Plenary session of Parliament. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva
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Members of the Finnish Parliament will receive increased salaries from 1 October, following a decision by the parliamentary remuneration committee. The adjustment includes rises for ministers, deputy speakers, and the Speaker of Parliament.
First-term MPs will see their monthly pay increase by €500 to €7,637, a rise of 7%. Those in their second or third term will receive €7,944. MPs with more than 12 years of service will receive €8,393, up from €7,993.
The Speaker, Jussi Halla-aho of the Finns Party, will see his salary rise by €867 to €15,315 per month. Deputy Speakers will earn €11,942, a rise of nearly €700.
The Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, will also see a raise. Having served over a decade in Parliament, his combined monthly compensation will rise from €18,445 to €19,512. Ministers’ salaries are tied to that of the Deputy Speakers, and MPs serving as ministers receive half of the standard MP salary in addition to ministerial pay and non-taxable allowances.
The committee stated the increases reflect the average earnings growth of all wage earners in Finland, measured at 6.2% between mid-2023 and mid-2025. The last time MPs’ salaries were raised was in spring 2023 at the start of the new parliamentary term.
The remuneration committee is chaired by Timo Laitinen and includes Tuire Santamäki-Vuori and Pekka Vihervuori. None are MPs or employees of Parliament. Their four-year term runs from January 2025 to December 2028.
The committee said it considers it essential that the salaries of the country’s highest political body remain aligned with general wage trends. It cited Section 29 of the Finnish Constitution, which guarantees MPs’ independence and protection from financial pressure during their term.
Additional pay for committee chairs, parliamentary groups, and subcommittees will remain unchanged.
The salary decision coincides with the government’s announcement of €1 billion in spending cuts, prompting renewed public scrutiny of political salaries. According to a recent values and attitudes survey by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA, 82% of respondents supported cutting pay for ministers and their aides. The survey ranked ministerial salaries as the most popular target for reductions.
Support for reducing public subsidies to political parties and the parliamentary budget also reached 81%.
Government plans include a 5% cut to ministers’ salaries from January 2026. The total cost of ministerial and political aide salaries was €15.6 million last year, representing just over 6% of the Prime Minister’s Office’s €246.6 million budget.
Despite the relatively small share of overall state spending, the symbolic value of cuts to political salaries has become a focus in public debate.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
