President and PM seek common stance on representation at EU summits

Lisbon Treaty takes effect next week

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and President Tarja Halonen are holding discussions today, Friday, on how Finland will be represented at future summit meetings of the European Union.
      At present, both the President and Prime Minister have represented Finland at meetings of the European Council - the summits of EU heads of state. The situation could change when the Lisbon Treaty takes effect at the beginning of December.
     
The President, the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Minister discuss current topics on a regular basis. The practice derives from a constitutional requirement according to which Finnish foreign policy is led by the President, in cooperation with the government.
      The Lisbon Treaty, which takes effect next week, could lead to a situation in which each country has just one representative at EU summits.
      In the future, the European Council will decide separately if assisting ministers are to be invited to the meetings. At meetings where assisting ministers are not expected to participate, the Finnish President might have a hard time finding a seat at the table, because EU matters are to be handled under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
     
The question of the division of authority between the President and Prime Minister is also topical, because the deadline set for the work of a committee on amending the constitution ends at the end of November.
      The committee’s chairman, Christoffer Taxell (Swedish People’s Party), would not say when the work of the committee would actually completed, but he did tell Helsingin Sanomat that such work is rarely completed by its deadline.
     
The government is to present its proposal for amending the constitution in the spring of 2010.

More on this subject:
 BACKGROUND: Problems of two-headed leadership

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Presidential authority: committee divided on party lines (24.11.2009)
  Experts calling for new decisions on role of President in EU policy (22.8.2009)
  President Halonen to replace Foreign Minister Stubb at EU summit (28.2.2008)
  President and Government have different opinions on EU representation (15.6.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat