Finland is planning the European Union's largest strategic reserve of emergency supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine set off an effort by the EU to increase its crisis preparedness.
In a statement, Finland's Interior Ministry said the project, which the European Commission funded for $264 million, will set up a strategic reserve to be used by countries in Northern and Eastern Europe in case of emergencies.
"Chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats are more likely due to the current global situation, and that is what motivates the European Commission as well. This is also connected to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Tarja Rantala, a project manager at the ministry, said in an interview.
The stockpile, which will be mostly built up throughout 2024, will include protective and measurement equipment, detectors, rapid tests, medicines, and vaccines for both first responders and the civilian population in case of pandemics.
Finland's stockpile will cover both protective and medical materials as part of the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism. Local authorities are supposed to be expanding their skill sets at the same time. The EU expects Finland to provide "groundbreaking" knowledge and experience on managing and deploying the strategic reserves in its drafting guidelines by the end of the year.
Jeremy Frankel ✉
Jeremy Frankel is a Newsmax writer reporting on news and politics.
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