Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: EU’s plans to ban lead would weaken defence

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: EU's plans to ban lead would weaken defence

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has proposed that the European Commission extend the restriction on the use of lead. Using lead shot for hunting in wetlands has already been banned for health and environmental reasons. The ECHA now proposes that all use of lead ammunition (shot and bullets) be banned except for military defence and other use by authorities. In practice, this would mean that lead shot and bullets could not be used by civilians after the transition period.

Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen deems the proposal a risk to national and European security: "We should be making the European defence industry and our crisis preparedness stronger, not weaker"

If implemented, the ban would significantly cut the European production capacity for lead ammunition. Ensuring sufficient production capacity to meet demand even in crisis situations would require that lead ammunition be used by both civilians and military. Another concern is how the proposed ban would affect voluntary national defence training on shooting ranges. It would also obligate shooting ranges to adopt expensive environmental protection measures that are out of proportion to the health and environmental risks of lead exposure.

The Ministry of Defence and the rest of the Finnish Government have actively tried to influence the Commission to amend the proposal.

"We have made it clear to the Commission on several occasions that this lead regulation would harm military defence, defence industry and crisis preparedness. That is why we were pleased to welcome the news last summer that the proposal was not going ahead. Now that things have changed, we have drafted a compromise proposal for the Commission where we take into account both the risks for military defence and for health and the environment. We are also seeking support for our proposal from other member states," Häkkänen says.

Inquiries: Sara Kajander, Director of the Community and Environmental Unit, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 080, [email protected]

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