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NATO membership and Finland’s resilience Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2023. NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security as well as the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe. A...

Rescue service operators and responsibilities Rescue departments carry out rescue service duties in their respective regions There are 21 regional rescue departments in Finland. Rescue departments carry out rescue service duties in their respectiv...

International operations of the rescue services International cooperation with the European Union, United Nations, NATO, the Nordic countries and other neighbouring countries is part of the daily work of the rescue services. Finland may provide in...

National risk assessment Finland’s national risk assessment is prepared at regular intervals. The purpose of the national risk assessment is to anticipate relatively sudden incidents potentially targeted at Finland that require the authorities to ...

Departments and units Police Department The Police Department deals with matters concerning the police administration under the National Police Board, combating crime, public order and security, licencing, firearms, gambling policy, the private se...

The police maintain public order and security The duty of the police is to secure the rule of law; maintain public order and security; prevent, detect and investigate crimes; and submit cases to prosecutors for the consideration of charges. The po...

Government Programme measures to reform rescue services and emergency response centre operations The Government aims to ensure high-quality rescue services throughout the country. Rescue services must be of high quality and carried out in a unifor...

Government Programme measures to reform rescue services and emergency response centre operations The Government aims to ensure high-quality rescue services throughout the country. Rescue services must be of high quality and carried out in a unifor...

National objectives for the functions of the wellbeing services counties The Government adopts, at least every four years, national strategic objectives for the performance of the healthcare, social welfare and rescue service functions of the well...

Rescue services The Ministry of the Interior guides and directs emergency response centre operations, and prepares related legislation. The aim is to build a safe and crisis-resilient Finland. There are 21 regional rescue departments in Finland, w...

10.4.2026 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen is currently visiting Türkiye to meet with the Turkish Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi. Topics on the ministers’ agenda include the effects of the situation in the Middle East on migration as well as counterterrorism and police cooperation.

CER-laki

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the preparation of migration policy and legislation

28.10.2025 | The interior ministers of Finland, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Denmark will meet in Gdánsk, Poland, on 28 October. The ministers will discuss countering hybrid threats posed by Russia and Belarus, and evacuation practices in the countries in the Baltic Sea region. Finland will be represented at the meeting by Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

Rescue services reform aimed at improving services Under the Act on Organising Rescue Services, adopted in June 2021, the wellbeing services counties and the City of Helsinki are responsible for organising rescue services from the beginning of 202...

16.8.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance have launched an extensive project to examine the need for the development of regional preparedness and situation awareness activities. The aim is to introduce as uniform an operating model and practices as possible for managing emergency conditions and various incidents under normal conditions across Finland.

Border management operators and responsibilities Responsibility for performing the duties of the Border Guard rests with nine administrative units. These units are the Border Guard Headquarters (which also operates as the Ministry’s Border Guard D...

Joint Strategy for the Ministry of the Interior’s Administrative Branch: A safe and secure society in all situations The Joint Strategy of the Ministry of the Interior guides and steers all decision-making in the Ministry and its administrative br...

13.11.2025 | Nordic ministers responsible for civil preparedness or their deputies will meet in Helsinki on 13 November. This so-called Haga ministerial meeting will be chaired by Finnish Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen. The ministers will discuss topical issues related to crisis preparedness in the Nordic countries.

17.10.2025 | The Rescue Borealis exercise, conducted in Finland between August and October 2025, brought together around 700 professionals from healthcare, rescue services and other security authorities from Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany. This multi-agency exercise, which was mainly funded by the European Commission and focused on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN), was reportedly the largest of its kind in Europe in recent years.