Clean energy is one of the main themes of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government program in Finland. The energy and climate policy actions for the coming years will be outlined in a comprehensive national strategy. The key objective is to establish a predictable and economically sustainable foundation for the significant investment efforts needed to advance both climate goals and our national economy.

On 18 April 2023, the European Parliament approved five legislative proposals that are part of the “Fit for 55” package. Parliament, the Commission and the Council representing the EU Member States had reached a preliminary agreement on the proposals at the end of 2022. The climate package aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 55 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990.

On 30 June 2022, the Government submitted its national climate and energy strategy to Parliament as a report. The strategy is a comprehensive action plan for the medium term, which Finland will use to meet the EU’s obligations for 2030 and to achieve the national climate target for 2035. The strategy covers all greenhouse gas emissions in the emissions trading, effort sharing and land use sectors as well as the carbon sinks of land use and other sectors.

In a joint article published in several European newspapers on 11 October 2021, the ministers of 10 EU Member States write that nuclear power is part of the solution to reduce emissions and to strengthen Europe’s self-sufficiency in energy. According to the ministers, nuclear power must be included in the taxonomy for sustainable finance, which the European Commission is currently preparing.

On 23 September 2021, the Government submitted a Union communication to Parliament on the EU’s proposal for a new directive on energy efficiency (EED). The European Commission issued its proposal in July as part of the broader package of measures called Fit for 55.