Finland: coalition government unveils its programme
The new coalition government consisting of the conservative National Coalition Party, the right-wing populist Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party (RKP) and the Christian Democrats (KD) has presented its governing programme. In a bid to reduce government spending by six billion euros and thus public debt, social welfare cuts and a tighter immigration policy are on the agenda. Is it a good plan?
Finns getting what they ordered
The government is making good on its election promises, Iltalehti comments:
“The coalition government consisting of the National Coalition Party, The Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party (RKP) and the Christian Democrats (KD) has promised to balance the state budget and increase employment. This means big cuts and tough employment measures. Whether the new government's tough measures will work is another question. ... But the voters of these parties can already be told that they will get what they ordered. Now, under the leadership of the National Coalition Party, election promises are being kept. ... The Finns are getting a tighter immigration policy, the RKP secures the position of the Swedish-speaking population and the KD is there for families.”
Ambitious goals
Kauppalehti is not sure that the planned change of course will succeed:
“During the election campaign, the conservative National Coalition Party promised to change Finland's course and consolidate public finances to the tune of six billion euros. Many did not believe that a right-wing government would undertake such a massive adjustment, but the government programme indicates that it will. ... The programme contains ambitious measures for labour market reform, cutbacks in spending and boosting competition, but the lack of new tax incentives is a major disappointment. ... How effective the measures will be, and in what economic environment they will be implemented remains to be seen.”