Finnish and Norwegian first responders joined forces for a two-day crisis readiness exercise that wrapped up on Tuesday. They played out an imaginary crisis scenario where Norway requested emergency deliveries of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies from EU emergency stockpiles.
Some of these so-called rescEU stockpiles have been stored in Finland over the past two years. They include medicines, measuring equipment and personal protective gear. The European Commission has granted Finland more than 300 million euros to set up these stockpiles.
Under EU rules, supplies must be ready for delivery within 12 hours of an offer of assistance being accepted – even in this case, to a non-EU country.
Cross-border preparedness “crucial in current global situation”
“In a crisis situation, sending supplies requires seamless cooperation between the country requesting and the country sending assistance and the European Emergency Response Coordination Centre,” Ilona Hatakka, project manager at the Interior Ministry, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health also took part in the exercise. There, project manager Piia Ollila stressed the importance of collaborating on the exercise with colleagues from Norway and the European Commission.
“Exercises focusing on cross-border assistance strengthen preparedness and help identify any practical challenges related to the delivery of medicinal products, for example,” she said, adding that in the current global political situation, it is crucial for the Nordic countries cooperate on preparedness.
3-nation rescue exercise in Oulu in late September
Management and use of the EU emergency stockpiles in Finland requires seamless cross-administrative cooperation within the country, the interior ministry said. Besides the two ministries, this also involves the health agency THL, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (Stuk) and the National Emergency Supply Agency (Nesa).
The rescEU stockpiles contain materials used to prepare for a wide range of threats, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, as well medical supplies and radiation meters for use in case of a major accident.
This week’s exercise was part of the larger Rescue Borealis 2025 exercise, which includes Finland, Norway and Sweden and ends with a five-day exercise that begins in Oulu on 29 September.
On a visit to Norway last autumn, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb agreed to improve cross-border transport links in preparation for possible future crises. Finland shares a 736km border with Norway, which is part of Nato but not the EU.
