Riikka Purra, in what situation would you start pushing for EU separation when it is in the party's goals?

Riikka Purra, the president of Basic Finns, was at Iltalehti's exam on Thursday. Concrete employment measures for basic Finns include staggered earnings security. Riikka Purra in the chairman's interview. ILTVkreeta.karvala@iltalehti.fiToday at 8:39

The excitement of the elections will be condensed into Sunday evening. The Basic Finns and the coalition are practically side by side in the polls, and the SDP comes out on top within striking distance.

It is possible that Riikka Purra, the chairperson of the Basic Finns, will become the next prime minister of Finland.

In Iltalehti's election exam, Purra reveals what he plans to change first in Finland.

– Of course, everything depends on getting the state's economy on the right track and having the decision-making power of the economy in our own hands.

< p class="paragraph">As prime minister, Purra would immediately tighten Finland's immigration policy and make a “more reasonable climate policy”.

Purra would firstly repeal the laws of Sanna Marin's (sd) government. One of them would be the integration law, which the government passed on the last day of its session.

Limiting immigration, which basic Finns describe as “harmful”, is “clearly” a key threshold issue for the party in the future government.

Last year, 4,000 asylum applications were submitted to Finland, if Ukrainians are not included. More than 16,000 people came to Finland to work, of which about 8,000 people came to work in low-wage sectors.

Riikka Purra is satisfied with the recent poll results, according to which the Fundamental Finns and the coalition are competing almost head-to-head. Elle Laitila

How much are you going to limit immigration, when at the same time business demands that around 50,000 new employees and students should come to Finland every year.

– On the humanitarian side, we aim for zero asylum seekers.

However, it would suit basic Finns that the temporary protection that Ukrainians receive would also be possible for other asylum seekers.

–At the moment, asylum almost always leads to permanent migration. We want to take Finnish immigration policy in the direction of Denmark, says Purra.

He says that in work-related immigration, the Basic Finns do not support immigration from outside the EU based on social security.

Finns to work

Purra wants all Finns to work instead of immigration.

In Finland, so-called broad unemployment was 372,100 people in February. It includes the unemployed and those involved in employment measures.

Furthermore, there are 140,000 people outside the labor force who do not apply for or work and are not in education or training.

What are the means to get these Finns to work?

– One of the most essential is to fix the problem of misalignment and work incentives.

How does it happen?

– In an encouraging way with social and tax policy. The key is improving purchasing power: that a person can get by on his salary.

Purra is ready for tax reductions after government spending has been reduced.

Basic Finns also wants to reform vocational education, which, according to Purra, is now graduating young people who will not be employed by companies because their skills are not sufficient, or the young people have trained in fields where there is no need for labor. The degrees may also be too long.

– There is a clear improvement in these, so that we also have skilled professionals in our own country.

Concrete employment measures for basic Finns include earnings security gradation.

Is it also possible to cut social benefits or freeze indices, which would be used to dismantle incentive traps and get people to work?

– I have said that this is not on our list. We support other methods before these, but I have not ruled out any methods, because we cannot know how bad the (economic) situation will still be.

In your opinion, Finns are not liked raise too much. Your party's program calls for the honor of the Danube River. Is this line due to the fact that otherwise we will have to bring immigrants to the Danube industries?

– We support increasing the proportion of people with higher education, but these ideas of up to 70 percent are completely overshooting.

– We need more highly educated people, for example doctors, psychologists, teachers and early childhood education teachers, but in my opinion we don't need more gender researchers.

According to Purra, the marginalization of young people “is a terrible human and economic waste”, when they do not get a suitable career, skills and degree.

However, the employment rate of those with higher education is on average about 10 percentage points higher than those who have completed secondary education. Why does increasing higher education not work for you, even if it is a good remedy for increasing the employment rate?

– As I said, we need more higher education, but not too overshooting goals.

< p class="paragraph">– We don't see it as putting Finns in higher education and bringing all the Dunars from outside Europe.

A study by the Basic Finns think tank states that immigration is harmful even if the person does not commit to the values ​​of the receiving country.

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What values ​​do you mean? Patriotism, Christian socialism and national interest, which are basic Finnish values, or some other values?

– In general, commitment to Western values ​​and integration into society.

– We are not more specific about whether a person wants to go to a sauna or spend Christmas. Let's leave these to everyone for themselves.

