Matti Sarasmaa appointed as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior

On 19 December, the Government appointed General Staff Officer Matti Sarasmaa, Chief of Division, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior. He will take up his new post on 1 February 2025 and his term of office will last for five years.

Matti Sarasmaa has worked as Chief of the Border and Coast Guard Division of the Finnish Border Guard since 2020. Before that, he worked as Chief of the Personnel Division at the Finnish Border Guard in 2018–2019 and as head of an administrative unit in 2016–2018 . In 2010–2015, Sarasmaa held various positions at the Finnish Border Guard. In 2007–2010, he worked as a Justice and Home Affairs Counsellor at the Council of the EU in Brussels where he was employed as a public official of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sarasmaa has also worked as Deputy Director of the Border and Coast Guard Academy and in operational duties of the Finnish Border Guard.

“I am very grateful for being appointed to the challenging post of Permanent Secretary.  The role of the Ministry of the Interior has grown in importance as the security environment has changed significantly. This is also taken into account in the Government Programme, which means a great deal of work for our Ministry, for example because of the extensive legislative programme. I know that the entire administrative branch of the Ministry of the Interior has understood the importance of security for Finland. Both the Ministry and its agencies employ committed and professional people who work for our security. This work is also carried out in the European Union with the aim of influencing issues that have a direct impact on our activities,” says Matti Sarasmaa.

The Permanent Secretary assists the Minister in directing, developing and monitoring the work of the Ministry and the agencies within its branch of government. The Permanent Secretary leads the Ministry’s strategic planning and coordinates its implementation, is responsible for effective internal control, assists the Minister in planning, implementing and monitoring broad-based issues, and manages performance guidance within the Ministry’s administrative branch.

A comprehensive security clearance has been conducted on the Permanent Secretary and a twelve-month non-compete agreement will be concluded with him under the Act on Public Officials in Central Government. This means that during the period the office holder cannot transfer to other tasks outside central government in which he would benefit from the use of non-disclosable information.

Inquiries:
Jukka Aalto, Director General, tel. +358 295 488 510, [email protected]
Requests for documents: [email protected]