Government immigration bill seen as too lenient by government party MPs

Government party MPs take harder line than government itself

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A government proposal for changes to the law on foreigners is set to undergo a number of changes in Parliament, where many MPs consider the original wording to be too lax.
     In the changes, residence permits are to be made more difficult to get, and tougher restrictions are to be placed on family unification, than was the case in the government's original proposal.
     
The aim of the bill is to bring Finnish legislation into line with the European Union directive on granting protection.
     There are a number of items in the government’s proposal that a majority of members of Parliament’s Administration Committee feel go beyond the requirements of the directive, and take on forms that are excessively open to interpretation.
     Discussions have been held with the Minister for Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors (Swed. People’s Party). A new version is expected to be ready on Friday.
     Thors says that the wording of the new legislation will be more or less equivalent to current practice.
     
No statements were forthcoming from inside the committee. Anonymous comments from inside the committee indicate that there is a reluctance in Parliament to approve a politically sensitive bill that is opposed by a majority in Parliament, simply for the sake of toeing the line of the government.
     An online petition opposing the government’s original proposal received over 6,000 signatures by nine PM Wednesday.
     
The Administration Committee was able to put forward changes to the proposal, because the changes were called for by representatives of the main government parties, the National Coalition, and the Centre Party. According to political practice, the Parliamentary groups of the government parties and the minister presenting the bill should seek agreement on any changes.
     Often the matter is solved in negotiations headed by the chairs of the Parliamentary groups of the government parties. In such cases, the government’s initial proposal is easily taken, if no compromise is immediately found.
     The main representatives of the government parties on the committee - the committee’s chairman Tapani Tölli (Centre), and Tapani Mäkinen (Nat. coalition Party) - have not let the negotiations go that far. Instead, they began to hone the proposal directly with the government minister involved.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  PM Vanhanen hopes immigration issue will not become blunt instrument in Finnish politics (28.10.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat