Finland’s Security Service: US Dependence Is Like Cancer

Europe is deeply dependent on both American and Chinese technology – and that dependence may, according to Finland’s head of intelligence, be impossible to break. That’s what Juha Martelius, head of Finland’s security and intelligence service, said during the Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn. Martelius even goes so far as to liken it to cancer.

In an interview with Politico, Juha Martelius, head of Supo – Finland’s equivalent of the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) – describes Europe’s situation in very stark terms, comparing the continent’s reliance on foreign technology to cancer.

– I’m afraid we are a body infiltrated by two types of cancer, says Martelius, referring to Europe’s dependence on American software and Chinese hardware, to Poli t ico.

At the same time, Martelius believes that Europe will likely never be able to become fully independent in terms of technology.

– It’s probably impossible to surgically remove it, but you can live with it, he explains.

The statement comes as the EU ramps up efforts to increase technological independence in areas such as defense, digital infrastructure, and sensitive data management.

The European Commission is expected to soon present a new package on technological sovereignty, which may include restricting the use of American cloud services for sensitive public information.

The head of Finland’s security service particularly warns about security-critical information being stored with foreign companies. In the most recent annual report from Finland’s security and intelligence service, cloud services are identified as a possible risk to states’ digital independence.

Juha Martelius says there were previous discussions in Finland about placing election-related information in a cloud service, but those plans were later scrapped since the Finnish voting system was already working well.

– Information crucial to national security, such as election data, should definitely not be handled by foreign companies, he says.

Stock photo, server hall. Photo: Montage by Samnytt. Helpameout CC BY-SA 3.0

Does Not Believe the EU Can Build Similar Cloud Services

At the same time, Martelius considers that Europe has strong competence in research and development, for example in quantum technology and space technology. The problem, according to him, is that there isn’t enough capital to fully compete with other great powers.

He also questions whether Europe currently has the capacity to build cloud services that can match the systems of the American tech giants.

According to the intelligence chief, the same dependence also applies in the security policy field. He raises the question of whether Europe would be able to cope with a longer war against Russia at all without access to foreign technology and American support.

– Right now, the answer is no, says Martelius, indicating Europe’s continued reliance on US assistance and technological capacity.