269 licences granted last year for defence materiel exports to 47 countries

The Ministry of Defence granted 269 licences for permanent exports and for transfers of defence materiel to 47 countries in 2022, said the ministry in its annual report on export of defence materiel published on Monday.

A total of 342 licences were granted, 63 of which concerned, for example, introductory, warranty and service exports.

The total value of the permanent export and transfer licences granted was EUR 119 million.

Examined by region, most licences were granted for exports to European countries, and when examined by country, the highest numbers of licences were granted to Sweden, the United States and France.

As to Sweden, most transfer licences were granted for ammunition for official use. Most licences were granted in the category of precision rifles and their accessories (approx. 29 per cent of the total value of licences granted).

The value of actual exports was EUR 125 million in 2022, an increase by 70 per cent from the previous year.

The three largest export countries were Latvia, Norway and Estonia. Exports to Latvia comprised mainly the ground vehicle category.

Examined by region, the vast majority of exports took place in the European Union and nearly 90 per cent of all exports took place in Europe.

The annual report on exports of defence materiel applies to commercial exports and, therefore, it does not contain information on defence materiel assistance provided by Finland to Ukraine as part of international assistance. Fourteen licences were granted for commercial exports to Ukraine.

When considering a licence application, a case-by-case overall consideration is applied, based on national legislation and international commitments binding on Finland.