On Thursday 5 November, Finland's government submitted a bill to parliament on amendments to the act on military intelligence activities. According to the proposal, certain intelligence methods should be permitted for use in premises used as permanent residences, so that serious threats to Finland can be detected at a sufficiently early stage. This is stated in a press release from Finland's Ministry of Defence.
"Foreign influence and hybrid activity have increased the need to expand the intelligence authorities' powers in line with today's threats," says Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen.
"Current legislation has a general prohibition on using intelligence methods in permanent residences. This gives actors who pose a serious threat to national security a safe haven where they can plan and prepare acts that harm Finland," he says.
For the law to be adopted during the current parliamentary term, parliament must first adopt an amendment to Section 10 of the Constitution on an urgent basis, with a five-sixths majority.
The bill was sent out for consultation in June, as NDS reported previously. Following the consultation round, the proposition has been refined with regard to oversight of the methods and how they may be used. The government has also removed an earlier proposal for an urgent procedure for wiretapping and site inspections in permanent residences.
Oversight will primarily be handled by the courts, the Intelligence Ombudsman and parliament's Intelligence Oversight Committee. Prior authorisation from a court will always be required when the methods infringe on the sanctity of the home.