The Ministry for Foreign Affairs demands in a proposal presented to the Parliament for consideration that the Consular Services Act be revised to enable Finland to set up new, smaller diplomatic missions.
As envisioned by the ministry, the missions could consist of as few as one diplomat concentrating solely on, for example, promoting Finnish exports.
The leverage granted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs remains important for companies in a number of non-European countries. In addition, the title of ambassador can prove helpful in resolving a number of practical problems.
The current legislation, however, is an obstacle to establishing such missions.
“It prescribes that embassies must all provide the same services,” explains Pirkko Hämäläinen, a state secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. All Finnish embassies are therefore obliged to provide, for example, notarial and passport renewal services.
In addition, the legislation has made the establishment of new embassies practically financially impossible by prescribing that even the smaller embassies must employ a minimum of three officials from Finland.
“The objective of the bill is to provide the possibility of flexibility,” says Hämäläinen. “We could assess the needs in a particular country and mull over the services on that basis.”
Jussi Niemeläinen – HS
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
© HELSINGIN SANOMAT
Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
