📋 Tender Overview
The climate and nature policy round table of the presidents of the parliamentary parties met under the leadership of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Prime Minister's official residence in Kesäranta on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
The chairman of the Swedish People's Party, Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz , chairman of the Christian Democrats, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah , chairman of the center Antti Kaikkonen , chairman of the Left Alliance Minja Koskela , chairman of the Social Democrats Antti Lindtman and vice chairman of Basic Finns Mauri Peltokangas participated in the discussion . In addition, the Minister of Environment and Climate Kai Mykkänen participated in the discussion .
The chairmen's discussion was initiated by Juhani Damski , head of the office of the Ministry of the Environment, Timo Jaatinen, head of the office of the Ministry of Labor and Economy, and Heikki Granholm , deputy head of the office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, natural resources adviser .
The round table discussion on climate and nature policy focused especially on the international and national climate and nature obligations binding on Finland and the upcoming term of the EU Commission 2024–2029. Ursula von der Leyen's second commission is expected to include several initiatives related to strategic industrial policy, energy, climate and nature, which require consistent and active EU influence from Finland. The goal of the round table discussion was to build a common picture of the situation and understanding of the priorities of EU influence for the parliamentary parties.
The goal of the future commission is to coordinate climate, energy and nature policy more closely than before with the EU's industrial policy and competitiveness. Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has put the importance of self-sufficiency in the production of energy and materials on the European agenda. The competition for natural resources, on the other hand, steers towards a circular economy.
The European Union has committed to a climate neutrality goal for the year 2050, in addition to which an intermediate goal has been set for the year 2030. Decision-making on the binding intermediate goal of 2040 is expected in 2025. In its national climate act, Finland is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. Important principles for Finland are technology neutrality and the role of nuclear power, the cost-effectiveness of emission reductions, and consideration of uncertainties in the land use sector. .
The sustainability of Finland's long-term economy and security requires a vision of climate and nature policy that extends beyond election periods. A common long-term understanding is also needed on how a controlled transition towards a carbon-neutral and nature-friendly society is implemented while strengthening Finland's competitiveness and overall security.
The party leaders considered it necessary to build a common picture of the situation. In the discussion, we agreed that climate and nature policy decisions have a significant impact on Finland's competitiveness, economy and security of supply. Investments in the clean transition are at the center of achieving the climate goals. When planning activities, it is important to take into account, among other things, the rapid development of technologies and the refinement of continuous monitoring information.
