Finland’s and Sweden’s defense cooperation or DCA agreements were negotiated at the same time, but there are three key differences between them. […]
First there is a notable difference in how Finland’s sovereignty is emphasized in the Finnish DCA agreement.
In the first article of both the Finnish and Swedish agreements, it is defined that in all activities according to the agreement, the country’s “sovereignty, legislation and international legal obligations” must be respected in all respects.
Whereas Sweden has been satisfied with the mention of the first article, Finland refers to this in three different articles in later sections of the agreement.
The first of these is an article that deals with the access of US soldiers to the areas and facilities separately agreed upon in the agreement and the activities that take place there.
The second deals with the storage of defense equipment, supplies and material outside of, for example, military exercises. In the third, the movement of aircraft, ships and vehicles in Finnish areas.
In all of them these sections also mention separately that when applying them, the views of both parties, i.e. Finland and the United States, must be heard and taken into account. Corresponding entries are missing from the Swedish DCA agreement. […]
Third The Finnish agreement emphasizes more strongly than the Swedish agreement that the Finnish authorities have the primary responsibility for maintaining public order and security in Finnish areas.
A separate obligation has also been added to the article dealing with security issues of the agreement for the United States to notify the Finnish authorities without delay, if their actions in some exceptional situations target forces other than their own, for example Finns. However, the starting point in both the Finnish and Swedish agreements is that all safety-related measures are agreed upon in jointly approved contingency plans. Läs artikel