–For example, the inequality between the sexes that is part of Islam, in our opinion, does not belong in Finland, Purra says.

EU-leave

If the citizens' opinion about the EU changes, then the departure from the EU pushed by basic Finns may also become relevant. Elle Laitila

Perussuomalaiset is currently the only party that promotes Finland's EU exit in its official programs.

In the HS election exam, however, you said that if Basic Finns can get into the government, you don't promote leaving the EU. Why do you have such a goal if you don't strive for it. Isn't this cheating basic Finnish voters?

– Not at all. The 2019 EU election program says that leaving the EU is a strategic long-term goal.

In what situation would you possibly start pushing for leaving the EU, when it is still there in the goals?< /strong>

– The Finnish people do not support leaving the EU. It actually supports the European Union more than ever.

According to Purra, however, citizens' opinion can change, as happened with NATO membership.

– We cannot know where the European Union will develop from this.

According to Purra, the direction seems to be towards a federal state and growing collective debt and continuous income transfer packages.

– In our opinion, this is not the right direction for Finland, but as I said, the citizens' opinion is very important here.

You have said that you want to pursue a sharper EU policy, form Finland interest in the government and take it forward in the EU. What is this Finnish interest, is it internationality or introversion?

– Finland is part of the international system and a member of the EU. Of course we operate in these contexts, but if we think on a more concrete level, for example, the EU, which will have a restoration regulation, forced renovations, an energy reduction directive and forest policy in general.

Many of them are still in the negotiation phase.

– Yes, but unfortunately I don't think that the end result will ever be completely optimal.

According to Purra, Finland should be able to operate at least “with as sharp teeth as Sweden”.

According to Purra, the biggest problem with Finland's EU policy during this government term has been that the government has not reached an agreement on its positions quickly enough, which has caused Finland to not be able to promote these positions in Brussels either.

– I have heard that the civil service has been confused because it is impossible to promote the interests of Finland.

Basic Finns are probably voted by many farmers, and if you are in the government, will there be cuts to EU agricultural subsidies?

– There can be no cuts to agricultural subsidies. It is known that even at the moment our agricultural plight is absolutely terrible and food security…

So for the next budget period in the EU, you are pushing for even bigger agricultural subsidies than the current one?

– Of course we strive to benefit from the European Union, i.e. to get as much money as possible.

– Of course, there is no significant room for maneuver in these, and Finland is a clear net payer, but the bigger concerns are related to such measures as the recovery package and the sovereignty fund and in general to these huge responsibilities that Finland has.

Interest rates and climate

Purra believes that a climate agreement can be found with the coalition. According to Elle Laitila

Nordea, interest rates on Finland's national debt may rise due to the election victory of basic Finns. The reason is that the win could raise concerns among international investors about how committed Finland is to the EU and the eurozone.

How do you respond to these concerns?

– This is, of course, one estimate. The fact that investors and interest rates can react to new situations is quite normal. Naturally, when the government's activities start, the reactions will probably level off.

– Examples have now been seen, for example, in Italy, where the Fratelli (Italian brothers) became the prime minister's party.

– Of course, interest rates will rise, because they have risen elsewhere too, and when you look at the interest rates on Italian 10- and 20-year loans, they will rise in exactly the same proportion as in Finland.

According to Purra, the greater risk is for investors in their eyes is Finland's ever-increasing debt level and growing chronic deficit.

One ​​possible obstacle to the government path for basic Finns is that the threshold issue for the coalition is whether to stick to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.

On the other hand, the goal for basic Finns is 2050 as outlined by the EU. Do you believe that you and the coalition can come to an agreement on this?

– I do.

What is it based on? strong>

– The goal from 2035 will not be realized, says Purra.

– We emphasize that climate action must be taken. We are moving away from fossils all the time.

– We have to make a climate policy that is beneficial to us and creates a global impact, for example by exporting and utilizing technology.

Where can we find that agreement with the coalition?

– It will probably not be found in the years.

– Climate policy must be economically and technologically sensible, move in the right direction.

– And we are not against the fact that Finland wants to be a bit of a pioneer, but it must not be done at the expense of the purchasing power of households and the competitiveness of the export industry.

– I would believe that these economic rationalities will also open up other the parties' eyes – sooner or later, Purra decides.

Riikka Purra participated in Iltalehti's Suoraa puhetta election test. Elle Laitila