Von der Leyen asks Finland to prepare the EU for war

The European Commission on March 20 asked the former president of Finland to prepare a report on how to enhance Europe's civilian and defence preparedness.

“We know that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ambition does not end in Ukraine,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, speaking alongside former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, per POLITICO.

The announcement comes ahead of Thursday's EU leaders' summit, where the defence will be a main topic.

In Finland “defence preparedness is not just the military's concern, it is everyone's concern,” she said, adding: “We have a lot to learn from Finland. It is a specific mindset, and I believe we should adopt it more widely in Europe ... people can be prepared for all emergencies, including military, hybrid threats and natural disasters."

The report, due this fall, “looks at the conventional defence and defence posture of the European Union, respecting of course very clearly, that the whole organization of troops is the competence of the member states,” von der Leyen said, addressing worries from many member countries about a Brussels power grab on defence issues.

Finland has more than 1,300 kilometres of border with Russia and is keeping a very close eye on the war in Ukraine. Niinistö said that one of the lessons from that conflict is that “war has changed ... it's conventional, but on the other hand, it's with drones with everything and with cyber influences, it's a very large combination.”

The hope is that “we will find as many aspects as possible to guarantee our security,” he said.