Suomen ulkopoliittinen johtamisjärjestelmä uuden perustuslain mukaan

Authors

• Teija Tiilikainen

Abstract

The Finnish Constitution, which came into force in the year 2000, implied an end to the strong presidential leadership of the Finnish foreign policy. The new constitution confirmed a division of powers that in practice had already taken place in the mid 1990’s due to the Finnish EU Membership. According to the new provisions, ”the foreign policy of Finland is directed by the President of the Republic in co-operation with the Government”. The article assesses the practical forms of this division of power and concludes that the change in the President’s role has been very concrete. Much because of the dominant role of EU affairs in a Member State’s foreign policy the President has become more of an opinion leader and representative than a decisionmaker.