The leaders of the five government parties reconvened on Sunday morning to continue tough negotiations on the budget framework for the second half of its legislative term, with the fate of the centre-left coalition hanging in the balance.
The talks, which began on Wednesday and were originally expected to wrap up on Thursday, have dragged on with little sign of an overall agreement.
Arriving for the talks at Helsinki's House of Estates on a grey, chilly Sunday morning, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) said that she had discussed the situation one-on-one with each of the other party chairs on Saturday.
"The situation is very difficult. It has become more difficult since Friday. It is difficult to find a solution if not all parties have the will to do so," said a grim-faced Marin.
Marin says she has made several compromise proposals, but declined to specify any specific party with which there have been problems in the negotiations.
"This is an internal government discussion. I call on everyone to take the negotiations seriously," she told reporters outside the building. "There are several very difficult questions. Others find it difficult to be flexible, but we must be able to compromise."
Peat burning seen as matter of principle
According to the premier, the most contentious issues are employment and the economy, as well as the use of peat for energy, which Marin said some parties see as a matter of principle.
Most government parties have backed a rapid phase-out of the high-emission burning of peat for energy as part of the government's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2035.
Centre Party chair Annika Saarikko has called for a slower transition, citing the loss of jobs in the party's mostly rural constituency. The industry group that represents the peat sector estimated in 2018 that the sector directly employed some 2,300 people, but production has dropped sharply since then.
Marin said that in her view, various parties' "perspectives are too locked in, and everyone must find a willingness to compromise in order for a solution to emerge".
"I am ready to offer five more proposals, but a willingness to compromise must be found," she reiterated.
Henriksson: Unclear whether a deal can be reached
The chair of the small Swedish People's Party (SPP), Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson, said she welcomed the continuation of the discussions.
"It's good to have face-to-face discussions with those who are negotiating, and not through Twitter and the media," she said before entering the House of Estates in the Kruununhaka neighbourhood.
Henriksson noted that the Centre is not the only party that is concerned about economic issues such as employment and state debt.
"Everyone is worried about the economy, but things are expressed differently," she said.
Henriksson she was unsure whether an agreement could be reached on Sunday.
"Our task now is to find a solution, which takes willpower. It is not good for Finns to have a government crisis in the midst of the coronavirus crisis," she added.
Saarikko, who is Minister of Science and Culture, declined to comment to the press as she entered the building. So did Greens chair and Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo and Education Minister Jussi Saramo, the Left Alliance's deputy chair who is filling in for party leader Li Andersson during her parental leave.