Finland’s opposition parties have issued a rare joint appeal to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, urging him to open immediate cross-party talks aimed at stabilizing the country’s ailing social and health service system, known as sote.
The call came shortly after the government reaffirmed its intention to continue reforms during the current parliamentary term. Orpo confirmed that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is preparing a detailed report on the status of the system, with a formal statement expected at the start of the spring session.
“The process will continue into the next term, and parliament will have an opportunity to debate the steps once my statement is delivered,” Orpo said.
Mounting financial pressures have intensified scrutiny of the government’s approach, as several wellbeing regions prepare budgets for 2026. Under current law, regions must eliminate their deficits by the end of 2026 — a target local officials say could force deep spending cuts and staff reductions.
Tensions escalated further when the Eastern Finland Administrative Court ruled that South Karelia’s financial plan for 2026–2028 violates the law. In Central Finland, both the regional chief executive and board chair resigned amid disputes over tightening budgets.
Social Democratic leader Antti Lindtman, who addressed reporters at parliament, said the unity of the opposition reflects the severity of the situation. “We are ready to meet immediately to review the state of the regions and agree on concrete measures to restore trust in public services,” he said.
The opposition’s joint appeal asks the government to extend the 2026 deadline for balancing regional finances, arguing that the timeline is unrealistic given inflation and rising labour costs. Centre Party leader Antti Kaikkonen warned that some regions face an impossible choice between “breaking the constitution, which guarantees access to care, or breaking the law, which demands deficit coverage.”
All major opposition parties the Social Democrats, Centre, Greens, Left Alliance, and Liike Nyt backed the appeal. Green leader Sofia Virta called for “joint work across party lines,” while the Left Alliance’s Minja Koskela urged “a sustainable, long-term funding model for public services.”
Meanwhile, the state has launched official evaluation processes in Eastern Uusimaa, Central Finland, and Lapland. The Ministry of Finance has appointed external experts to propose solutions, including potential mergers if regions fail to stabilize their budgets by June 2026.
In Lapland, the expert group has suggested concentrating specialist care in Rovaniemi — a proposal that sparked protests in the Kemi area. While the evaluations continue, affected regions are barred from making major financial or policy decisions that conflict with the expert recommendations.
Opposition leaders say the current framework no longer reflects the realities of cost growth and service demand. They argue that the sote system, established to streamline welfare services, was always expected to require adjustments but those have yet to come.
