The cabinet of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the larger orders—focused mainly on the army—will modernize equipment and replace aging systems. In the spring, authorities decided to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP before 2030 and target 3.5% by 2035.
“Defense outlays are becoming huge,” Finance Minister Riikka Purra said, explaining reductions in multiple social areas, including innovation, housing construction and climate policy. Subsidies and various reliefs for companies and start-ups, as well as material support for immigrants, will be scaled back.
The finance ministry projects an 8.7-billion-euro deficit next year, with expenditures of EUR 90.3 billion and revenues of EUR 81.6 billion.
“Iltalehti” wrote that citizens’ prospects “look bleak,” noting unemployment above 10%, among the highest in the EU.
The paper said the budget confirms Finland is “preparing for war,” shifting from maintaining defense to readiness for a Russian attack, a threat it described as real, not theoretical.
(jh)
Source: Polskie Radio 24, RMF24