National Coalition Party (NCP) chair Petter Orpo began his bid to form Finland's next government on Friday morning.
Yle News explains the government negotiation process in this video
Orpo sent 24 questions to the various political parties in Parliament, providing a deadline of 12pm on Tuesday 18 April for responses.
"The 24 questions are very wide-ranging. I want to take a very wide survey of the parties' views on the issues, of the problems in different areas of society. Let's start with how the parties see Finland's situation, and what are the key social changes they think need to be brought about. There are questions about public finances, sustainable economic growth, services and education," Orpo told Yle.
The first challenge for Orpo is to find the basis of the government, which will either be a right-wing government with the National Coalition Party partnering with the Finns Party or a so-called blue-red coalition with the Social Democratic Party.
Orpo's questions
1. What are the key social changes your party thinks the next government should bring about?
2. Does your party agree with the Ministry of Finance's official statement of 8.12.2022 on the state of the Finnish economy and the need for budgetary adjustment? Is your party committed to the amount of budget rebalancing in the coming term as presented by the Ministry of Finance's official paper? By what means is your party prepared to balance public finances?
3. How would your party promote tax incentives? What are your party's main objectives in improving taxation?
4. Is your party ready to commit the next government to a target of 100,000 new jobs as a result of employment measures to strengthen public finances? What are your party's main means of employment measures to strengthen public finances? What measures are your party prepared to take to reform the labour market and promote freedom of hiring?
5. How would your party respond to a large-scale labour shortage in Finland? How would your party increase international recruitment to ensure the availability of labour?
6. What are your party's main ways of reducing waiting lists for social and health services? What are your party's main ways of tackling the shortage of nurses?
7. What measures would your party use to solve the crisis in services for the elderly and to ensure humane care for all elderly people?
8. How would your party strengthen the well-being of children, young people and families? How would your party tackle the marginalisation of young people?
9. How would your party take better account of pensioners as an active resource in building Finnish society?
10. How would your party raise the level of Finnish expertise and education? How would your party strengthen early childhood education and primary education so that every young person graduating from primary education has adequate literacy and numeracy skills? How would your party strengthen the cultural sector? How would your party promote a more physical lifestyle?
11. Is your party committed to the target agreed by the parliamentary group on research, development, and innovation to increase research and development spending to four percent of GDP by 2030? Is your party committed to ensuring that Finland has enough talent for research and development?
12. In what ways would your party be willing to ease the costs and administrative work caused by regulations and bureaucracy for people, companies and the public sector?
13. What concrete measures would your party take to improve the future of Finnish food production and forestry?
14. How would your party promote economic growth, vitality and the conditions for businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Finland? How would your party strengthen Finland's attractiveness as an investment destination?
15. How would your party strengthen the vitality and investment capacity of cities and municipalities in a changed environment?
16. What does your party think are the most important ways to reduce emissions? How is your party prepared to contribute to Finland's carbon neutrality goal and to increase clean exports by Finnish companies? Is your party ready to create the conditions for new investments in nuclear power and small-scale nuclear power?
17. How would your party prevent natural destruction and enhance biodiversity?
18. Is your party committed to Finland's membership of the European Union and Nato? Is your party committed to a proactive and constructive EU policy in a possible governmental role? What does your party consider to be Finland's most important areas of EU influence during this parliamentary term?
19. How would your party build Finland's role as an active as well as security and stability-enhancing member of Nato? Is your party prepared to keep defence spending at two percent of GDP and make the necessary investments to ensure Finland's security?
20. Is your party committed to continue providing military, political, economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine?
21. How would your party strengthen internal security and the rule of law? Is your party committed to securing the resources to ensure the functioning of the legal system and the police? What measures would your party take to combat gang and youth crimes?
22. Is your party committed to building a fair and equal Finland? Is your party committed to respecting international human rights conventions?
23. If your party gets objectives into the government programme, would your party be prepared to participate in the majority government formed by Petteri Orpo and commit to the full implementation of the programme? If your party is not ready to participate in the government, is your party ready to support the implementation of your party objectives outside the government?
24. Does your party's parliamentary group have any threshold concerns affecting the decision to enter the government regarding the government's programme or composition?
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