Government proposes constitutional amendment on crisis management issue

Change to underscore President’s authority in deploying forces

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The government is proposing amending the constitution to resolve the conflict that prevented the passage of a new bill on Finnish participation in crisis management operations last week.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen announced on Thursday that the amendment would stipulate that the President would always have final say on the deployment of Finnish forces in military crisis management.
      Progress of the government’s bill for a new crisis management law ground to a halt last week when the Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee ruled that the wording would violate the constitution. According to the constitution, the government has authority over matters related to the European Union, whereas the government’s bill would have given authority on deployment of Finnish forces in EU operations to the President, who is the commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces.
      At that time the government decided to withdraw its bill.
     
The procedure chosen by the government means that the new measures cannot be come into effect until they are passed by two consecutive Parliaments. Consequently, final passage will have to wait until after the Parliamentary elections of 2007.
      The rapid reaction forces that would be used in crisis management operations need to be organised already at the beginning of 2007. Therefore, the government plans to present a new bill to Parliament in February for a crisis management law that would provide for the recruitment and training of the professional force.
      The bill would omit references to decision-making on deployment. If a situation arises in which forces would need to be sent on EU missions before the new Parliament passes the constitutional amendment, special legislation would be drafted for the purpose.
      Finance Minister Eero Heinäluoma (SDP), who also substitutes for the Prime Minister, felt that it is important to get a clear solution that maintains the authority of the President.
      The chairman of the Constitutional Law Committee, Kimmo Sasi (Nat. Coalition Party), said that the proposed amendment would transfer authority from the government to the President, thereby clearly increasing the President’s powers.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  President Halonen accused of playing politics in crisis management issue (30.11.2005)
  Legal experts sharply disagree on crisis management bill (29.11.2005)
  Government pulls contorversial crisis management bill out of Parliament (28.11.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat