The report does not cover the consequences of possible NATO membership of Finland for the Åland Islands, which are an autonomous part of Finland. The relationship between the international agreements that cover the sui generis status of these islands and the undertakings implied in membership need to be examined further. This was not possible within the time allotted to us.
We wish to express our gratitude towards the numerous individuals who
kindly devoted their time to us in a number of capitals: their informed analysis and practical understanding has been indispensable to our work. However, the views expressed in this assessment are entirely our own. A special word of thanks is in order vis-à-vis the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which has provided us with all of the necessary means to conduct our work, without seeking to influence its content at any juncture.
Mats Bergquist, François Heisbourg, René Nyberg, Teija Tiilikainen
