European Commission again urges Finland to determine its health and social services reform and put the reform into effect
On Wednesday 23 May, the European Commission issued its proposal for country-specific rec-ommendations for Finland and the other EU Member States. In addition, the Commission again gave an assessment of Finland’s general government finances.
The recommendations are part of the European Semester, which seeks to coordinate the economic and fiscal policies of Member States.
“The Commission already recommended last year that the decision-making and implementation on the health and social services reform be timely, and this year’s recommendation is very similar. The Commission's recommendation on the health and social services reform is part of the recommendation concerning the sustainability of public finances. The Government’s objective for the health and social services reform is to narrow health and wellbeing disparities, improve the equality and availability of services, and control costs,” says Minister of Finance Petteri Orpo.
According to the European Commission, the health and social services system must be reformed, as Finland’s expenditure on healthcare and social welfare services is forecast to grow significantly by 2030 due to the ageing of the population. “Implementation of the health and social services reform is a priority in Finland, too. The Government is working hard to achieve this and wants to ensure we move forward with the reform, from approval of the legislation to its implementation together with all the entities involved,” Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Annika Saarikko emphasised.
Inquiries:
Marketta Henriksson, Senior Ministerial Adviser (general government finances), tel. +358 2955 30441, marketta.henriksson(at)vm.fi
Laura Vartia, Senior Specialist (structural policy), tel. +33 632633938, laura.vartia(at)formin.fi
Markku Puumalainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser (financial markets), tel. +358 2955 30206, markku.puumalainen(at)vm.fi