The cornerstone of unity

3 COMMITTEE FOR THE FUTURE
Parliamentary power in every country can be divided between legislative power and budgetary power, but the 
Finnish Parliament (innovation no. 1) has the unique character of possessing a kind of visionary power too, for 
which a special committee was founded approximately more than 20 years ago: the Committee for the Future. It 
is still the only committee in the world in which MPs focus on matters related to the future, although in some 
countries the more limited one of its two tasks 
– the evaluation of the consequences of technological 
development for society 
– has been assigned to a parliamentary committee (generally a committee for science 
and technology). 
A constitutional reform in 2000 consolidated the Committee for the Future as a permanent committee 
comparable to Parliament’s other special committees. The persistence of mps was a deciding factor in the 
development of this institution.The initiative for organising parliamentary debate on the future and for creating a 
forum for comprehensive future policies was taken by the Parliament. A parliamentary majority made sure that 
the proposition was carried in spite of opposition, but it took several years. 
Already in 1986, a total of 133 mps out of 200 signed their names to a proposal regarding the foundation of a 
future studies unit as part of the legislative body. This was discussed as a written question, but it did not result in 
concrete action. The debate continued, and 166 MPs formulated a legislative proposal on the matter in 1992, but 
that also failed. The most eager MPs at that time were Eero Paloheimo and Martti Tiuri, who became the first 
presidents of the Committee when it was eventually founded. Even though the legislative proposal failed to 
succeed, the Constitutional Law Committee stated that Finland had a clear need for futures policies and 
dialogue between the government and Parliament concerning long-term problems and options. 

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In 1992 the Committee was of the opinion that the Government should produce a report on future 
development for Parliament, i.e. a comprehensive study, based on futures studies’ methods, on essential 
matters concerning social development and alternative future developments. In addition, the Government would 
state objectives, according to which society would be developed. Parliament decided to appoint this task to the 
Government, and a committee was formed to discuss the Government’s report on the long-term future. The 
committee was named the Committee for the Future. 
According to the current stipulations, “The Committee for the Future considers parliamentary documents 
referred to it and, when requested to do so, makes submissions to other committees on future-related matters, 
which are included in their spheres of responsibility and have a bearing on development factors and 
development models of the future. The Committee conducts research associated with futures studies, including 
methodology, and it also functions as a parliamentary body that conducts assessments of technological 
developments and the impact of technology on society. The Committee has a small annual budget, which allows 
it to commission external reports and studies. The main task of the Committee for the Future is to review the 
Government’s white paper on the future and prepare a statement on it for Parliament, but it is also in charge of 
evaluating the consequences of technological development for society. 
The autonomy initially given to the Committee has been strengthened over the years. It chooses a few major 
social issues related to the future at the beginning of each electoral period, and then produces a report on these 
in cooperation with other bodies. Some of these reports are then discussed in plenary sessions. The most recent 
report analysed sustainable growth and wellbeing. Reports have included topics like “Challenges of the Global 
Information Society”, which was produced in cooperation with philosopher Pekka Himanen, and “The Future of 
Health Car
e”, which was produced in cooperation with a health research group from the University of Kuopio and 
futures researcher Osmo Kuusi. 
The Committee has also conducted research on regional innovative environments and social capital. The 
reports have been widely discussed in the media, and the debate still continues. 
During the years since it was founded, the Committee has during each electoral period focused on themes 
which are highly relevant to Finnish society, such as globalisation, new technologies, knowledge management, 
and innovations. In 2006, as part of the Centenary of the Parliament of Finland celebrations, the Committee 
published “Democracy and Futures”, a compilation of articles on democracy in 2100 by international futures 
studies specialists.
In 2017 the Committee was given a new task to act as the responsible Committee for the Finnish Agenda 
2030 and to report the activities of our Government to the United Nations. 
The Committee for the Future has consolidated its position. It has drawn plenty of attention and spawned 
successors in various forms. 
Jyrki Katainen 
– Prime Minister, chairperson of the Committee for the Future 2003–2007, European 
Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness since 2014