Defense is one of the key areas in which Poland and Finland, as countries on the eastern flank of the European Union, are significantly strengthening their cooperation. “A united front on the European stage is particularly valuable,” emphasizes the Finnish Ambassador to Poland. Other areas of close bilateral relations include energy and civil protection.
The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, was awarded the BCC Special Award during the Grand Gala of Polish Business Leaders organized by Business Centre Club. He was recognized for his contribution to building relations with Poland based on partnership and solidarity. The award committee also praised his consistent leadership in strengthening European and transatlantic security, as well as his commitment to reinforcing NATO.
“Cooperation between Finland and Poland is already quite strong. We are doing a great deal together. We are aligned both in EU policy and in defense, which is extremely important. We are frontline countries on the eastern flank, and that unites us,” Päivi Laine, Ambassador of Finland to Poland, told Newseria news agency.
One example of Polish-Finnish cooperation is the recent Eastern Flank Summit, held on December 16, 2025, in Helsinki. During the meeting, the two countries agreed to coordinate efforts to strengthen the joint defense of the European Union’s eastern border, in close cooperation with NATO. Finland decided to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a country sharing more than 1,300 kilometers of land border with the aggressor, Finland formally became a NATO member in April 2023. It is also a strong ally of Ukraine in the war against Russia, having provided more than €4 billion in support since the beginning of the invasion.
“We are also working together within the European Union to strengthen European defense. Of course, it is crucial that Europe remains united and economically strong. We must also develop the European defense industry,” the ambassador adds.
As she points out, there are many more areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy.
“Poland plans to build a nuclear power plant, and Finland is the most recent country in Europe to have constructed such a facility. Cooperation in this area is therefore very natural and is already developing,” explains Päivi Laine.
At the beginning of 2024, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (Polish Nuclear Power Plants) began technical cooperation with a consortium of Finnish companies, Fortum and TVO Nuclear Services. Their task includes preparing the Polish company to act as a nuclear power plant operator and supporting it during the design phase.
Energy cooperation was also one of the topics discussed during the January visit to Warsaw by Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, accompanied by representatives of Finnish businesses. On that occasion, at the headquarters of the Polish Ministry of State Assets, the Orlen Group signed cooperation agreements with three Finnish partners — ABO Energy Suomi, Nordic Ren-Gas and VolagHy Kuopio SPV — covering the production and supply of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives.
The Finnish ambassador also notes that Finnish companies can share their experience in implementing large-scale infrastructure projects, such as Port Polska. In addition, Finland can provide support in the field of civil defense.
“In the civil defense sector, Finland can currently offer significant support to Poland. Our Civil Defense Act has been in force since the 1950s, so we have extensive experience. Finland’s network of shelters is very well developed. We have space in shelters for nearly five million people, while Finland’s population is 5.5 million,” says Päivi Laine.
This year, the construction of new shelters and the adaptation of existing structures are set to become priorities under Poland’s Civil Protection and Civil Defense Program for 2025–2026. This was announced on February 16 in Wrocław by Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński. The government has allocated PLN 34 billion to strengthen resilience against various types of crises.
Ahead of his visit to Poland, Minister Ville Tavio emphasized that Finnish companies possess extensive expertise in comprehensive security solutions, particularly in the design and construction of civil defense shelters.
“What can Polish business learn from Finland and vice versa? Cooperation between companies is always a two-way street. We learn from each other. A very interesting example is the Finnish company Nokia, which employs nearly as many people in Poland as it does in Finland,” the Finnish ambassador notes.
In Poland, Nokia operates three technology centers. It employs around 5,000 people in Wrocław, approximately 1,200 in Kraków, and more than 1,000 in Bydgoszcz, in addition to an office in Warsaw.
“Another very good example is ICEYE. Rafał Modrzewski, its Polish co-founder, went to Finland as part of the Erasmus exchange program. There, together with a Finnish partner, he began building a company that has now become a highly innovative and important enterprise in Europe,” emphasizes Päivi Laine.
ICEYE is a global leader in persistent Earth monitoring. It operates the world’s largest constellation of satellites equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The Polish-Finnish company works with both government institutions and commercial clients, providing data in areas such as defense, insurance, disaster response and recovery, security, maritime monitoring and finance.
