Savings allocated to Ministry of the Interior’s branch of government do not endanger internal security

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2025–2028 on 16 April 2024. According to the plan, the level of appropriations for the Ministry of the Interior’s branch of government will decrease each year. The decrease in the spending limits of the Ministry of the Interior is due to the elimination of one-off increases, a decrease in reception expenditure and the savings allocated to the branch of government.

The now concluded government discussion on spending limits focused especially on balancing general government finances and protecting work, security and competence essential for future wellbeing. The Government decisions will improve the sustainability of general government finances and create conditions for reducing the growth of public debt. Despite major savings in public spending, fewer cuts were allocated to the cornerstones of government: internal and external security and the administration of justice. 

“The Government’s savings decisions require prioritisation across the branch of government, which means focusing on core tasks. The Government will safeguard security, including by ensuring that the number of police officers and border guards is not reduced, even in this situation. Fiscal adjustment of EUR three billion is a sizeable task, but the share of savings of the Ministry of the Interior and its branch of government only totals 0.81 per cent,” says Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen. 

Ministry to prepare savings in operating expenditure together with agencies

The ministries are preparing the reduction of the tasks and obligations of the agencies in their branch of government as part of the productivity programmes under preparation. In the Ministry of the Interior’s branch of government, the agencies will continue preparations in cooperation with the ministry.  The new measures will not be targeted in a way that would reduce the additional investments allocated in the Government Programme or endanger the legislative work of the ministries and the implementation of the Government Programme. 

One of the aims of the productivity programmes is to examine which tasks government agencies can give up, or invest less effort into, in the coming years. In addition to improving the efficiency of operation, it is likely that reducing the number of staff will be necessary. No changes will be made to the number of police officers and border guards.

The General Government Fiscal Plan will be approved in a government plenary session on 25 April 2024, when it will also be published online.

Inquiries:
Requests for interviews with Minister Rantanen, [email protected]