EU slaps Finland with EUR 69m customs bill

(HELSINKI) - Finland has been ordered to pay more than 69 million euros ($93.9 million) in interest on customs fees to the European Union for military defence equipment the country imported a decade ago, according to a report Wednesday.

"This is punitive interest based on EU customs legislation that accumulates over time," Finnish finance ministry financial advisor Ismo Maeenpaeae told leading Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat.

Helsinki imported defence equipment from outside the EU, notably the purchase of Hornet fighter jets, between 1998 and 2002, but did not pay customs fees.

Finland, like Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Germany, Italy and Portugal, believed it did not have to pay fees because EU rules make exceptions for purchases crucial for national security.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the EU ruled in 2009 that all of these countries had to pay customs duties, which in Finland's case amounted to 35 million euros and was paid in full last year.

Last week, however, Brussels ruled the Nordic country also had to pay punitive fees of more than 69 million euros, nearly twice the original amount, according to the report.