ABSTRACT
The period from the formation of the new Finnish Government, the ‘Rainbow Coalition’, from April 1995 up to February 1996, can be characterized as a truce in the Finnish development debate. The composition of the new government created expectations about a new direction in Finnish development cooperation. The first Green Finnish cabinet minister ever, Mr Pekka Haavisto, got the portfolio for Environment and Development. In addition, three of the other four coalition partners – the Social Democrats, the Left Wing Alliance (former communists) and the Swedish People’s Party – have been the most pro-development aid parties in the Finnish Parliament for several years. However, the key task of the Government – stabilizing the Finnish economy through major cuts in public expenditure and decreasing Finnish unemployment from roughly 18% (half a million people) by half during the electoral period of four years – has so far clearly overshadowed the expectations regarding foreign aid.
