Security and Global Responsibility

As Christian Democrats, we think that security is based on the solid morality, honesty and the sense of joint responsibility of the nation. Problems due to social problems and increased use of controlled substances, as well as crime originating from abroad have weakened security. Our goal is to make Finland the safest country in Europe, based on crime statistics.

Therefore:

• The incidence of crime needs to be lowered by early involvement in marginalization, school bullying and family problems, as well as by adding the number of policemen and raising the success rate in crime solving. The police, customs and borderguard need to be guaranteed sufficient resources and jurisdiction.

• Legal processes need to be made faster.

• Measures against grey economy need to be intensified.

• Crime repreat rate needs to be lowered by increasing the personnel and rehabilitation resources in prisons. The goal is to decrease the repeat-offender rate of first-timers so that the amount of those returning to prison would be cut by ten percent in the election term.

• Prisons need addeed facilities and personnel. An efficient way to prevent crime is to focus on the transit stage by creating adequate daily life support structures for a freed prisoner.

• Foreign criminal organizations getting into Finland needs to be stopped, and especially stopping prostitution, human trafficking, human smuggling and drug crime needs to be a focus.

Finland has its own independent foreign and security policy, and Finland also influences through the common foreign and security policies of the EU. Finland's goald needs to be good and reliable relations with our neighboring countries, an active role in the EU and other international organizations, as well as maintaining a believable national defence capability.

Globally, the biggest problems and risks are connected to uncontrolled weapons, environmental threats, regional crises and tensions between groups of people. We need early involvement in phenomena that lead to crimes against humanity. Weapons and other military equipment should not be sold to regimes offending human rights.

We want Finland to advocate and further durable development, stability and peace, the priciples of a constitutionally governed state and respect of human rights all over the world. The spreading and growth of terrorism and international crime in Finland needs to be prevented.

In our opinion:

• The basic guidelines of Finland's security and defence policy have been good. There is no hurry to change them. However, reliable and researched information is needed on the probable advantages and disadvantages of NATO membership. A possible NATO membership requires the support of the majority of the people in a referendum.

• Finland's military defence needs to be based on universal service and regional defence.

• Finland needs to focus more on new kinds of security threats such as terrorism or international organized crime. In collaboration with the EU and other international communities, Finland needs to also be prepared for large scale incidents, natural catastrophies and world wide epidemics.

• The EU rapid deployment forces need to only participate in operations that have an extensive internationa acceptance, and following UN principles. It is important that the USA, NATO and the EU do not start acting as "world police" but that each continent has its own crises management system.

• Finland and the EU need to act in an equal manner in addressing the Near East crisis, and emphasize the realization of human rights and democracy in the area.

• Finland needs to advocate improving the capability of the UN and its suborganizations, and increase the efficiency of its administration.

• By increasing development aid subsidy to 0.7% of the GNP by 2010 and by advocating fair trade we can show our commitment to the UN millenium goal. The productiveness of development aid needs to be improved. Donations to development aid need to be made tax-deductible.