Board negotiations | This is how the foursome commented on the start of the negotiations

Policy|Board negotiations

Board negotiations started on Tuesday morning at Säätytalo in Helsinki.

A reform program is now being made for Finland, said in the morning the leader of the government, the chairman of the coalition Petteri Orpo on Tuesday morning. According to Orpo, the biggest reforms are related to employment, achieving sustainable growth, entrepreneurship, education, safety and energy and climate change.

“It has often been said in Finland that everyone knows what should be done, but there is no courage. I’m starting from the fact that there is now that courage,” Orpo said before the negotiations began.

negotiations will take place between the coalition, Basic Finns, Rkp and Christian Democrats. In them, the parties negotiate the government program, which the new government will begin to implement. It is planned to be ready in June at the latest.

The chairmen of the parties participating in the negotiations held a press conference on Tuesday evening. Orpo started by saying that the negotiations started “with a good start”.

“We had a good seminar portion and interesting, expert introductions,” Orpo said.

According to Orpo, the speakers were chosen with the idea that the negotiations aim to create a common picture of the situation.

“The war continues and global tensions continue. We will live in conditions of uncertainty, and it will greatly affect our operating environment,” Orpo said, referring to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and the animosity between China and the United States.

Orphan you mentioned in the evening that there are eight “reform tables” in the government negotiations and sub-tables below them that deal with different themes.

Negotiations take place at several different tables. Each of them negotiates on its own set of themes.

“I believe we will find solutions [näissä pöydissä]”, Orpo said.

Read more: Säätytalo was not supposed to see lobbyists, but Orpo made a “small exception”

Basic Finns chairman Riikka Purra commented briefly on the negotiations at the evening’s press conference.

“Our negotiators are mainly MPs, but the party organization and a few others are also used,” said Purra.

“I myself have nothing more to say than this. Actual work [Säätytalolla] doesn’t start until tomorrow [keskiviikkona].”

Christian Democrats chairman Sari Essayah thanked his party’s negotiators.

“During a few days, our negotiation organization, about 50 people from different parts of Finland, was able to organize their own work and family affairs so that they can participate in these negotiations,” Essayah described.

Essayah said that she believes that this group can make a “change in direction” in Finland.

Chairman of Rkp Anna-Maja Henriksson joked a little in his speech.

“This time there is no need to think about how to include the NATO option in the government program,” said Henriksson, who is already in his fourth government negotiations.

Henriksson praised the experts’ presentations, especially on the economy, and also reflected that the future government must prepare internal and external security as well as “everyday security”.

“A big challenge for us [Suomessa] is this population pyramid turned into a muffin. The population is aging and too few children are being born. This puts us in a situation where there is a shortage of talent, and that needs to be solved.”

At least Petteri Orpo is still expected to hold a press conference at the end of the day on Wednesday, when the negotiations have really started.