Methods and tools

Security of supply is safeguarded with the help of various methods and tools. Key methods include financial and economic policies, legislation, stockpiling, preparedness, continuity management, contingency planning and agreements, including international ones.

The foundation for security of supply is established through economic and industrial policies. For its part, the National Emergency Supply Agency makes every effort to ensure that this aspect of security of supply is taken into account in economic and political decision-making.

Traditionally, security of supply has meant ensuring the supply of materials, such as grain. Goods and materials vital to the functioning of society are stockpiled to secure the well-being of the population and the functioning of the economy against major crises or serious disruptions affecting availability or supply.

Provisions on emergency stockpiling are provided in several pieces of legislation, and it is carried out in three different ways: maintaining national emergency stockpiles is the responsibility of the National Emergency Supply Agency, compulsory stockpiling is the responsibility of companies and other key operators, and security stockpiling is based on agreements between relevant companies and the National Emergency Supply Agency.

The National Emergency Supply Agency does not have actual stockpiles of its own. Instead, the amounts of goods to be stockpiled are agreed upon with the relevant companies to ensure that the products included in stockpiles circulate as part of the companies’ normal operations.

In many industries considered critical to the functioning of society, laws and regulations require operators to ensure the continuity of their critical processes amid disruptions and emergencies. Furthermore, businesses can improve society’s overall capacity to function by undertaking voluntary preparedness measures. The National Emergency Supply Agency supports such measures by providing companies critical to security of supply with tools for developing their continuity management.

The challenges of planning in a networked environment

Laws and regulations require certain companies to engage in contingency planning for major crises. These planning efforts must also take into account factors such as reservations made by the Finnish Defence Forces in relation to production capacity, facilities and personnel for the purpose of ensuring operation during crises. Furthermore, government authorities must have the authorisation, based on legislation, to assume temporary control of society’s critical functions in the event that the markets are incapable of ensuring sufficient security of supply.

One of the consequences of the contemporary networked operating environment is that even companies and public service providers that are critical to security of supply have outsourced some of their functions. In recognition of this, the continuity of essential services is safeguarded with agreements.