Orpo defends Supo review after Rantanen condemns process

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has defended a government review into the future oversight of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, known as Supo, after Interior Minister Mari Rantanen accused him of launching the process without informing her. Yle was the first to report on the review.

Rantanen said the review into moving Supo out of the Interior Ministry’s control began in June, but that she learned about it from ministry officials on Tuesday.

“I consider it highly inappropriate to begin preparing a review of an agency under another ministry without the ministry’s senior leadership knowing about it,” Rantanen said.

She said a matter of this scale should have been agreed during negotiations on the government programme, or at least discussed jointly within the government. In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Rantanen accused Orpo of acting improperly and called for the government to discuss its rules of procedure.

Rantanen demands an explanation

The possible transfer of Supo became a topic of public debate this week after Jukka Salovaara, the outgoing state secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, proposed at an ambassadors’ meeting that Supo should be placed under the Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said she supported the idea.

Orpo had previously said that the matter should be examined, repeating that position on Monday. Rantanen said this appeared inconsistent if a review had already begun.

“He did say on Monday that it would be good to start a review, but apparently it was started some time ago. The prime minister should be asked about this,” Rantanen said.

She also repeated that she did not understand why the review was needed in the first place. In her view, the government should hold a fundamental discussion about its procedures.

Orpo says he has the right to order reviews

In a written response to Yle, Orpo said that, as prime minister, he had every right to commission reviews concerning the division of responsibilities within the government.

According to Orpo, the matter has been discussed at official level, with the permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry also taking part. He said the current government would not make a decision on the issue, but that the review’s options would be available to the parties negotiating the next government.

“I believe it is worth examining the development of Supo and how it can best serve the country’s leadership in a changing world. There are certainly several alternatives,” Orpo wrote.

Orpo also addressed Rantanen’s reaction directly, saying ministers become very protective of functions under their own ministries during a parliamentary term. He said he wanted the matter considered as a whole, with the national interest guiding decisions about where Supo should be placed so that it could best serve Finland’s leadership and interests.

Rantanen says she knows little about the review

Rantanen said she had not discussed the matter with Orpo and would have expected him to contact her before the review began in June. She said she had no information about its details.

“At the ambassadors’ meeting, people wanted Supo to be placed under the Foreign Ministry, and now it seems it is also wanted under the Prime Minister’s Office. I do not have a clear picture of what is actually intended to change,” she said.

Rantanen said the issue must be addressed during the government’s budget session next week. In the current security situation, she said, stability was needed rather than major changes to government structures.

“Perhaps we should take a breath and look around to consider whether this issue needs attention right now, or whether we should try to keep the operating environment as stable as possible so that our authorities can focus on their work,” Rantanen said.