In 1997, 131 expatriate Finnish organizations convened in Helsinki and decided to establish the Finnish Expatriate Parliament to “represent Finns who leave Finland, live abroad, and return, as well as their descendants.” Finnish communities operating worldwide were invited to participate in its activities, and Suomi-Seura (The Finland Society) was asked to act as the parliament’s secretariat. During the same session, the rules for the Finnish Expatriate Parliament were adopted.
The parliament operates in two main ways: regional activities and parliamentary sessions. Its jurisdiction covers the entire world, but it is divided into eight regions: 1) Northern Europe, 2) Eastern Europe, 3) Central Europe, 4) Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, 5) Canada,
6) The United States and Latin America, 7) Australia and Asia, and 8) Finland-Swedes abroad. Regional activities are coordinated by the region’s representative, elected during a parliamentary session, who serves as the parliament’s vice-speaker.
The second mode of operation is holding parliamentary sessions. Over its 20 years of activity, the Finnish Expatriate Parliament has held a total of 10 sessions. Together with Suomi-Seura, it has successfully advocated for many issues important to expatriate Finns, such as dual citizenship, postal voting, and Finnish schools abroad.
Organizations can join by ratifying the Finnish Expatriate Parliament’s rules. After this, they can contact their regional representative and begin preparing initiatives for the next session, planned for 2025. During the session, the initiatives are discussed in various committees and then either approved or rejected in the plenary session.