Historic Meeting in Finnish-Swedish Supply Security Cooperation

The National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) has presented Finland’s supply security and its development over recent years to Sweden’s Business Council for Total Defense and Crisis Preparedness. The study trip, led by Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin, highlighted many aspects of interest to the Swedish business community. The visit, organized by NESA and the Swedish Ministry of Defense on April 22-23, 2025, was also attended by Crown Princess Victoria. The Swedish government was also represented by Minister of Defense Pål Jonson and State Secretary Daniel Liljeberg from the Ministry of Rural Affairs.

At the Finnish-Swedish Cultural Center in Hanasaari, the Swedish guests met with Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, responsible for supply security, and members of Finland’s National Emergency Supply Council. The councils discussed, among other things, the cooperation model between the public and private sectors, which is the fundamental idea of Finland’s supply security. Similar cooperation has been initiated in Sweden in recent years. In his opening remarks, NESA’s CEO Janne Känkänen said he sees many opportunities for cooperation between Sweden and Finland, particularly between public and private actors.

In his speech, Minister Rydman emphasized the special role of the business community in supply security work. According to Rydman, international cooperation has become more prominent due to changes in the operational environment, and Nordic cooperation has experienced a renaissance. Minister Bohlin described the joint meeting of the councils as historic and reminded what has been learned from Ukraine: the resilience of the entire society is needed for wartime defense.

The Vice Chairman of the National Emergency Supply Council, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Timo Jaatinen, considered it beneficial to expand the countries’ joint preparedness exercises. According to him, these would also highlight the fact that in several globally significant international companies, the Nordic countries are managed as a single business area.

The purpose of the Swedish Business Council is to serve as a platform for information exchange on total defense and crisis preparedness issues that concern the business community, the state, and employer and employee organizations. In Finland, the National Emergency Supply Council is appointed by the government and includes representatives from the business community, labor market organizations, and public administration.

After the seminar, the Swedish guests, led by the National Emergency Supply Agency, familiarized themselves with the preparedness in energy supply.