Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says the government is discussing a fuel subsidy package worth around 60 million euros to help people facing high fuel prices, with support for commuters and professional transport among its main priorities.
Speaking at an event organised by the Finnish Association of Political Journalists on Tuesday, Orpo said negotiations were continuing, but the government had yet to decide where the money would come from.
“It’s narrowed down to around 60 million euros, which is what’s being discussed now,” he said.
Orpo acknowledged that the government’s financial position leaves little room for additional spending. The proposed package is intended to address the pressure that high fuel prices place on people who rely on their vehicles to get to work, as well as businesses and professionals involved in transporting goods and people.
The discussions come as the government faces difficult choices over public spending and long-term savings. At the end of September, Orpo’s National Coalition Party proposed a savings package worth nine billion euros. Among its proposals was finding two billion euros in savings through reforms to the pension system.
Finance Ministry officials have also proposed raising Finland’s retirement age to 70 as part of efforts to strengthen public finances. Orpo rejected that proposal as unrealistic and repeated his position on Tuesday.
Instead, the National Coalition Party wants to examine pension accrual during periods when people are not working, including times spent unemployed or studying. Orpo argued that removing these unpaid periods from the pension system could generate significant savings. He also pointed to the possibility of reducing administrative costs within the system.
The prime minister said Finland should also look at ways to extend people’s working lives by helping young people enter higher education earlier. Shortening the time it takes to progress into higher education and employment, he suggested, could help more people spend longer periods in the workforce.
Orpo also addressed questions about suspected illegal logging at Google’s data centre construction sites in Muhos and Kajaani. Asked about his involvement in the projects and their permitting processes, he said he had not participated in any permit decisions.
“I haven’t been involved in any permit processes whatsoever. I see data centres as a major opportunity for Finland when they’re handled properly,” Orpo said.
He acknowledged that not every planned data centre project in Finland would necessarily proceed, but argued that Google’s investments could bring significant benefits to the country.
The projects have also raised questions about whether Finland’s electricity infrastructure can meet the needs of new data centres, which require substantial amounts of power to operate. Orpo said the government had taken steps to strengthen the electricity transmission grid to accommodate planned investments.
He added that demand for electricity would come from other energy-intensive industries as well. One example he cited was a planned aluminium plant in Kokkola.
“There’s interest in Finland because we have clean energy,” he said, expressing confidence that electricity generation would increase as demand grows.
Orpo also criticised US President Donald Trump’s recent approach to Russia and Ukraine, describing it as a major disappointment for European allies.
Trump announced on the previous Friday that Russia had agreed to supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to US and global markets. The United States was temporarily lifting sanctions on Russia to facilitate the deliveries, according to the account of the announcement.
Trump described his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin as very successful and said Ukraine should not target Russian oil refineries. The Financial Times has also reported that Trump is threatening to suspend US weapons supplies to Ukraine.
Asked how Europe should respond, Orpo criticised the reported arrangements with Moscow, arguing that they risk undermining the joint efforts of the United States and its European allies to support Ukraine.
“It really was a huge disappointment. A direct deal with Putin, which goes against everything we’ve done together, together with the United States. He’s making a deal with Putin which is financing Putin’s war,” Orpo said.
He called on European leaders to communicate their position firmly to Trump while continuing military and other support for Ukraine. He also stressed the importance of maintaining American involvement, underlining the challenge facing European governments as they seek to sustain support for Kyiv while preserving cooperation with Washington.
