In an interview with the Financial Times Niinistö roundly criticises the decision of Jan Vapaavuori (NCP), the Minister of Economic Affairs, to recommend that the permit application of Fennovoima for the construction of a nuclear power plant is approved. The plant is to be supplied by Rosatom, a Russian state-owned company that holds 34 per cent of the shares in the nuclear consortium.

Finland is slipping back to the days of “Finlandisation”, Ville Niinistö, the chairperson of the Green League and the Minister of the Environment, has stated.

Finland, Niinistö believes, is on the verge of placing the interests of Russia ahead of its own in foreign policy-making. “We are giving the Russians the very leverage they are looking for with the West and the EU. This puts us in a very vulnerable position,” he said to the Financial Times.

In addition, Niinistö estimated that the nuclear power project will increase the reliance of Finland on Russian energy.

“Bluntly speaking, it is totally bewildering that the rest of the Government thinks this is OK.”

The Green League has announced that it will resign from the five-party coalition on Thursday, if the Government – as seems likely – grants an in-principle permit to Fennovoima for building a nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, North Ostrobothnia.

The Financial Times describes the dispute over Fennovoima as the latest headache for Prime Minister Alexander Stubb (NCP), who is already scrambling to tackle the economic downturn. Stubb, the business-oriented daily writes, also faced criticism “after Finland delayed the implementation of tough new sanctions by the EU against Russia”.

The union approved the sanctions earlier this month, despite the demands of Finland to delay them.

HS

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

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Photo: Martti Kainulainen / Lehtikuva