National Audit Office of Finland

Finland has mainly succeeded well in safeguarding its security of supply during the Covid-19 pandemic. The most significant problems were related to the availability of protective equipment used in healthcare at the early stages of the pandemic. In other sectors of key importance for security of supply, Finland has managed to prevent disruptions.

The database used in the steering of the finances of healthcare and social welfare is compiled through different channels, and the process is developed from different directions. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health should ensure that the process for producing financial data on municipalities and joint municipal authorities is steered as a whole.

The objectives the Government set for general government finances in the General Government Fiscal Plan of spring 2021 meet the requirements laid down in legislation. However, the decisions included in the plan concerning the central government spending limits undermine the credibility of the spending limits system. At present, the most important national fiscal policy objective is the Government's objective to bend the growth curve of government debt in relation to GDP. When the employment measures decided so far during the government term are assessed in relation to the debt objective presented in the sustainability roadmap, they account for only a small part of the targeted overall improvement.

Environmental considerations are finding their way into fiscal and financial policy. The reason is obvious. Climate change, biodiversity loss and other similar global problems also pose a significant risk to the economy and its functioning.

Mining and the industries and services related to it play a significant role in the Finnish national economy and central government finances. In order for mining operations to be carried out successfully in Finland, it is necessary to take into account their economic, ecological, and social sustainability.

Parliament has today decided to dismiss Tytti Yli-Viikari from the post of Auditor General of Finland. Director Matti Okko continues to serve as Deputy to the Auditor General at the National Audit Office of Finland (NAOF).