Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a fundamental change has taken place in the security and operating environment of Finland and Europe. During the spring, Parliament will discuss the Government's report on changes in the security environment.
The report will discuss Finland's foreign, security and defence policy, but also the economic impacts in the situation that has changed, security of supply, preparedness, border security, cyber security, and hybrid influence activities.
Parliament handles government reports in three phases:
- referral debate in a plenary session after which the matter is sent to a parliamentary committee
- committee reading
- single reading in a plenary session
One of the parliamentary committees will prepare a report and other committees will submit their statements to the reporting committee. Reporting and statement committees will be decided at the end of the referral debate.
When the reporting committee has finalised its report, the matter will return to a plenary session for a single reading. At the end of the single reading, the plenary session adopts an opinion on the matter. If there is a motion that differs from the committee report, Parliament will vote on the content of the opinion. Parliament will then notify the Government of its opinion in a parliamentary communication.
Three citizens' initiatives will be included in the same referral debate with the government report on Wednesday, 20 April. The citizens' initiatives propose that Finland should apply for a Nato membership, hold a referendum on Nato membership and withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines.
The Speaker's Council has set up a parliamentary coordination group, whose task is to ensure the flow of information between the various actors during the time when Parliament is considering the government report.
Speaker Matti Vanhanen: Parliamentary coordination group set to ensure the flow of information
For more information: Parliamentary handling of the government report on change in the current security environment