Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and Swedish Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin met in Espoo 7.11. The Ministers had a general discussion on the importance of civil preparedness and civil defence shelters. Minister Bohlin recognised the long-term work carried out in Finland on civil defence shelters.

Finland's civil defence shelters are largely in good repair, but there is still some need for maintenance and repairs. A new Ministry of the Interior study shows that more than 90 per cent of civil defence shelters would provide people with good protection against the effects of conventional weapons. Shelter equipment is in most need of repair. Based on the report, the Ministry of the Interior has drawn up four recommendations for improving the network of civil defence shelters. Finland is not currently facing a military threat.

Finland has around 50,500 civil defence shelters with space for about 4.8 million people. Finland has a sufficient number of places in shelters. Civil defence shelters are located in large cities in particular. The highest number of places in civil defence shelters in relation to the population can be found in the Greater Helsinki area and Pirkanmaa. This is evident in the preliminary data of the Ministry of the Interior’s report. The Ministry of the Interior is also examining the condition of civil defence shelters in Finland. The final report is expected to be completed in August. Finland is currently not facing a military threat.