Ombudsman calls draft decree on Stea grants unclear

Finland’s parliamentary ombudsman has criticised a draft decree on Stea grants for social and health NGOs as widely open to interpretation, with several provisions left ambiguous, Yle reports.

Preparatory documents do not clarify whether Social Affairs and Health Minister Wille Rydman (Finns Party) could bypass the decree by applying his own criteria for NGO grants, which he outlined in June.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo subsequently ordered the decree amendment in response to Rydman’s guidelines. The criteria for Stea grants have been a point of contention among government parties.