The Finnish voice is silenced in EU decision-making

Finland's accession to the EU in 1995 took a large number of Finnish officials to Brussels. These veterans have been working in the EU civil service for some decades and are now approaching retirement age. However, young experts do not flow into EU positions in the same way, which creates a worrying vacuum of Finnish expertise in EU institutions.

Candidates have to take part in an EU competition in order to get a job in the EU, and Finnish participation in these competitions has made stark reading in recent years. In the 2018–2022 competitions, out of more than a thousand Finnish applicants, only 16 eventually got a job. The institutions in Brussels may claim that there are enough Finns in high positions. The real problem is that there are no young Finnish talents to fill the gap left by the current civil service.

Why, then, do young Finns no longer seek a career in the EU? One key reason is related to the recruitment process. Competitions for EU posts are tough and long, and this is not something that Finland is used to. By comparison, similar processes in countries such as Spain, Italy and Belgium are more familiar with recruitment by national ministries and therefore young candidates are more prepared for this process. Similar training is not available in Finland. Passing the competition does not guarantee a job either, as those who pass will be placed on a reserve list. This can mean a long wait before an EU institution invites you for an interview. In addition, for many Finns, the work seems too hierarchical and bureaucratic, and career advancement can be slow. For example, according to the Commission's own statistics, progress from entry-level employment to managerial level can take up to 40 years.

It is clear that the lack of Finnish expertise in decision-making in EU institutions can be a significant challenge. Even though the employees of the European Commission, for example, do not represent their member states but the European Union as a whole, taking into account the perspectives of the member states is still vital for the quality and fairness of decision-making. When Finns are under-represented in EU institutions, Finland loses the opportunity to bring unique expertise to decision-making. We have already seen examples of this shortcoming. The EU's forest policy has sparked a lot of discussion in Finland, and many feel that the related Finnish and Nordic perspectives on forest management have been missing. Another example is last year's electricity market model reform, which seemed to take more account of the wishes of southern and central European countries instead of the Nordic perspective.

This phenomenon also affects the role of Finnish lobbyists. Through our customers, we can convey the voice of Finnish experts to EU decision-making. It is important that actors such as Blic ensure that the Finnish perspective is heard in EU decision-making, while at the same time trying to find solutions to attract young Finns to EU careers.

Nelli Immonen

The author is an EU expert and consultant to Blic.