Law forced release of Garden emails, professor tells PM Orpo

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has asserted that the release of lobbying emails concerning the Garden Helsinki project was a legal obligation, not a discretionary act of transparency. During a parliamentary session, Orpo indicated that the decision to make the emails public stemmed from his own commitment to openness when public discussion arose.

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Everything has been told, everything related to this has been opened up. I made the decision when this public discussion about it started, that everything is given, which resulted in more discussion, which I understand, but everything has been opened up.

However, Tomi Voutilainen, a professor of public law, countered that the Public Access to Documents Act compelled the Prime Minister's Office (VNK) to release the emails. Voutilainen stated that Orpo cannot claim personal credit for this action, as it was a matter of legal compliance. The emails in question included correspondence from a lobbyist with ties to Orpo's National Coalition Party.

This stance contrasts with the VNK's previous actions. In a separate instance reported by Helsingin Sanomat, the VNK refused to release lobbying emails related to a potential confectionery tax increase, arguing they did not fall under the purview of the Prime Minister's Office but rather the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance, in that case, had provided similar materials, adopting a more open approach.

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The Public Access to Documents Act required the release of lobbying emails related to the Garden Helsinki project to the media.

Professor Voutilainen suggested that the VNK's internal culture tends towards secrecy, citing a 2022 administrative court ruling that found the office violated the law by withholding documents from a COVID-19 coordination group. He believes the Garden Helsinki emails should have been released under the same conditions as other similar cases, unless they were clearly addressed to Orpo in his capacity as a Member of Parliament or party leader, which was not the case here.

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The culture there, in my view, is secrecy-positive.