, as most EU countries regard NATO as the primary alliance for defense cooperation.

     On the other hand, some other Finnish politicians seem not keen on Juncker's proposal.

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has termed the idea of a common European Union army as not realistic.

 However, the premier on his part supports the defence cooperation in the European Union. 

"Finland through its stint as a member of the EU has supported the strengthening of the EU's foreign and security policy, and also the crisis in Ukraine has shown its need," Stubb told news agency STT. 

Stubb pointed out that the idea proposed by European Commission president Jean-Claude is not similar to the kind of thoughts which have been suggested in the past. 

"I have sympathy towards this kind of ideas, but so far, they have not received widespread support among the EU member states.

     Timo Soini, Chairman of the Finns Party said he does not believe the EU could build a joint defense force, as the EU should be more of an economic and free trade alliance.

     Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed that the idea is not realistic, saying that the EU is "not capable" of developing a joint military force. He added that the proposed joint army is a long term goal but not a matter on timetable in the near future.

     Juncker suggested on Sunday that the European Union needs to establish a joint army to face up to Russia and other threats coming from the rest of the world.

     The proposal has been backed by Germany. Some other EU countries including France and the UK are worried that the proposed joint EU army would diminish NATO's influence over Europe.