HELSINKI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said Tuesday that Finland must find out how various European leaders understand the meaning of the mutual defense clause of the European Union (EU).
"It is important that EU member countries would succeed in finding a joint view on the security policy dimension of defense cooperation," Rinne told newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL).
The practical value of the mutual EU defense, defined in paragraph 42.7 in the Lisbon Treaty, has been questioned in Finland this week following a response from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday evening to a comment by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
In their joint podium discussion on Sunday at a security seminar, the Finnish president said he wonders what the EU would do if an EU member that does not belong to NATO would be invaded.
In his response, Steinmeier only said Germany's security is connected with NATO. "You are in a different position than we are," Steinmeier said.
Ilkka Kanerva, the chairman of the parliamentary defense committee and a long time parliamentarian, told the HBL that Finland should find out to what extent each EU country is willing to apply the mutual defense clause. "This is unbelievably important to a country like Finland."
Rinne told the HBL that the defense related paragraph 47.2 is difficult to interpret, considering the only time it has been used was when France asked for help after the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015.
Niinisto said in a TV interview late Monday night that the security of the union has not been discussed much in recent years and should be aroused.
"It is not sensible that Finland pins its security on diffuse structures that can be interpreted differently in a crisis situation,"Finns Party Chairman Jussi Halla-aho said.
He said the Finnish option of applying for a NATO membership would probably not exist on the day Finland would need it.
Finland chose the EU as security guarantee as "the step to go to NATO was felt to be too high," said Halla-aho.
