Esittelijä

Esittelijä is a Finnish term for a person who prepares and presents a matter for decision in public administration, legislatures, and other formal bodies. The word comes from esitellä “to present” and literally means “one who presents.” In Finland, esittelijä is typically a civil servant or, in some cases, a member of the decision-making body who prepares the material and explains it to the body that will decide. The role is often technical and behind the scenes, with the ultimate decision authority resting with the committee, plenary, or cabinet.

Contexts and roles:

- Government ministries and agencies: the esittelijä drafts government bills and other decisions, conducts fact-finding, consults with stakeholders, and presents the prepared material to the minister or cabinet.

- Parliament and municipalities: in legislative committees, the esittelijä prepares the committee’s report (mietintö) and presents the matter to the committee and later to the plenary. In municipal councils, similar duties apply for local decisions.

- International context: in EU or other international bodies, the Finnish equivalent is often translated as rapporteur, i.e., the official who presents the matter to the chamber.

Process: An esittelijä gathers information, writes the official esitys or mietintö, circulates it for comment, and, when approved, presents the case to the decision-making body and answers questions.

Etymology: from esitellä “to present,” with the agent suffix -jä; the term denotes the role of presenting or proposing a matter for consideration.