Parliamentary consideration of the government proposal on Finland's accession to NATO

The Government proposes that Parliament approve the North Atlantic Treaty and the Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, National Representatives and International Staff.​ The North Atlantic Treaty establishes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and defines the principles governing the activities of the Alliance and the obligations of its members. The Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, National Representatives and International Staff, known as the Ottawa Agreement, defines the status of NATO as a legal person and the privileges and immunities of NATO staff.

The referral debate on the government's proposal took place in the plenary session on December 13. After the debate, Parliament decided to send the matter to the Foreign Affairs Committee, to which the Constitutional Law Committee, Defence Committee, Finance Committee and Intelligence Oversight Committee gave their statements. 

The Constitutional Law Committee issued its statement on 12 January, Defence Committee on 19 January, Finance Committee on 20 January and Intelligence Oversight Committee on 26 January. The Foreign Affairs Committee report on was issued on 17 February. The Committee's report can be read on the C​ommittee's reports​ page (in Finnish).​​

The first reading of the Foreign Affairs Committee report took place in the plenary session on 21 February. The second reading took place 28 February.​​ Parliament approved the government proposal on Finland's NATO accession by a vote of 184-7 on Wednesday, 1 March.​

Parliamentary consideration of the government proposal

The parliamentary consideration of the government proposal is divided into different stages. Their schedule will be updated on this page later. ​

Referral debate

The consideration of the proposal begins with the referral debate, which takes place in a Parliament's plenary session. At the end of the debate, the plenary session decides to which committee the proposal will be sent for a report. The plenary session also decides on possible statement committees, i.e. which committees submit statements to the reporting committee.

Committee consideration

The committee consideration starts as soon as possible after the plenary session has sent the matter to the committee. The report will not be completed until the statement committees have given their statements.

After the committee has completed its report, the consideration of the matter will continue in a plenary session.

First reading

The government's proposal on Finland's accession to NATO contains two legislative proposals that will bring into force the regulations requiring legislation. ​ All legislative proposals have two readings in the plenary session, the first and the second. The basis for debate in the plenary session is the report written by the committee, no longer the government's proposal as such.

In the first reading, the chairperson of the committee presents the report. MPs discuss the report and can propose changes to it.

If amendments are proposed, they are voted on at the end of the first reading. After this, the legislative proposals can only be accepted or rejected, but their content will no longer change.

​Partly single reading, partly second reading

​In addition to legislative proposals, the government's proposal includes the acceptance of an international obligation, i.e. the agreement on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and approving the North Atlantic Treaty and the Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, National Representatives and International Staff. Acceptance of an international obligation is discussed in the plenary session only once in the so-called single reading.

In the same plenary session, the two legislative proposals whose contents were decided on in the first reading are taken up for second reading. The second reading is held no earlier than the third day after the end of the first reading.

In this partly only, partly second reading, the decision is first made on the acceptance of the international obligation, and then on the acceptance or rejection of the legislative proposals. If the parliament wants to attach resolutions to its answer, they will also be decided in this reading.

Parliamentary reply

Parliament's decision regarding the government's proposal is announced in a parliamentary reply to the Government. The speaker and secretary-general of Parliament sign the parliamentary reply.​​