Nordic Security of Supply Authorities Build Concrete Forms of Cooperation at Meeting in Helsinki

Authorities responsible for security of supply from across the Nordic countries are currently participating in the Nordic Summit on Security of Supply, hosted by the National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) in Helsinki. The two-day meeting was opened by Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto.

Minister Puisto emphasized that the shared goal of the Nordic countries is to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. According to the Minister, this cooperation should be further developed at a more concrete level.

“I consider it particularly important that we regularly organize joint preparedness exercises at the Nordic level to test our ability to respond to various types of disruptions. This would strengthen our capacity to act together in exceptional situations. In addition, the exchange of situational awareness and the development of a shared understanding are essential,” Minister Sakari Puisto stated at NESA.

Janne Känkänen, Director General of NESA, reminded participants that the rapidly changing operating environment creates pressure to quickly develop practical capabilities together.

“As always, the best time to start was yesterday. Fortunately, that’s exactly what we did,” Känkänen said, referring to the first Nordic Summit on security of supply held in Copenhagen a year ago.

The seminar, held in Helsinki on 16–17 June, aims to define concrete forms of cooperation within the Nordic network. Although systems and responsibilities vary between countries, there is significant common ground. Furthermore, Nordic cooperation on security of supply has a strong political mandate based on an earlier initiative by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

In September 2024, Prime Minister Orpo proposed strengthening Nordic cooperation in the field of security of supply. He emphasized that in the current security environment, it is more important than ever to enhance the Nordic countries’ crisis resilience and promote comprehensive preparedness for various civil crises and hybrid threats.