Court orders "non-resident" MEP off Rovaniemi City Council
Ruling raises questions on domiciles of many other politicians
|
|
|
With a recent ruling, the Rovaniemi Administrative Court has sparked debate on where approximately ten Members of Parliament can be seen to reside.
The issue has some moral significance, as Parliamentarians whose home is outside Helsinki are entitled to compensation for expenses incurred from working away from home.
Under the court ruling, Hannu Takkula, a Member of the European Parliament, will have to vacate his seat on the Rovaniemi City Council. The court found that Takkula, who represents the Centre Party, was not entitled to run in the municipal elections in October because Rovaniemi is not his true place of residence.
The court emphasised that Takkula and his spouse live together in Turku, and that he has close family ties in that city.
After the ruling, Takkula noted that the court’s evaluation of his family ties opens debate on the domiciles of many other politicians.
“If the wife’s domicile is important, then where do people like [Minister of Finance] Jyrki Katainen (Nat. Coalition Party) and [Deputy Speaker of Parliament] Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) and [MP] Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) reside?
All three of them represent provincial constituencies in the Finnish Parliament, and receive considerable compensation for being domiciled away from the Helsinki region, even though they actually live with their families are in the Helsinki region.
Each MP has the right to opt for less compensation.
Takkula said on Monday that he plans to visit the EU’s administrative office soon, because the ruling has an EU dimension as well.
“I plan to tell them what has happened.”
In the EU books he is still classified as an MEP from Rovaniemi. He says that the move is a “precaution”.
Travel compensation for MEPs is paid according to travel from the airport that is nearest to the member’s home. It pays first for a flight to Helsinki and from there to Brussels or Strasbourg, or any other possible city where a meeting is taking place.
Takkula says that he has a small rented apartment in Rovaniemi.
On his website, Takkula has pondered what might happen. “I am not really from anywhere”, he says on his website.
“Over the years we have lived in many communities: in Piikkiö, Tampere, Kiiminki, Rovaniemi, Anetjärvi in Posio, and the Rovaniemi Rural District [merged with the City of Rovaniemi in 2006]. At the moment our family has homes in Turku and Rovaniemi. My home municipality is Rovaniemi.”
His true domicile is of significant importance for Takkula’s future in domestic politics, if he plans to return to the national Parliament.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 3.2.2009 - TODAY |
 Court orders "non-resident" MEP off Rovaniemi City Council |
|
