Finnish MPs disapprove of EU Chemicals Agency perks

print this

On Wednesday Finland’s Parliament expressed its strong disapproval of the special employee benefit proposal drawn up for the staff of the new European Chemicals Agency (ECA), which set up operations in Helsinki in June.
      While none of the Finnish MPs was willing to give approval to the planned benefits, the agreement is likely to be passed in Parliament in any case.
     
These special benefits have been agreed upon in order that academically-trained experts could be recruited from abroad.
      Certain of the proposed ECA benefits are completely atypical within the EU. While a foreign EU official is allowed to bring into Finland his or her own car tax free and can also import furniture and other personal property duty-free, in this instance and official at the ECA will be entitled to buy a tax-free car every third year.
      Furthermore, a foreign employee coming to Helsinki will be able to buy goods that cost more than EUR 170 without value-added tax until the end of May 2009.
      It has also been agreed that the children of the ECA staff will be eligible to use the Finnish day-care and school system. For this purpose, a specific Europe school will be established in Helsinki.
     
As is the case with other EU agencies, employees of the Chemical Agency will pay their income taxes directly to the EU, and not to Finland. The EU tax rate is significantly lower than that of Finland.
      The estimated number of the ECA staff is 450, while only one in three employees will be Finnish citizens, who will also benefit from the lower income tax rate. they will naturally not be affected by the car imports or schooling arrangements.
      The Left Alliance suggested in the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee that the entire proposal for the planned special benefits should be rejected. While also taking a negative attitude towards tax-free cars, other committee members including the Social Democrats said that they would settle for an arrangement whereby this benefit would be abolished later when the agreement is possibly revised.
      Potential new talks on the contract would cause chaos, as the recruiting of staff is currently in progress, said Pertti Salolainen (National Coalition Party), the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
     
However, some MPs across a broad political spectrum, including Esko-Juhani Tennilä (Left Alliance) and Ben Zyskowicz (National Coalition Party), suspected that the idea of later talks relating to the achieved perks will remain a dream.
      The agreement proposal will be put to a vote in Parliament next week. Many MPs feel a sense of outrage that the deal has been made subject to parliamentary approval, but now Parliament is being told that it cannot reject it.
      There has been no disagreement among members on the actual setting up of the Agency.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Legislation passed, EU Chemical Agency to come to Helsinki (14.12.2006)
  Helsinki tries wry humour in wooing European Chemicals Agency staff (20.12.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat