The European Union should gradually build a fully fledged intelligence body to better counter threats from foreign actors and respond more forcefully to espionage within its borders, according to a recent draft of a report requested by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. he new intelligence service would gatherContinue Reading
Norway and Germany have proposed the creation of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) Hubs to bolster NATO’s role in safeguarding vital energy and communication infrastructure across Europe’s maritime areas. The two nations suggested establishing CUI Hubs in five maritime regions: the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.Continue Reading
Trump and the Biden White House both say the United States should have a sovereign wealth fund. Norway, home to the world’s largest, may offer a few lessons. The Trump campaign and the Biden administration do not often agree, but they do appear to have at least one new areaContinue Reading
Estonia will help internally displaced people (IDPs) prepare for the coming winter in Ukraine after Russia destroyed around 80 percent of the country’s energy infrastructure. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave €513,660 to its strategic humanitarian aid partners Mondo and the Estonian Refugee Council which are working in Ukraine. Mondo willContinue Reading
Norway will boost its civilian aid to Ukraine by five billion kroner ($475 million) this year and extend its aid package through 2030, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced on Friday. This extension raises the total aid commitment to 135 billion kroner, up from a previous total of 75 billionContinue Reading
Finland’s biggest opposition party plans to seek a vote of no confidence in Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio (Finns) due to his recent decision to withdraw Finland from a gender-equality alliance for the rebuilding of Ukraine. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentary group, TyttiContinue Reading
Greenpeace on Friday warned Norway that its plans to open up its Arctic seabed to mining would cause “irreversible” damage to the entire marine ecosystem. The Scandinavian country is expected to award the first exploration licences in 2025, and could become one of the first nations in the world toContinue Reading
In addition to ammunition and new weapons, Estonia will significantly enhance its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities in the coming years, said Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform). From 2025 to 2028, Estonia will invest nearly €6.4 billion in the defense sector. At a government press conferenceContinue Reading
A long-awaited decision on the location of Nato headquarters in Finland is imminent. According to Yle’s sources, Mikkeli is expected to be announced as the HQ for the Northern European land command unit while the multinational forward land force (FLF) will be based in either Rovaniemi or Sodankylä in FinnishContinue Reading
The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) has taken a new approach in its ongoing standoff with the government by placing a personal ad in the Sunday edition of newspaper Turun Sanomat, among other papers, directly addressing Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP). The ad is a plea from SAK’sContinue Reading