The Finnish Expatriate Parliament’s Plenary Sessions

The Finnish Expatriate Parliament convenes every two or three years to a session in Helsinki. The last session was held at the University of Helsinki in May 2015. Read more about it here in the left bar under 'Session 2015'. The session prior to this was held in October 2012, also at the same premises. The next session will be for the 1997 founded Finnish Expatriate Parliament its 20th anniversary jubilee session. It will even convene during the 100th anniversary celebration year of Finland's national Independence in 2017, on 16.-17. June 2017, once again at the University of Helsinki old main building by the Senate Square.

The representatives from the expatriate communities are decided as follows: every Finnish expatriate community that has ratified the by-laws of the Parliament, has the right to send one representative to the parliamentary session. Communities with more than 500 members have the right to send two representatives and communities with a membership over 1 000 have the right to send three representatives to the session. One person can represent several Finnish expatriate communities but he/she only has one vote during the plenary session and in the committee work.

The parliamentary representative of an organisation has the right to take part in the work of the parliamentary session, in other words in the plenary session and in the committee work. A Finnish expatriate community also has the right to send observers to the session. They may have speaking right in the committee but in the plenary session they have neither right to speak nor can vote there.

Acting Speaker for the Parliament is the Speaker of the Finnish Expatriate Parliament. The parliamentary secretary acts as secretary for the session and the Finland-Society’s Executive Director aids the Speaker during the session.

The initiatives submitted by the FEP-member organizations are divided according to their subject and they are relayed to the various committees for further deliberation. The ten permanent committees are: the citizenship committee, the cultural committee, the youth committee, the study- and training committee, the committee for political and official matters, the social committee, the senior committee, the statutory committee, the financial committee and the informational committee.

Committees can be combined or other committees set up if necessary. Their geographical representation must be guaranteed.

When the initiatives have been deliberated upon, the motions for resolutions are distributed to all participants before they gather for the second day plenary session. After every motion has been presented to the session, every representative to the session has the possibility to comment on the motions for resolutions. A request to speak must be submitted in writing to the speaker either before or during the session. If no dissenting opinions are voiced, the Speaker declares them adopted. If there are suggestions for changes or dismissals etc. the matter or resolution is put to the vote.

The Secretariat (the Finland-Society) draws up the minutes of the session. The minutes are presented to the Speakers’ Council for approval. The session minutes are sent to all member communities of the Finnish Expatriate Parliament and to all representatives and observers who participated in the session no later than two months after the session.

You can find more information on the workings of the session in the FEP hand book .

On these pages you can find all the relevant documents and information about past sessions.

The Founding Session 1997

The First Proper Session 1998

The Second Proper Session 2000

The Third Proper Session 2002

The Fourth Proper Session 2005

The Fifth Proper Session 2007

The Sixth Proper Session 2010

The Seventh Proper Session 2012

The Eighth Session 2015

The Nineth Session, 20-year Jubilee Session 2017

Top of the page