Budget proposal for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and its branch of government for 2026

Budget proposal for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and its branch of government for 2026

The Government proposes EUR 245 million for the operating expenses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The operating expenses will be subject to an additional saving of EUR 6.4 million. The impact of the saving in development cooperation outlined in the Government Programme will increase by EUR 73 million. Moreover, additional savings totalling EUR 70 million will be allocated to development cooperation appropriations.

Finland's foreign and security policy aim is to safeguard Finland's independence and territorial integrity, to avoid becoming involved in a military conflict and to improve the security and wellbeing of the people of Finland. Finland is conducting its foreign and security policy in a difficult environment that is not easy to predict.

The Foreign Service serves the entire state administration, citizens, companies, organisations, the media, and other cooperation partners. The reform of the Foreign Service will continue as outlined in the Government Programme.

The Government proposes EUR 1.155 billion in appropriations for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and its branch of government for 2026. The reduction from the amount in the 2025 Budget is EUR 66 million, which is affected by a reduction of EUR 46 million allocated to the Ministry and its branch of government as part of the adjustment measures outlined by the Government in the spring of 2025.

Operating expenses of the Foreign Service

The Government proposes EUR 245 million for the operating expenses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The operating expenses will be subject to an additional saving of EUR 6.4 million. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will primarily target the savings at its activities in Finland by limiting backfill recruitment and by improving efficiency. Savings are sought in all expenditure types.

In accordance with the Government Programme, the network of diplomatic missions and its resourcing will be examined systematically over the long term. Finland's network of diplomatic and consular missions consists of 90 offices. Two of the offices are temporarily closed.

Team Finland

The foreign functions of Business Finland will be integrated into the Foreign Service by 1 January 2026. After the integration, the current services of the Foreign Service and Business Finland abroad will be provided centrally to companies. EUR 25 million has been budgeted for export promotion services in connection with the Team Finland reform.

Development cooperation

The priorities of the Government's development policy will include improving the position, right to self-determination and sexual and reproductive health of women and girls, which are key to curbing population growth. Education and climate measures will also be a priority. Finland will also pursue its objectives in EU development policy, international development finance institutions and UN organisations. Finland will effectively promote the participation of Finnish companies in investment projects funded within the framework of the EU's Global Gateway initiative.

The Government proposes that EUR 475 million and mandate commitments of EUR 164 million be allocated to official development assistance (ODA) administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The expenditure arising from the commitments will be incurred after 2026. Government decisions will increase savings in the appropriation for the exclusive ODA budget item. The impact of the saving outlined in the Government Programme will increase by EUR 73 million. In addition, the appropriation includes a saving of EUR 50 million decided in the spring of 2025, and a new saving of EUR 20 million decided by the Government in its autumn budget session. However, these savings will not be targeted at Finnish civil society organisations. The Government proposes that the budget item for support for democracy and rule of law be merged with the exclusive ODA budget item as part of the efforts to centralise discretionary government grants in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The Government proposes to continue to support developing countries by allocating EUR 70 million to development cooperation funding in the form of loans and investments. A total of EUR 5 million is proposed for increasing the capital of Finnfund.

An appropriation of EUR 57 million and mandate commitments of EUR 40 million are proposed for the item Humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The total amount of the assistance paid to Ukraine from the Foreign Ministry's appropriations is estimated at approximately EUR 67 million in 2026. Ukraine is the largest beneficiary of Finland's development cooperation assistance during this government term.

Finland's overall public development cooperation expenditure is estimated at EUR 1.034 billion, which corresponds to around 0.35% of gross national income (GNI).

Other appropriations

The Government proposes EUR 53 million for the material and administrative costs of Finland's crisis management contingents and EUR 17.5 million for civilian crisis management. It is proposed that an appropriation of EUR 3.9 million be allocated to mediation, as in 2025.

Approximately EUR 152 million is proposed for the budget item Membership fees and contributions to international organisations, which is subject to a non-recurring reduction of EUR 10 million. Finland's contributions to the EU account for the bulk of the appropriation, a total of EUR 64 million. About EUR 33 million is proposed for contributions to the UN and EUR 11 million for contributions to NATO.