Government submits to Parliament proposal to facilitate operations of international military headquarters in Finland

Government submits to Parliament proposal to facilitate operations of international military headquarters in Finland

​​​​​​​The Finnish Government proposes that an agreement supplementing the Paris Protocol be accepted to facilitate the establishment and operations of international military headquarters in Finland. The government proposal was submitted to Parliament on 23 April 2026.

"This proposal would facilitate the operations of international military headquarters in Finland. First, we achieved our goal of establishing a Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC) in Mikkeli and a NATO Deployable CIS Module (DCM) in Riihimäki. Now we want to make sure that these and any other international military headquarters later established in Finland can operate and perform their duties to the fullest. This is a concrete sign that Finland's NATO integration is making good progess, and it also contributes to strengthening the defence of Finland and the High North," Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen said.

The supplementary agreement would strengthen the status of NATO's international military headquarters and facilitate their operations in Finland. It would apply to all NATO military headquarters and any other military organisations operating in Finland. The agreement would be Finland's first NATO-related international agreement prepared under the lead of the Ministry of Defence.

The agreement would not establish any headquarters: the decision to establish a headquarters or change the personnel strength of a headquarters would remain subject to approval by Finland. In addition, Finland would approve any headquarter activities that, for example, require an increase of personnel strength.

The supplementary agreement contains provisions on various matters such as taxation, environmental protection, health and safety, telecommunications, vehicles and education. The basic principle is that NATO military headquarters enjoy the same opportunities and conditions in Finland as the Finnish Defence Forces.

The agreement would ensure that, during their NATO mission, high-ranking personnel, such as generals, serving in NATO would be accorded immunities and privileges comparable to those enjoyed by foreign diplomats.

Inquiries: Tuukka Einola, Senior Specialist for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 140, email: [email protected]