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24.4.2025 | In its spending limits discussion, the Government agreed on strengthening the resources of the police, the Finnish Border Guard, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and civil defence in order to prepare for wide-ranging threats. The capabilities of the internal security authorities are an essential part of Finland's comprehensive security.

24.4.2025 | The Government has proposed that EUR 20 million be allocated in the General Govern-ment Fiscal Plan for 2026–2029 for a planning project to extend the European track gauge from Sweden to Finland.

6.8.2026 | The Economic Policy Council has completed its first statutory assessment of the Government’s measures to strengthen general government finances in relation to EU targets in line with the new fiscal rules. The opinion of the Economic Policy Council is a weighty text, and the Government takes it very seriously.

16.4.2024 | The Government reached an agreement on the future of the network of hospitals and urgent and emergency health services in its spending limits session. It decided that changes would be made to night-time emergency care services in primary healthcare and to specialised healthcare in certain hospitals. The aim is to balance public expenditure and respond to the shortage of healthcare personnel.

28.8.2023 | The Ministry of Finance's proposal for the central government spending limits decision for 2024–2027 was published on 28 August based on the current state of preparation.

4.8.2026 | The draft national budget of the Minister of Finance for 2027 will implement policies agreed in the spring spending limits session. The budget proposal totals EUR 92.2 billion, envisioning a deficit of EUR 12.9 billion.

1.4.2025 | Finland will raise national defence spending to at least three percent of GDP by 2029. The aim was proposed by Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen and endorsed by the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy on Tuesday.

6.8.2026 | Appropriations totalling EUR 42.5 billion are proposed for the Ministry of Finance and its branch of government. This is EUR 0.7 billion more than in the 2026 Budget. The increase is mainly due to an increase in funding for wellbeing services counties, pensions, interest costs associated with taxes and the EU membership contribution.

21.11.2024 | The Government proposes that the Integration Act, which will enter into force at the beginning of 2025, be amended to strengthen central government finances. The proposal aims to achieve the savings target set in the government session on spending limits and the government budget session.

The Budget The Budget is an annual plan for central government finances and financial administration. It outlines the central government’s expenditure and revenue for the coming year, along with decisions on the amount of debt to be taken to cover...

Current issues The Government’s actions have a significant impact on the everyday lives of Finnish people and on society as a whole. The ministries communicate openly about the preparation of matters, the decision-making process and the effects of...

5.4.2023 | The regulatory framework of Finland's fiscal policy has faced several crises that have revealed its ineffectiveness in dealing with unexpected situations. The system should be reformed and its operating model clarified, finds a recent study conducted by the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) for the Government. According to the researchers, the budgetary framework should distinguish between the operating procedures for normal economic cycles and exceptional crises.

30.4.2021 | Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru and Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist say that the Government’s decisions at its mid-term policy review session will reinforce health and social services, improve access to care, safeguard the financing and activities of third-sector operators, promote the employment of people with partial work ability, and prevent disability pensions and sick leaves.

23.4.2026 | As per the Government Programme, immigrants will integrate into Finland through work and the integration system will be reformed to encourage integration. The reform will increase immigrants’ responsibility for their own integration and make the system more binding.

26.2.2021 | A study on the effects of diminished proceeds from gambling activities has been completed. The study examines four options for developing the Finnish gambling system. The working group sets as its primary option a comprehensive overhaul that would place gambling proceeds within the scope of universal coverage in central government revenue and existing beneficiaries would be under the spending limits procedure. The report was published on 26 February.

28.4.2026 | The Ministry of Transport and Communications has set up a project to prepare an assessment memorandum on national extensions to the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications. The review will focus especially on national data protection regulation concerning corporate subscribers.

16.4.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2025–2028. The Government has made decisions that will improve the sustainability of public finances and create conditions for reversing the trend in indebtedness. The decisions aim to safeguard the key factors for future prosperity: employment, security, and knowledge and competence. Fairness has been one of the guiding principles of the decisions.

25.8.2023 | The proposal of the Ministry of Finance for the 2024 budget and spending limits for 2024–2027 ensures implementation of the policies in the Government Programme. The budget proposal totals EUR 87.2 billion, and a deficit of EUR 10.1 billion is proposed. The budget total is EUR 3.7 billion higher than the total budgeted for 2023, including the first supplementary budget. The budget proposal will be published in full at budjetti.vm.fi on Monday 28 August.

9.9.2021 | In its budget session, the Government allocated additional funding for bringing down the maximum waiting times for access to care. The maximum waiting times for access to primary healthcare will be shortened from the current three months to seven days. This means that access to non-urgent care must be arranged within seven days of the assessment of the need for care.

22.4.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2027–2030. Both the global economy and Finland’s finances are facing challenges. In its spending limits session, the Government focused on new targeted measures to strengthen people’s confidence in the future and improve the conditions for growth and employment.