The Committee for the Future

In 1992, in the middle of a severe socio-economic crisis - the majority of the Members of Parliament approved a legislative motion suggesting that the Government should provide Parliament with a report concerning national long-term development trends and related options. The report was submitted in October 1993. Parliament appointed a Committee for the Future on a temporary basis in the same year for the purpose of evaluating and replying to the Government's decisions.

Based on the Committee's work, Parliament decided that the Government should present a Futures Report to Parliament at least once during each electoral period. This resolution has generated a unique political dialogue between the Government and Parliament regarding the nation's central future-related issues.

The Committee for the Future functioned on a temporary basis until the year 2000. In conjunction with a constitutional revision, the Parliament of Finland decided, on 17^th December, 1999, to grant the Committee for the Future a permanent status, starting from the beginning of March 2000. 
 

Tasks

The Committee for the Future shall
 

• prepare submitted parliamentary issues, such as the report on the Government's Futures White Papers;
• make statements to other Parliamentary Committees on request, concerning future-related issues (especially long-term issues such as climate policy, population policy, energy policy and information society policy);
• process issues relating to future development factors and development models;
• undertake analyses pertaining to future-related research and its methodology;
• function as a parliamentary organ assessing technological development and its societal consequences.

Activities

So far the Committee has evaluated four White Papers on the future of the nation. In 2002, the Committee is preparing Parliament's reply (a memorandum produced by the Committee for the Future) for the Government's Futures White Paper titled Finland 2015: Balanced Development. This memorandum focuses on regional economy, population development and employment as its central themes. 

The Committee pursues versatile networking activities on a comprehensive basis with national and international researchers and experts. This means that it has access to qualified expert resources and the opportunity of providing a discussion forum for central future-related themes.

The Committee's work has focused in recent years on the future of work and the prospects of a welfare society, competence and expertise, as well as the challenges of the Finnish information society (incl. science and technology policy).

In 1997, the Committee for the Future embarked upon technology assessment activities. To date, a total of eight assessment reports have been published with related preliminary and additional reports. In the electoral period 1999-2003 the Committee has completed five preliminary reports and three assessments. 

The Committee has also organised a number of international events, most of which have concentrated on technology and its application, such as Politics and Internet in 1999, plus the EPTA (European Parliamentary Technology Assessment) and the EPRI (European Parliaments' Research Initiative) annual conferences that were held in 2001.

In January 2003 the Committee co-organizes with the UNESCO an international round table conference on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy - Parliamentary Perspective. The conference is first of its kind. The conference includes representatives from all over the world and high-level speakers. 

The Committee emphasises direct contacts with the citizens in its work. Two special forums have been established: The Forum of the Experienced and Wise, and the Internet Forum of the Young Future-Builders.

Due to its expertise and contacts, the Committee can participate actively in the development of central parliamentary work methods, such as knowledge management and information technology. An example of this work is the development of web tools for parliamentary purposes.

Co-operation

The Committee for the Future co-operates with
 

• the Finnish Government and Ministries;
• research funding organisations, and research & development experts and organisations;
• various foreign parliaments;
• international parliamentary organisations, such as EPTA, EPRI and IPAIT (International Parliamentarians' Association for Information Technology);
• international organisations and institutions specialising in the survey of future development trends and options and 
• civic organisations.

Publications

Among other publications, the Committee publishes memoranda, conference and forum reports, as well as technology assessment reports.