The four parties comprising Finland's coalition government have reached agreement on the content of an anti-racism statement it is preparing to make based on the findings of a working group's report, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) confirmed on Wednesday evening.
The government-appointed working group was tasked in July with suggesting concrete steps on how Finland can effectively tackle racism and discrimination, following a series of racism and far-right scandals that had rocked the administration's first few weeks in office.
Orpo met with the leaders of the three other governing parties — Riikka Purra of the Finns Party, the Swedish People's Party chair Anna-Maja Henriksson and Christian Democrats leader Sari Essayah — on Wednesday evening to discuss the government's joint stance on tackling racism and discrimination.
A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.
According to Yle's sources, the Finns Party and the Christian Democrats approved of the joint statement on Tuesday, but the Swedish People's Party took longer to give a green light.
Yle understands there were some last-minute disagreements between the parties over the exact definition of racism and hate speech that will be included in the statement.
The statement is believed to include 20 proposals for how Finland should tackle the issues, including measures aimed at improving equality in working life.
However, Yle also understands that no legislative changes are expected as a result of the government's planned statement.
Not fully up to speed with the new government's scandal-filled summer? All Points North podcast looked back at the series of racism and far-right scandals that rocked Orpo's newly formed coalition government. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, Apple or via Spotify.
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