The largest parties in Finland's governing coalition are at odds over climate policy as midterm budget negotiations approach.
Finance Minister Riikka Purra (Finns Party) told tabloid Ilta-Sanomat that her party supports repealing the Climate Act, despite its inclusion in the government's policy programme.
Purra warned that the legislation could pose a problem for the government, as sticking rigidly to specific emissions targets could leave it in breach of the law.
"Eventually, you run out of options if you stubbornly cling to certain numerical goals," she said.
However, Environment and Climate Minister Sari Multala (NCP) took a different view in an interview with Yle.
"We have a clear government programme that forms the basis for our emissions reduction and climate work. That's what we're following," Multala said.
She added that the government will not abandon the Climate Act. Instead, it will continue developing medium-term climate and energy strategies this spring, in line with the government programme.
Climate policy a key issue in budget session
Climate measures are expected to feature prominently in next week's midterm budget session, where the government will set its economic course for the coming years.
Multala said she was not surprised by Purra's stance, noting that policy differences are common among coalition partners.
"There are always different viewpoints. My message is that our continued work on low-emissions energy and industry is a key competitive advantage," she said.
She believes the debate over the Climate Act is not timely. Instead, she sees Finland's greatest challenges in meeting the European Union's land use sector emission reduction targets, which she described as particularly demanding for Finland.
"We also need to ensure that Finland is strongly involved in EU-level discussions on this issue," Multala added.
The Climate Act, which came into force in 2022, sets phased emissions reduction targets and aims to make Finland carbon neutral by 2035. It also includes a goal to strengthen carbon sinks.